Cars - Ford RS200

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	Cars - Ford RS200

The Ford RS200 was a four wheel drive rally-homologation special. It was not based on the Ford Escort as many think, but was created fresh - the RS200 came from the cancellation of the Mk.3 Escort-based RS1700T. There were 200 units built to comply with Group B rally rules current in 1984 to 1986 (although once counted, up to 50 were broken for spare parts, so only around 148 were ever available to sell or be used). This was quite common in the early part of the 1980s where rallying success was extremely desirable, and the sport's rules led to several such vehicles being designed solely for rallying and sold to the public. They were initially fitted with a turbocharged 1.8 L Cosworth-designed BDT-E engine putting out 250 PS (184 kW). The powertrain was quite unusual - the engine was mid-mounted, but the transmission was at the front of the car, giving a more balanced weight distribution, but meaning that the drive was then taken back to the rear wheels. Four wheel drive was selectable, and the centre differential could be locked. The car featured fully-adjustable suspension front and rear, and looks rather unusual as it features two coil-over dampers per side.

As the sale progressed most were sold with a 250 or 300 PS (184 or 221 kW) upgrade kit. After being homologated for motorsport in 1985, the Group B was banned (due to the increasing power of the vehicles and some unfortunate incidents leading to fatalities) so there was no group to race in after 1986/1987. This means that many RS200s now exist as low-mileage collector's pieces rather than functional rally tools. However, despite Ford offering a number of upgrades to make the cars more desirable to the public, they aren't really regarded as an everyday sports car to drive, and despite their rarity do not command massive prices, generally similar to those paid when new.

The body, a 2-door plastic composite/fiberglass unit styled by Ghia was mounted onto the unique chassis. Regulations allowed 10% of the 200 cars built to be an evolution model. A prototype "super-sports" model as such, the Evolution (called the RS200S) had a development of the BDT engine (the BDT-E) which was now 2137cc, and actually built by Brian Hart Ltd. This unit started at around 550 bhp (410 kW) with some reaching, unofficially, 700 to 800 bhp (520 to 600 kW). It featured uprated brakes and suspension.

Many parts were taken from European Ford models of that time, to save cost. The windscreen, taillights and steering column stalks were taken from the Ford Sierra, while the switches on the center console could also be found on the Ford Fiesta.

Trivia

The 1987 Throttlebot Transformers character Searchlight transforms into a white RS200.

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Cars - Ford RS200

Trivia

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