The Ford RS200

Produced by Ford Motorsport in Boreham, England, from 1984-1986, the RS200 was Ford’s weapon to compete in the World Rally Championship during the fearsome Group B era. The car featured a plastic-fibreglass composite body, designed by Ghia, a mid-mounted engine and four-wheel drive. The chassis was designed by Formula One designer, Tony Southgate, and Formula One engineer, John Wheeler.

Power came from an 1803 cc Ford-Cosworth BDT engine, producing 250 bhp in standard road-going trim, although as production progressed more power became available. At the time, Group B regulations required manufacturers to assemble 200 road-going versions of their race-bred competition cars. With time, it has become clear that Ford did not sell 200, with Justin Smith, the Ford RS200 authority, believing as few as 147 were actually sold!

This Ford RS200 S

The RS200 presented here, chassis 121 is very special, being one of only 20 RS200 S cars built. As confirmed by Justin Smith, author of the RS200 register, these cars came about as part of a deal involving the sale of 20 vehicles to Murray DeWert in Canada. In an effort to make these ‘S’ cars the “best RS200’s ever”, they were fitted with several upgrades including electric windows and a Stig Blomqvist steering wheel. Chassis 121 also left the Ford Motorsport facility with an upgraded engine, with power increasing from 250 bhp, to a fearsome 350 bhp, often identified by the adjustable roost control behind the driver’s seat! Another desirable option fitted to this car are the air intakes, often referred to as ‘ears’, above the doors at the back of the roof, as per the competition cars!

Not only is this one of only 20 RS200 S’s built, it is also one of only four RS200’s originally finished in red, as confirmed by copies of the original Ford Motorsport correspondence contained within the accompanying history file.

Initially, this car was invoiced and sold to Mr Alan Fenwick in England, for £69,148.75 on 6^th December 1991. Mr Fenwick owned several RS200’s, also establishing the RS200 Owners Club, clearly an enthusiast of Fords Group B monster! As a broker, Mr Fenwick sold the car to Mr John Lloyd of Cirencester, England, before even taking delivery. Mr Lloyd then arranged for the car to be collected by Gordon Spooner Engineering, before being registered on the road in the UK, with the license ‘J200 JRL’, a license the car retains to this day.

In period, it was also possible to buy an official Ford kit to convert the TS200 from left0hand driver, to right-hand drive. Chassis 121 was originally built in LHD, with Mr Lloyd obtaining one of these official kits and employing Gordon Spooner Engineering to complete the conversion almost immediately upon taking ownership. Importantly, the original left-hand drive components removed from the car were kept with the car, being safely packaged in the box which contained the right-hand drive components, being stored along side the car till today.

Later, in April 1993, this RS200 S was bought by Mr David Jones sent the car to Terry Hoyle Ltd the following month for maintenance works. Mr Jones is a motorsport enthusiast, competing in the British GT Championship for many years, being crowned Champion in 2009 with his brother Godfrey Jones!

Mr David Jones maintained ownership of this car, until earlier this year at which point Girardo & Co took ownership, arranging for the car to be returned to its original left-hand drive configuration, using the parts which had originally been fitted and so carefully stored alongside this very special RS200 S. The work was completed by rally car specialists, BGM Sport, before being fully detailed with all five wheels also being refurbished. Whilst with BGM Sport, we also took the opportunity to have the car fully serviced, totalling in excess £16,000.

Once these works were completed, we arranged for the RS200 expert, Mr Justin Smith, to inspect the car. Mr Smith is the go-to authority on these cars, having spent many years researching in detail the cars, also obtaining copies of many of the all-important factory paperwork. Mr Smith has supplied a report on the car and its history, including very important scans of the original correspondence, confirming the original specification of this car.

Today, this car is presented in truly stunning condition, displaying less than 4,100 miles, finished in its original colour, fitted with the optional and desirable red Recaro rally seats with the official right-hand drive kit sitting alongside the car still in its original box, along with the standard road car seats. This car really does offer a very rare opportunity to obtain one of the most special RS200 S’.

Price Upon Application