This 10,000-RPM Four-Cylinder Makes 325 HP Without Any Boost

Vintage rally cars and zingy four-cylinders go together like peanut butter and jelly—or, to use a more appropriate comparison, gravel slung at high speed and slightly buzzed race fans. That’s why the new Boreham Ten-K engine exists. It’s a 2.1-liter lump with individual throttle bodies, dual-overhead cams, and billet internals. Extensive lightweighting helps it come in at just 85 kilograms, or roughly 187 pounds in freedom units, and it hits peak power at 10,000 rpm.

You won’t find any big-time automaker developing four-cylinder engines like this. If they need to make 325 horsepower like the Ten-K does, then they just toss on a turbo. I understand that approach—really, I do—but it doesn’t fit with the spirit of Boreham Motorworks’ next-gen Ford Escort Mk1 RS. The small British manufacturer is building these continuation chassis under license from the Blue Oval, and the cars will even carry a two-year, 20,000-mile warranty.

Boreham refers to the Ten-K in its press release as a “motorsport-derived, belt-driven twin-cam with modern electronics.” It features all the typical top-shelf components, like a crank, cradle, dry sump, cam cover, and rods made from billet material. And because it’s a total clean sheet design, Boreham developed it with “F1-inspired” port geometry from the start. That descriptor has become about as cliche as “military grade” when talking about trucks, but the company insists that it optimizes gas flow and power delivery. Finally, modern manufacturing techniques were implemented to keep the weight down; Boreham “sculpted” the engine block closely around the internals with help from 3D-printed casting technology.

This 2.1-liter is actually the premium engine choice of the two that Boreham is making available to customers. If anyone feels that 325 hp at 10,000 rpm is just too much, they can spring for a 1.85-liter twin-cam that’s rated at 185 hp, which is still plenty stout. The smaller engine will be paired to a four-speed manual in the Escort Mk1 RS, while the larger Ten-K has a little more headroom thanks to a five-speed. No matter which engine these well-to-do customers opt for, they’ll have a hoot in the car that’s projected to weigh under 1,800 pounds.

Pricing for the Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort Mk1 RS starts at £295,000, or roughly $380,000.

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