In 1984, the WRC ushered in the now legendary Group B era. Group B regulations required that only 200 homologation cars be produced every 12 months. Because of this, it was easy for manufacturers to develop machines especially for the WRC. Among them was Ford who produced the RS200.
The engine was mounted amidships. It came in the form of a 16-valve DOHC inline-4 known as the Cosworth BDT, an evolution of the BDA. Boosted by a Garrett T4 turbocharger, the engine produced 246 HP in street trim and 420 HP in the competition spec. The power could be transmitted to all four wheels via a center differential, but in fact three drive modes were available on the shift lever: "rear-wheel drive, rear-biased full-time 4WD and balanced torque." The last was made available by locking the center differential.
The overall design was penned by Tony Southgate, a reputed designer of Formula 1 cars. And he was the right guy for the job because the RS200 was virtually an F1 car for the dirt. But the final chapter of the RS200 ended prematurely. The RS200 debuted at the 1986 Swedish Rally where it took 3rd place, but soon thereafter, FIA decided to cancel the Group B category, and as a result, the RS200's career ended after only four races.
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11 окт 2023
