Makes › Ford › RS200 › RS200 · Factory competition Extremely Rare
Ford
RS200
Purpose-built mid-engined 4WD Group B homologation car (Reliant-built GRP body); 24 later upgraded to Evolution spec.
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 200 Built
- Years
- Not yet verified
- Engine
- Mid-mounted turbocharged DOHC inline four (Cosworth) · 1,803 cc / 1.8 LFactory: 1,803 cc
- Power
- 186 kW / 253 PSFactory: 250 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Tony Southgate (chassis); Ghia (styling)
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The RS200 was Ford's purpose-built Group B rally car, with a mid-mounted turbocharged Cosworth four-cylinder and four-wheel drive under Ghia-styled bodywork on a chassis engineered by Formula 1 designer Tony Southgate. Two hundred road cars were built for homologation, but Group B ended after the car's first season, so it competed in the WRC for only one year.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Ford RS200 (Wikimedia Commons: Ford RS200)
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ford RS200 (Wikimedia Commons: Ford RS200)
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionroad-going versions built for homologation | 2001 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
After more than two years of development, the RS200 entered the World Rally Championship in 1986. Its 1,803 cc DOHC turbocharged Cosworth four produced 250 bhp in road form and 420 hp or more in competition trim, driving all four wheels through a five-speed gearbox with independent coil-spring suspension and disc brakes all round. Group B was cancelled after four years, ending the RS200's works career without titles.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard RS200.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Cosworth BDA-derived BDT, 1.8 litre2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Engine code | BDT2 Independently researched |
| Layout | Mid-mounted turbocharged DOHC inline four (Cosworth)3 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 42 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 1,803 cc / 1.8 LFactory: 1,803 cc3 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Induction | Turbocharged2 Independently researched |
| Power | 186 kW / 253 PSFactory: 250 hp · converted3 Independently researchedSource states bhp. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Five-speed manual3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 52 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | All four wheels2 Independently researched |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Double wishbones with twin coil spring/damper units2 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Double wishbones with twin coil spring/damper units2 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Composite: fibreglass on road cars, Kevlar on competition cars2 Independently researchedIconic Auctioneers describes the bodywork simply as Kevlar and says most bodies were made by Reliant. |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Road cars carry 17-character chassis numbers of the form SFACXXBJ2CGL000nn, with the engine number ending in the same serial (for example GL00118 on chassis 00118 and GL00053 on chassis 00053). Road cars were fibreglass-bodied where competition cars used Kevlar. The layout hallmarks are a front-mounted gearbox with a Ferguson variable torque-split differential and a mid-mounted Hart-developed engine.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1986 Ford RS200 | New York - Driven By Disruption 2015 | RM Sotheby's Level B
- 200 road-going versions built for homologation
-
2
1986 Ford RS200 Evolution (lot R0141) Level C RM Sotheby's · 2023-08-01
- 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged BDT engine
- Mountune-developed 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged BDT engine
- 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged BDT
- front-mounted five-speed transaxle
- distributing power to all four wheels
- double wishbones and twin coil spring/damper units
- fiberglass on road cars, and Kevlar on those intended for competition
-
3
1986 Ford RS200 – New York, Driven By Disruption 2015 Level B RM Sotheby's
- 1,803 cc DOHC Cosworth turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine
- 250 bhp, 1,803 cc DOHC Cosworth turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine
- 250 bhp, 1,803 cc DOHC Cosworth turbocharged
- five-speed manual transmission
Keep exploring
More from Ford
-
Ford · 1934
Edsel Ford 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster
1 Built
-
Ford · 1896
Quadricycle
1 Built
-
Ford · 1969
Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am (Shelby team, 1969)
3 Built
-
Ford
Mustang GTP (1983-1985)
3 Built
More from United States
-
GMC · 1991
Syclone
2,995 Built
-
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus
003 (2017-)
Production not yet verified
-
Dodge · 2023
Challenger SRT Demon 170 (2023)
3,300 Built
-
Callaway · 1987–1991
Twin Turbo Corvette (RPO B2K)
510 Built
140 other makes from United StatesAC PropulsionAcuraAllstateAMCAmerican LaFranceAmerican MotorsAmerican UnderslungApteraArmstrongArnoltAuburnBaldwin-MotionBantamBarris KustomsBendixBerger ChevroletBill ThomasBollingerBremerBuckeyeBuffumBuickCadillacCallawayCastleCheckerChevroletChristieChryslerClenetCodaColumbiaConsulierCordCunninghamCzingerDana ChevroletDean JeffriesDeSotoDetroit ElectricAll makes →