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Tucked away on an old World War 2 airfield in Essex (UK). A proud family business where can only mean striving for perfection.

It was still interesting to see white Ford RS200 the chassis literally stripped down to its most basic form. The reason wasn’t good: a serious hit sustained during a rally last year had caused substantial damage, ripping off one side and stoving in the front. However, it proved the strength of MDV’s build; the main cell was unaffected, the doors still opened once the car was retrieved from the tree it had mated with. The car is being rebuilt to exactly the same spec as before

I was stunned by the #85 MkII Escort that MDV have developed when I saw it last year at the Autosport International show. This MkI is raced around the UK and increasingly in Europe. The Escort carries a full FIA technical passport and Appendix J homologation.

Ford specialists oversee the engines for the fleet of MDV Escorts. This one mounts a 2.5-litre aluminium block YB with twin 50 carbs – it’s essentially a Pinto lookalike, but has some serious modifications. MDV have created a bespoke airbox with a big plenum chamber that’s made a huge difference to feeding clean air to the YB. It’s so efficient that there’s hardly a difference on the dyno even with the box fitted.

Then MkV Escort, something at the complete other end of the spectrum. The owner of this car wanted an extreme drift machine that would stand out from the stereotypically Japanese crowd, but still look relatively stock. Up front, mounted so low down it’s practically scraping the floor but allowing the standard bonnet line to be retained, is a Chevy small block V8 out of an old NASCAR. The massive lock is allowed by a modified front cradle taken from an E46. The rear end is aluminium M5/M6 E60 spec, with an immediately recognisable M5 diff hanging down low.

The complet hillclimb RS200 whilst power has been pushed to astronomical levels. Its original-spec 2.4-litre BDT-E has a Garrett prototype turbo strapped on, matched to a Life Racing ECU. In conjunction with high octane race fuel the RS200 makes 950hp as standard. This wasn’t any old RS200, but the iconic Mach 2 Pikes Peak RS200 driven by rallycross legend Mark Rennison; the car that was the first British machine to go sub 10 minutes.

A monstrous red Aston Martin Vantage V8 bought new with his first bonus at work, the Aston was one of several overpowered machines he ragged from week to week. Power was always the priority, and this one has had its vast V8 up-gunned to produce over 600hp via stroking and modern electronics. The engine is ludicrously big, surely one of the biggest production V8s ever made.

The grey Ferrari 308 GTB is evidence of MDV’s latest new challenge, moving into the restoration business. They’d been frequently asked if they could help out with older cars, and eventually the team’s curiosity got the better of them. It just means more metal to play with, more things to learn.