British company Tolman Engineering is best known for two main things: preparing race cars and restomodding Peugeot 205s. However, the company also offers general restoration and modification services for a variety of vehicles. This leads the company to do some unique projects, such as its latest, a Ford Escort XR3i. In the same vein as its Peugeots, Tolman's take on this Escort is meant to be better than the original car, while also being faithful to its character.Tolman Engineering Tolman Took It From Rust Bucket To Super Sleeper It might not be a Peugeot, but this Escort is from the same era and segment and Tolman's favorite fun machine, so it wasn't too out of the ordinary. In fact, the company has had the occasional Escort in the past, and even an RS200, Ford's bespoke homologation special for Group B rally racing.Tolman EngineeringAs the company explained, it got the car in 2022 as a rusty ride in need of a major overhaul. It put a total of 1,600 hours into it, starting with tearing it down to the chassis and replacing the rotten panels, including a complete new roof. Tolman left the exterior (and interior) stock, though, with the sole exception of the wheels. It created identical versions of the factory units, but made them 15 inches in diameter, an inch larger than stock. It also took the original wheels, cut out the centers and machined them down into caps that were then attached to the new wheels. By doing this, not only did the wheels look like the originals, but the company noted they also have the original Ford logo casting marks.Tolman EngineeringTolman made many more changes to the mechanical parts. Those wheels were necessary, as the company replaced the rear drum brakes with discs, and the front brakes got four-piston calipers, all from AP Racing. None of the new brake components would have fit inside the factory wheels. The suspension now uses Bilstein shocks, and a custom front anti-roll bar though the ride height remains stock to maintain as much of the original look as possible. Tolman apparently modified the front suspension to get more caster adjustment, too.The Escort's engine got the most attention. Tolman completely rebuilt the original 1.6-liter CVH four-cylinder engine with new pistons and rods. The team also replaced the cylinder head, switching from the factory single-overhead camshaft head to a double-overhead camshaft unit from a much later Ford Zetec engine. To hide that change, Tolman found an Escort RS1600i cam cover and cut it down to stick on top of the Zetec cover. It's not a perfect fit, but it's sure to cause some double takes from Ford fans. With the addition of a custom stainless steel header and exhaust, Tolman says that the engine now makes 150 horsepower at the wheels and 120 pound-feet of torque, which according to Classic and Sports Car represents about 50 horses and 20 pound-feet more than a stock, face-lifted fourth-generation Escort XR3i. Tolman Is Working On More '80s Machines Unlike with Peugeot 205s, this Escort is not a showcase of a ready-to-go package of upgrades the company plans to offer into the future, nor a variety of more broadly available parts. This is a customer-commissioned vehicle, or basically a one-off. With that said, if you had a similar Escort, Tolman would probably be happy to do some similar upgrades if you're willing to cover the costs, which are undisclosed in this case. Tolman also noted that it has a couple other customer commissions in the works from this same era, so prepare to see some more tasteful '80s machines this year.