The Ford RS200

Did you know that the three-times Formula 1 World Champion Jackie Stewart had a major hand in developing Ford’s Group B thoroughbred, the RS200? Or that its chassis was the work of the accomplished Formula 1 designer Tony Southgate?

The lesser-known facts go some way to explain just how much effort and expense Ford invested (£10m, in case you were wondering) in the mid-engined car with which it wanted to write the next chapter of its World Rally Championship legacy.

Alas, the writing was already on the wall for Group B by the time the RS200 hit the special stages and the Ford’s great potential was sadly curtailed. Everyone knew that had it been afforded the chance, the RS200 – in its 700HP-plus Evolution guise – would have wiped the floor with everyone. It was glorious Group B’s logical next step.

If the frenzy this car caused when we recently posted some photos of its on social media is anything to go by, the road-going Ford RS200 is a car that resonates with a great number of people. Okay, so it was a pussycat in comparison to the rally car, but that doesn’t mean it was a pussycat full stop.

Quite the contrary, in fact – this was a lightweight mid-engined four-wheel-drive sports car designed from the ground up as a rally winner and whose turbocharged BDT engine produced an ample 250HP, after all. Miraculously, the RS200 also errs on the right side of useable, unlike the majority of its Group B homologation counterparts.

Ford Motorsport in Boreham was supposed to build 200 RS200s in order to homologate the rally version, though the authority on the model Justin Smith reckons that as few as 147 were actually sold, 90 of which were left-hand drive.

This Ford RS200

The left-hand-drive RS200 we’re delighted to be offering is chassis number 198, which was assembled by Ford in 1986 and finished in white. Interestingly, the car was ordered from new with the optional red Recaro seats with red velvet inserts. As a £1,396 optional extra, we believe this is the only RS200 to have been specified with them. Chassis 198 was sold new via Ford Kuhn of West Germany to Tusyoshe Mikami in Japan.

Mikami registered the car in Japan, where it was assigned the Yokohama registration ’33 2991’. Accompanying the car are copies of the Japanese service records, confirming the mileage as 8,081km in December 1991, 11,362km in January 1994, 14,970km in February 1996 and 18,700km in November 1999. Also included in the history file are copies of the Japanese registration certificate and Japanese registration history.

In 2011, the British RS200 expert and authority Justin Smith featured the car in his seminal registry Ford RS200: The Story So Far. In 2019, chassis 198 was acquired by its second owner and imported from Yokohama to the United Kingdom following an inspection by Smith. The car was assigned the UK registration ‘C714 JGL’. In December 2019, the car was MOT’d, with the mileage noted as 19,046 kms and professionally detailed.

The next stop for this RS200 was Geoff Page Racing for maintenance and service work. Page worked on the engine programme for the Works rally team, so boasts a wealth of experience when it comes to these very special Fords. Upon arrival, the car was inspected with works completed including a full engine service, cam belt change, new fuel filter, new battery, new spark plugs, new brake and clutch master cylinders, new clutch slave cylinder and new coolant. The brake calipers and brake lines were removed and rebuilt, with new steering rack boots fitted and the radiator pressure tested. New Michelin tyres were also fitted.

In June of 2021, this Ford RS200 was delivered to the renowned rally car specialists BGMsport in Oxfordshire for a plethora of further works. In addition to replacing all the filters, fluids and spark plugs, new injectors, engine sensors, fuel pumps and wiring harness were fitted. The radiator fan thermostat switch was also replaced. In order to increase horsepower to around the 350 mark, the ECU was upgraded. Elsewhere, a new flywheel was fitted in addition to new steering rack and steering column bushes.

The Ford RS200 is one of the rarest and most useable of the fabulous Group B homologation specials. This superb two-owner example offers a rare opportunity to experience one of the most original examples, fresh from a complete overhaul with renowned specialists.

SOLD