Once upon a time, the world of rally racing was so intense that auto manufacturers would stop at nothing to out-duel each on gravel roads, tarmac stages, and deep-woods forest trails. That meant pouring big development dollars into cars that would eventually need to be homologated for the street. The Group B classification delivered some of the most outrageous high-performance automobiles, like the 1985 Ford RS200 recently listed on eBay UK.
Group B was a spec that flew too close to the sun to last very long. The cars were so fast that rally drivers and spectators alike were increasingly involved in horrific accidents. The FIA, the governing body of motorsports, ended Group B competition in 1986 after only a few short years of competition—but not before Ford had churned out roughly 200 of these cars between 1984 and 1986. The vehicles went to paying customers outside of its racing program.
Based loosely on the humble Escort compact, the Ford RS200 is the perfect embodiment of Group B madness. There’s very little stock Escort to be found in this bonkers rally machine, which features all-wheel drive, a composite body, and an unusual mid-engine setup that was balanced out by mounting the transmission at the front of the car. It was possible to have the center differential split torque either 50-50 front/rear, 33-67 front rear, or have everything dumped to the back axle all at once.
The RS200’s 1.8-liter four-cylinder unit produces 250 horsepower in stock form, and the car’s relatively small dimensions and short wheelbase made it an elegant weapon when turning a corner. A manual transmission was, of course, standard with the car. The 1985 model recently listed on eBay has slight more than 1,000 miles on the odometer and sits on its original factory tires. Fresh rubber would be a good idea before taking it on public roads.
The rally-racing version of the car was good for a startling 450 horsepower during Group B competition—with later Evolution versions of the car churning out 800 horses from a larger motor. Despite eventually transforming the vehicle into a strong hill-climb performer, Ford had little success with the RS200 in FIA trim. A horrific incident at Rally Portugal in 1986 involving one of these vehicles (in which spectators were killed) and a later fatal accident at the same event involving a Lancia Delta S4 closed the book on Group B at the end of that year.
Rare rally cars like this one don’t come up for sale very often. It’s delightful to see the cream-puff RS200 make an appearance, reminding fans about one of the most frenetic and controversial chapters in racing history.
See Ford Rs200 1 18 for sale on eBay.
