Oof: MST Mk1 EVO breaks cover, costs £195k
Nothing worth having comes easy, they say - the new 350hp Mk1 Evolution from MST cars is proof enough of that...
Back in 2024, at the PH Annual Service no less, you might recall MST Cars revealing something called the Evo-X. On the one hand, it was an homage to the Ford Series-X catalogue - or the outlandish Escorts that resulted from its pages, at any rate. Despite being unfinished at the time, the Mk2 left quite the impression: a) because it was in yellow, and had the sort of monster-arch body kit you assume you’re going to see everyone driving in heaven, and b) it was offered with a choice of engines (each sillier than the last), and a seriously uprated chassis, too.
Going by the comments at the time, people took to the prospect of an Evo-X like an England fan to Hawkstone lager on draft. So it’s hardly surprising that MST has turned a similar amount of attention to the other Escort in its lineup: behold the Mk1 EVO. On its website, the firm says it has been working on the Evolution version of the Mk1 for the last two years (we like to think that clay modelling the wheel arches took 18 months), which means it is likely to have begun the project not long after the Mk2’s showing at Bicester. So if you recall recommending to the MST brain trust in attendance that they build a Mk1 version, reach around and pat yourself on the back.
Either way, the EVO is here now and it suggests a big part of taking the Mk1 to the next level was the development work required to get the chassis to accommodate bigger wheels while retaining the car’s celebrated handling characteristics. Unsurprisingly, the new model shares the independent rear suspension that MST introduced with the Evo-X, itself a variant of the configuration that Colin McRae had installed on his Mk2 rally car. Y’know, in case you needed another reason to think the EVO cool…
This is combined with WRC-specification Reiger dampers and an AP Racing braking system, which is said to deliver ‘outstanding capability, precision and driver confidence across every environment’. As is often the case with MST cars, the latter is a reference to the available spec options: i.e. do you want your EVO prepped for tarmac rallying or track driving or just (just, he says) road driving? If you want the former - as the pictured factory development car proves - you can have it on 18-inch wheels with proper tyres.
If you’re just interested in being the envy of every bloke up your road, the road version comes on 17-inch alloys with Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. Naturally, the suspension is fully adjustable anyway, and MST is keen to remind us that every car is built to the customer’s individual specification - so you needn’t have the stripped-out cabin if you’d prefer something clad in leather and Alcantara (though somehow MST manages to make even its rally-spec interiors look like a wonderful place to spend a long, sunny afternoon).
Of course, it helps that no matter what the dash looks like, you’ll be stuck behind a four-cylinder engine of unimpeachable quality and character. By default, the Mk1 EVO gets the 2.5-litre Millington engine in its naturally aspirated, 350hp state of tune, mated to a six-speed sequential ‘box equipped with paddle shifters. And if that combination doesn’t sound serious enough, you can always upgrade to the larger 2.7- or 2.8-litre units. You’ll need to bring an equally serious budget to bear if you do: prices for the EVO start at £195k plus VAT. And apparently there is already a queue stretching into 2027...
As a £200k fun car I absolutely love it. It’s just the right amount of way too over the top.
And who doesn’t love a Millington?
I’d rather have a narrow bodied mark 1 like Gordon Murray’s (by retropower) or a mad group 4 mark 2. MST will do either.
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