Ford RS200
Encyclopedia : F : FO : FOR : Ford RS200
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| Ford RS200 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Ford |
| Class: | mid-engined, all-wheel-drive |
| Production: | 1984 – 1986 |
| Predecessor: | MKII Escort RS2000 |
| Successor: | MKV Escort Cosworth |
| Body Styles: | Coupe |
| Engines: | 1.8 L Straight-4 2.1 L Straight-4 |
The Ford RS200 was a mid-engined, all-wheel-drive sports coupe sold by Ford from 1984 through 1986. The road-going RS200 was based on Ford's Group B Rally car and was designed to comply with homologation regulations, which required that a small number of road legal versions be built. Despite some rumors to the contrary, the RS200 was not based on the European version of the Escort, as were both its predecessor and successor.
History
Following the introduction of the MKIII Escort in 1980, Ford Motorsport set about development of rear-wheel-drive, turbocharged variant of the vehicle that could be entered into competition in Group B rally racing, and dubbed the new vehicle the Escort RS 1700T. A problem-filled development led Ford to abandon the project in frustration in 1983, leaving them without a new vehicle to enter into Group B. Not wanting to abandon Group B or simply "write off" the cost of developing the failed 1700T, executives decided to make use of the lessons learned developing that vehicle in preparing a new, purpose-built rally car. In addition, Ford executives became adamant that the new vehicle feature all-wheel-drive, an addition they felt would be necessary to allow it the ability to compete properly with all-wheel-drive models from Lancia and Audi.
The new vehicle was a most unique design, featuring a plastic/fiberglass composite body designed by Ghia, a mid-mounted engine and all-wheel drive. In order to aid weight distribution, designers mounted the transmission at the front of the car, but this required that power from the mid mounted engine go first up to the front wheels and then be run back again to the rear, creating a complex drive train setup. The chassis was designed by former Formula 1 designer Tony Southgate, and Ford’s John Wheeler, a former F1 engineer, also aided in early development. A double wishbone suspension setup with twin dampers on all four wheels aided handling and helped give the car what was often regarded as being the best balanced platform of any of the RS200's contemporary competitors.
Power came from a 1.8 litre, single turbocharged Ford/Cosworth "BDT" engine producing 250 horsepower in road going trim and between 350 and 450 horsepower in racing trim; upgrade kits were available for road-going versions to boost power output to over 300 horsepower. Although the RS had the balance and poise necessary to be competitive, its power to weight ratio was poor by comparison and its engine produced notorious low-RPM lag, making it difficult to drive and ultimately making it less competitive; a third place finish at the 1986 WRC Rally of Sweden was the vehicle's best-ever finish in Group B competition, although the model did see limited success outside of the ultra-competitive Group B class.
After only one full year of competition, the vehicle became obsolete, as FISA, the governing board which at the time controlled WRC rally racing, disbanded Group B after the 1986 season. For 1987, Ford had planned on introducing an "Evolution" variant of the RS200 featuring a development of the BDT engine (called BDT-E) displacing 2137cc. Power figures for the engine vary quite a bit from source to source, but output claims range from as "little" as 550 horsepower to as high as 800 horsepower; it's been said that the most powerful Evolution models can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just over 2 seconds. Uprated brakes and suspension components were part of the package as well, but the ban on Group B racing effectively forced the E2 model into stillbirth. A small number of them were run in British Rallycross events with some success.
Production
Homologation rules required the construction of at least 200 road-legal RS200s, and Ford complied, building around 220 vehicles in total with 20 of them put aside as "parts vehicles" for the racing teams.
An added twenty four cars were reportedly built as "Evolution" models.
Trivia
- The 1987 Throttlebot Transformers character Searchlight transforms into a white RS200.
- The Japanese manga series Gunsmith Cats by Kenichi Sonoda features a custom built sports car called the BUFF built by the character Bean Bandit that highly resembles a Ford RS200. The similarities are likely, as the character Bean Bandit often uses Fords as personal transportation.
- The cars were built on behalf of Ford by another company well known for its expertise in producing fibreglass bodies-Reliant.
- Such was the rush to complete the RS200, the Ford parts bin was extensively raided - the front windscreen and rear lights were identical to those of the early Sierra, for example, while the side windows were cut-down Sierra items.
External link
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