Photo: Mark Donaldson
According to homologation rules for Group B rallying, a manufacturer had to build at least 200 road-legal cars. FoMoCo arrived late to the Group B party, having built only 146 cars before the FIA pulled the plug on the Group B class.
Of these, 24 units were converted to Evolution specification. This isn’t one of those highly coveted machines, but a regular RS200 offered for sale by the good people over at Mark Donaldson. Don’t boo and hiss now because this little Ford is able to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) faster than some contemporary supercars.
The RS200 you can admire in the photo gallery was built in 1986, the year that saw the demise of Group B. Hours after Henri Pauli Toivonen crashed his Martini Lancia Delta S4 rally car and died at the Tour de Corse, the controversial head of FISA, Jean-Marie Balestre, announced that Group B would cease to exist.
In many ways, the Ford RS200 is the last hurrah of the maddest and most dangerous era in rallying, albeit driver fatalities in the WRC peaked in 1989. The left-hand drive example listed by Mark Donaldson can be yours for £175,000 or $255,320 at current rates. Indeed, it’s just as expensive as a Ferrari 488 GTB.
For the money, you’re offered an odometer that shows 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers), 350 horsepower from a mid-mounted 1.8-liter Ford / Cosworth BDT four-cylinder turbo engine, Speedline split wheels, rally-spec seats, brand new tires and cam belt, as well as Evolution ears (as in intakes).
The best thing about owning an RS200, however, is that the lever next to the gear stick offers you a choice. That choice is torque distribution: 50:50, 37:63 or, if you’re feeling insanely brave, 0:100. Imagine sending all that power to the rear wheels of a rally-bred car that has a wheelbase of 99.6 inches (2,530 mm). Snap oversteer is an undergarment-soiling condition, no doubt about that.
The RS200 you can admire in the photo gallery was built in 1986, the year that saw the demise of Group B. Hours after Henri Pauli Toivonen crashed his Martini Lancia Delta S4 rally car and died at the Tour de Corse, the controversial head of FISA, Jean-Marie Balestre, announced that Group B would cease to exist.
In many ways, the Ford RS200 is the last hurrah of the maddest and most dangerous era in rallying, albeit driver fatalities in the WRC peaked in 1989. The left-hand drive example listed by Mark Donaldson can be yours for £175,000 or $255,320 at current rates. Indeed, it’s just as expensive as a Ferrari 488 GTB.
For the money, you’re offered an odometer that shows 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers), 350 horsepower from a mid-mounted 1.8-liter Ford / Cosworth BDT four-cylinder turbo engine, Speedline split wheels, rally-spec seats, brand new tires and cam belt, as well as Evolution ears (as in intakes).
The best thing about owning an RS200, however, is that the lever next to the gear stick offers you a choice. That choice is torque distribution: 50:50, 37:63 or, if you’re feeling insanely brave, 0:100. Imagine sending all that power to the rear wheels of a rally-bred car that has a wheelbase of 99.6 inches (2,530 mm). Snap oversteer is an undergarment-soiling condition, no doubt about that.
Google News