Three-quarter front-view of a 1984 Ford RS2000, on display in the 80s and 90s Brutalism Feature of the 2021 London Classic Car Show
The Ford RS200 is a mid-engined, four-wheel drive sports car that was produced by Ford Motorsport in Boreham, UK, from 1984 to 1986. The road-going RS200 was the basis for Ford's Group B rally car and was designed to comply with FIA homologation regulations, which required 200 parts kits to be produced and at least one road-legal car to be assembled. It was first displayed to the public at the Belfast Motor Show. he new vehicle was a unique design, featuring a plastic-fiberglass composite body designed by Ghia, a mid-mounted engine and four-wheel drive. The cars were built on behalf of Ford by another company well known for its expertise in producing fibreglass bodies - Reliant. To aid weight distribution, designers mounted the transmission at the front of the car, which 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 One designer Tony Southgate, and Ford's John Wheeler, a former F1 engineer, 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. The Ford parts-bin was raided to help give the RS200 a Ford corporate look, for example the front windscreen and rear lights were identical to those of the early Sierra and the doors were cut-down Sierra items; though small parts-bin items like switchgear were also used to save development time and expenses. The mid-engined RS200's engine bay and rear suspension Power came from a 1,803 cc ( L; cu in), single turbocharged Ford-Cosworth "BDT" engine producing 250 hp (186 kW) in road-going trim, and between 350 and 450 hp (261 and 336 kW) in racing trim; upgrade kits were available for road-going versions to boost power output to over 300 hp (224 kW).
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Syon Park, Brentford, Middx TW8 8JF
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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