In celebration of the enduring RS200‘s 40 years on this planet English agency Boreham has contracted with Ford to revive the Group B rally competitor as an formally licensed new nostalgia monster. Boreham Motorworks will “produce and remaster” the RS200 in restricted numbers, and additional Ford icons are slated to obtain the identical therapy within the close to future. If you happen to’ve all the time wished an RS200, however have been ready for one with trendy LED headlights, that is your probability.
Beginning in 1984, Ford entered this absurd mid-engine four-wheel-drive fiberglass light-weight racer in rally competitors as a homologation particular to tackle the likes of Audi’s iconic Quattro. The RS200 was nicely suited to rally with superior stability and grip, however its 1.8-liter engine was underpowered and laggy. Resulting from a pair of lethal crashes in RS200s, Group B was successfully scrapped on the finish of the 1986 season earlier than the extra highly effective 2.1-liter RS200 Evo may make its competitors debut.
Boreham says will probably be constructing these new RS200s from scratch in a ground-up redesign, although will probably be sustaining sufficient of the RS200 DNA to make nostalgic high-end automobile collectors blissful. The fiberglass physique will probably be swapped for carbon fiber, a extra highly effective and trendy engine will probably be employed, and there are certain to be trendy pc controls for the all-wheel drive system. It’ll nonetheless appear like an RS200, nevertheless it’s virtually definitely going to be quicker and lighter.
Boreham can be engaged on a “interval sympathetic” revival of the famed Escort Mexico, one other Ford rally hero. And “at the least 5 additional iconic Ford automobiles” will observe these two, so anticipate to see Ford-supported revivals of necessary Ford racers just like the GT40, Lotus Cortina, and Mustang Boss 302.