The Legendary Ford RS200 Rally Car Is Coming Back From The Dead And You’ll Be Able To Buy A New One In America

Ford Rs200 Ts
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Over the past decade, we’ve seen a handful of automakers experiment with the concept of continuation cars — brand-new slices of old. There was the Jaguar C-Type continuation, Aston Martin’s Goldfinger DB5 continuation, and of course, a litany of continuation-spec Shelby Cobras. These are all well and good, but what about continuation cars for a different generation? Well, put away the Fender Telecaster and fire up the E-MU Systems Emulator II, because the beautiful Ford RS200 Group B homologation special is headed back into limited production.

If you aren’t familiar with the RS200, let me give you a bit of background. Back in the early 1980s, Ford was finding itself thoroughly outgunned on the world’s rally stages. See, it was the dawn of the Group B era, and while these cars looked a bit like normal everyday family vehicles, they were actually thoroughly mad, turbocharged within an inch of their lives and sporting four-wheel-drive. However, Ford took things a step further and in 1984 showed off something that didn’t look like a family car at all.

It was called the RS200, and it was a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive sports car made for gravel. Its fiberglass body came from Reliant, the same company that built the Robin three-wheeler, but its engine came from Cosworth. The chassis was co-designed by former Formula One engineers and configured as a mid-engine layout with double-wishbone suspension, making it thoroughly unlike any other Ford you could buy in showrooms despite being unleashed upon the general public in just small enough quantities to satisfy homologation requirements.

Ford Rs200 Quarter

Access 1985 836 1 Rs200

Unfortunately, a prolonged development period meant that the RS200 hit the world rally circuit in 1986 — the last year of Group B. In fact, it can be argued that the RS200 started the death of the class, due to a fatal collision at 1986’s Rally Portugal. The wild cars simply didn’t blend well with lax spectator safety rules, marking an end to what was undoubtedly rallying’s craziest era.

Access 1985 836 23 Rs200

Now though, the RS200 is back and officially blessed by Ford. Boreham Motorworks, a sister company of the one behind the Evolution E-Type restomods, has partnered with the blue oval to bring this iconic rally car back this year as a road-legal continuation vehicle. Interestingly, it’s described as a global partnership, you’ll be able to buy one in America, and because there aren’t exactly and old chassis still in storage in a warehouse somewhere, these RS200s will be new from the ground-up, but blessed by the makers of the original.

Fordrs200 Front

Ford Rs200 Double

As of now, pricing and quantities haven’t been specified, but it feels safe to assume that the answer to the former is a lot, and the latter, a few. However, if you miss out on your opportunity to snag a reborn RS200, don’t fret, for it won’t be the only iconic Ford expected to roll out of the workshop once more. The partnership is also expected to spawn a rebirth of the Escort RS2000, and a total of five different Ford models of old. Odds of one being a Capri? I guess we’ll have to wait and find out.

(Photo credits: Boreham Motorworks, Ford, Bring A Trailer)

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44 thoughts on “The Legendary Ford RS200 Rally Car Is Coming Back From The Dead And You’ll Be Able To Buy A New One In America”

  1. I’ve never seen one in the flesh, being a lifelong resident of the USA. But that car is 100% my jam in the Forza Horizon games wherever I can use it.

  3. Errr…Thomas… there’s some strong rumours that the new Capri will be launched in July at the Cologne plant and it’ll be based on VW’s MEB platform. It will also be an coupe SUV styled EV to go with the new Explorer compact SUV EV.

  4. Those cars would probably lose to a new, stock WRX now. People will be paying for nostalgia. And they really aren’t that great originally. But who am I to tell people how to spend their money.

  7. I’m totally unimpressed by cars like this and others like the Ford GT and the Mustang GTD. So they can build a mega expensive car that performs well. Duh.
    I’d really be impressed if they could build an affordable performance car that regular people could afford.

        1. I meant the regular Fastback GT. Here it wouldn’t fit in any interesting road, but as an affordable performance car (with a V8 and a manual, no less) it is had to beat.

          I’d buy one.

      1. Oh heeeeell no. There’s no way the cost of certification and labour makes an RS200 legacy worth $500,000.
        I mean, of course they’re going to charge that. But shit, that’s like, $350-400,000 gross profit per car.

      1. Well it does have a mid-mounted turbo engine, so it might be an upgrade over the current intercooler in the side intake behind the door.

        And now I’ll spend the rest of the day sketching roof pods…

  11. When I was a recording engineer, the studio I worked in had an Emulator II, following having a Synclavier on loan. The E-II was a great device, the first easily-used sampler that I’m aware of. Ours came with a good selection of samples in the library, including the shakuhachi sample that impressed everyone who came in for the first time since Peter Gabriel had used it straight out of the can for the opening of “Sledgehammer.”

  13. Would be interesting to know what the engine will be.The looks alone should sell it, though a Cossie engine would seal the deal.

    I’m guessing this would be a “low-production” car, thus maybe avoiding DoT regulations. Can’t imagine what it would turn out like otherwise, or that it would be saleable in the U.S.

    Had a ride in a genuine road-spec RS200 quite a few years ago. It was a beast; I really wanted some behind-the-wheel time, though maybe it was just as well I was only a passenger. Even then, these were rare as hen’s teeth, and had a much stronger bite.

    1. Well, there are a few million Kent and Lima 4 cylinders sitting around in junk yards that could be repurposed as “Cossie Continuations”. While the Kent is the block used as the basis of the RS200 engine, the Lima was used in plenty of other Cosworth engine builds, including for the Sierra RS500.

  14. Just from the teaser photo I’m annoyed, and you should be too! If you follow the retro Restomod scene in any capacity, you’re likely as annoyed with halo LED lights being as ubiquitous as I am. So completely over them.

    Otherwise, this is pretty neat! Hope the rest of it looks cool.

  15. AWESOME! “Pricing hasn’t been specified” I’m gonna go with somewhere between an arm and a leg + a kidney to your soul and worth it either way

  16. My first concern, is what does it weigh?

    The original was so delightfully light, nimble, and hoonable!

    My curiosity is piqued for now, but anything with a curb weight over 2,600 lbs or so will be a deal breaker, nevermind if it’s another 4,000 lb lardass of a “sports car”.

    1. It is a continuation model built to the original spec so it should be 2601 lbs. I guess it is 1 lb over your target weight, so you won’t be getting one. 😉

      1. That’s within acceptable weight range as long as the power output compares to or is increased over the original.

        Curious what the price is.

        I’ve always liked the original. Not a dream car, but if money were no object to me I’d get one. As far as new cars on the market go, it may actually appeal to me, unlike everything else.

      2. I thought these continuations were usually modernized a bit with more modern powertrains? I bet it’s still quite light, possibly lighter than the original, but I am guessing it gets a new 2.0 ecoboost or something along those lines.

          1. I have not bothered to verify this, but I believe modern cars run much more boost than the old stuff used to. I had a 95 Celica GT-Four for a bit and it was tuned up to run at 21 PSI, which was high compared to the 14 PSI it would do from the factory, whereas a buddy has a ~2019 accord with the 1.5 turbo that runs up to 20 PSI. Not sure if that’s the norm or an exception, but it seems that high boost is more normal these days.

  19. “ Unfortunately, a prolonged development period meant that the RS200 hit the world rally circuit in 1986 — the last year of Group B.”

    There was another main reason for the lateness of the RS200, Ford tried the Groupe B route first with the Escort RS1700T. But the Audi Quattro made them realise they weren’t going anywhere without four wheel drive.

    (A shame nobody “told” a certain Signore Fiorio…)

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