For years, many people were baffled when they opened up the Guinness Book of Records and discovered that the world’s fastest accelerating car was a none other than a Ford – and a curiously small, almost goofy looking one which looked like nothing made on American soil.
That’s because the RS200 was a homologation special produced by Ford of Great Britain. It was specifically designed as Ford’s first four wheel drive contender for the radical Group B class rally racing, but a minimum number of road-certified examples had to be made to meet homologation requirements.
Ford produced only 200 RS 200 models before the FIA discontinued Group B rallying. Out of these, only 24 were factory-converted into higher-performance Evolution versions. The Evolution RS 200 was capable of competing with more prestigious and expensive supercars of its era.
The Evolution models were equipped with a 2.1-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, delivering at least 600 horsepower in “stock” configuration, although with larger turbochargers, bigger intercoolers, a variable-boost controller, and updated tuning, the power could be increased to as much as 900 horsepower! Torque could be distributed in three different ways, including 100 percent to the rear, 63 percent to the rear and 37 percent to the front, or a 50:50 split, depending on road conditions and driver preference.
The Evolution models, even in their stock state, delivered impressive performance, achieving a 0-60 MPH sprint in just three seconds and a 0-100 MPH run in a mere five seconds. Today, the RS 200 Evolution remains a highly sought-after collectible among Ford performance enthusiasts, especially those with a keen interest in WRC history.
Photo Source: RM Sotheby’s
