Ford RS200 1990 - 2-Door

0 Previous Owners, This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2025 on Saturday the 8th of November, NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. , The RS200 was born in the era of 'Group B' rallying, undeniably the most extreme period in rally history with all competing manufacturers turning every dial up to 11. The power was immense, the courses dangerous and no matter how high the level of a driver's skill, it was always outmatched by the sheer bravery required to pilot these machines at full chat. Whilst Ford’s competitors developed their rally cars from suitable models in their road car range - Lancia with their S4 Integrale, Audi with the S1 Quattro and Peugeot with their T16 205 - Ford took a more extreme route, building a competitive rally car and then using it as the basis for a well engineered, road-legal version, purely to tick the homologation boxes.Produced by Ford Motorsport in Boreham from 1984 - 1986, the plastic-fiberglass composite body was designed by Filippo Sapino of Ghia Design Studio and enclosed a mid-mounted engine, four-wheel drive and a front-mounted gearbox for ideal 50/50 weight distribution. The chassis was designed by Formula 1 designer, Tony Southgate, in conjunction with F1 engineer, John Wheeler, so the car had real potential for greatness.Motivation was provided by a 1,803cc Ford Cosworth BDT engine fitted with a Garett T03/04 turbocharger which produced 250bhp in standard road-going trim although, as production progressed, more power became available. At the time, 'Group B' regulations required manufacturers to assemble 200 road-going versions of their race-bred competition cars, however with the passing of time, it's become clear that Ford did not manage to sell 200, with Justin Smith, the Ford RS200 authority, believing as few as 147 were thought to have been sold.Amongst the last to be sold were 20 'Special' or S versions, which were the brainchild of Canadian, Murray DeWert. He proposed to Ford the idea of offering a tuned and refined model which offered a power increase to 350bhp and superior levels of interior comforts. The S included practically every available option to enhance performance and drivability.  Amongst the 20 S versions, the majority were finished in white with, according to Ford RS200 registrar Justin Smith, just two factory finished in Rosso Red.On offer here, Chassis 138 is rather special, not only for being one of the 20 RS200 examples completed to 'S'-spec, but also being one of the only two RS200 S originally finished in Rosso Red. It’s fully specified with an options list as long as your arm, making this ‘rally car for the road’ totally approachable as a daily driver, as confirmed by its one and only registered keeper! The cabin is relatively palatial, benefitting from a well ticked options list including increased sound deadening, half-leather Recaro seats, electric windows and mirrors, quality carpet, a Ford Stereo Radio/Cassette player and a remote central locking and alarm system.138 was even supplied new fitted with air-conditioning and whilst it is currently removed, the unit is included with the car. We have a letter on file from Bob Howe that confirms chassis 138’s authenticity and lists the specification extras.Prior to its purchase, its first and only registered keeper went to visit Ford Motorsport in Boreham and was presented with a handful of cars to choose from, but of course the allure and rarity of the red car stood out from the rest. The only problem being that the last available red car was built in a left-hand drive configuration. Ford quickly came up with a solution and converted the car to right-hand drive before registration and the customer taking delivery.The first and only registered keeper of this special car is well known to us and very rarely do we get to talk to someone about the big day when they collected their gleaming new RS200 however, on this occasion, he describes the day like it was yesterday. Amazingly, he went along with a video camera to document the day and the immediate subsequent adventures and this video can be seen by searching 'Ford RS200 - taking delivery of new RS200 at Ford Motorsport - October 1990' on YouTube.Since being first registered on 18th October 1990, 138 has been much loved and more importantly, used, covering a whisper under 20,000 miles throughout its life. Many of these cars sit in collections with their odometers displaying tiny mileages and become, in effect, ornaments, which does seem a shame as they are incredibly fun to drive. Regular use requires regular maintenance, and this is certainly the case with 138 as is evidenced by the car’s history file which contains numerous invoices from well known RS200 Specialists including Gordon Spooner Engineering, Graham Hathaway Racing, Geoff Page Engineering and TME Motorsport Engineering.138 would certainly occupy pride of place in any of the best and most exclusive collections of RS Fords and