Ford RS200 IMSA GTO

[carreragt10]

Ford RS200 IMSA GTO

One RS200 found its way in circuit racing, originated as a roadcar, it was converted to IMSA GTO specification powered by a 750+ BHP 2.0 litre turbo BDTE Cosworth Evolution engine. Competing against the numerous factory backed teams such as Mazda, Mercury and Nissan, with their newly built spaceframe specials, despite being a privateer, the car never achieved any real success to be a serious contender and was sold off later. The car is now used to compete in the Unlimited category at the Pikes Peak hillclimb.

Ford RS200 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_RS200)

[Ferrer]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. :)

[LeonOfTheDead]

any info on the year during which it was converted or raced?

[W.R.]

750 bhp from 2 litres? I'd like to see the bill for engine internals, and it's great shame it wasn't successful, just underdeveloped by Ford, I'd suppose.

[Matra et Alpine]

Not really "underdeveloped", but more "late" developed.
One of the later GroupB rally car developments.
Was getting things sorted just in time for GroupB to be banned :(
Went on to have a VERY successful rallycross career.
Nothing particularly exotic on the internals.
But expensive to maintain. The "evo" engine upgrade - as this has - threw a cam belt on brothers RS and was £10K to rebuild the head/valves and a piston :(
Not an ideal track racer as the car was designed for rallying :(
Bodywork was manufactured by Reliant -- of Reliant Robin fame :)
bit more on the car at Seeking Sponsorship and driver for Ford RS200 GTO racecar for Pikes Peak Race! (http://www.motorsportsemployment.com/rs200.html)

[Ferrer]

any info on the year during which it was converted or raced?
IIRC 1986 ('87 perhaps?)

Not really "underdeveloped", but more "late" developed.
One of the later GroupB rally car developments.
Was getting things sorted just in time for GroupB to be banned :(
Went on to have a VERY successful rallycross career.
Nothing particularly exotic on the internals.
But expensive to maintain. The "evo" engine upgrade - as this has - threw a cam belt on brothers RS and was £10K to rebuild the head/valves and a piston :(
Not an ideal track racer as the car was designed for rallying :(
Bodywork was manufactured by Reliant -- of Reliant Robin fame :)
bit more on the car at Seeking Sponsorship and driver for Ford RS200 GTO racecar for Pikes Peak Race! (http://www.motorsportsemployment.com/rs200.html)
But only because failed with their first Group B car, the RS1700T.

[Soloracer]

Very interesting car, I had no idea only on one was ever converted for road racing. Though on the other hand, SWBs don't always equal great road race cars.

[cmcpokey]

why are all of the IMSA GTO cars so ugly?

[f6fhellcat13]

It started in the early seventies when styling was on the decline and stopped in the mid nineties right as cars were starting to look good again.

Thanks carreragt10 :)

[Matra et Alpine]

But only because failed with their first Group B car, the RS1700T.
Well to be fair, every manufacturer was developing a GroupB car based on the body of a car in their range. The clear success of the Audi Quattro 4WD and the short wheelbase spaceframe 205 led everyone to follow that path for GroupB. All the RS1700T engines were used in the RS200 :)
not fair to say they "failed" with their first, they were beaten to the punch on radical homologation special spaceframe rally cars !

[Ferrer]

Well to be fair, every manufacturer was developing a GroupB car based on the body of a car in their range. The clear success of the Audi Quattro 4WD and the short wheelbase spaceframe 205 led everyone to follow that path for GroupB. All the RS1700T engines were used in the RS200 :)
not fair to say they "failed" with their first, they were beaten to the punch on radical homologation special spaceframe rally cars !
Well then the car wasn't rubbish, just their planification. :)

Altough, to be honest the Stratos had already shown the way to go in the 70's. Arguably the 037, IIRC the first ever car homologated in Group B, was a modernised 80's Stratos. Of couse Audi had shown earlier that four wheel drive would eventually become necessary, so what Peugeot basically did was combine what had made the Quattro successful and what brought Lancia the championships. And voilà, the 205 T16 appeared. :)

The RS1700T was far too convenional to succeed amongst those homoloagtion specials. And the RS200, despite showing promise, was far, far too late. Even Lancia which realised their mistake with 037 were (slightly) quicker to react and with better results too.

[Kitdy]

It started in the early seventies when styling was on the decline and stopped in the mid nineties right as cars were starting to look good again.

You are 100% correct and that era truly was the dark age of cars.

Jalopnik calls it part of that time the Malaise Era which I think is a good term in reference to the cars produced.

[Ferrer]

You are 100% correct and that era truly was the dark age of cars.

Jalopnik calls it part of that time the Malaise Era which I think is a good term in reference to the cars produced.
The 80's were a great decade with some truly great cars and you could still buy some of the all time greats.

It also was before globalisation and standardisation took over.

[Matra et Alpine]

Altough, to be honest the Stratos had already shown the way to go in the 70's
Not really, monocoque chassis - ok with tubular front and rear outriggers.
Rear engine, RWD.
About all it had for it was the short wheelbase, which was it's downfall.
A great looking car and one of THE best to hear coming through a forest, but off the pace :(

Arguably the 037, IIRC the first ever car homologated in Group B, was a modernised 80's Stratos.
Not really, didn't share anything with the concept.
( well OK, the idea of a monocoque core and spacefreme front/rear, but the 037 took it much further than the Stratos did and used small supercharged engine.

Of couse Audi had shown earlier that four wheel drive would eventually become necessary, so what Peugeot basically did was combine what had made the Quattro successful and what brought Lancia the championships. And voilà, the 205 T16 appeared. :)
Spot on.
So the 205 was the first of what we came to know as the GroupB layout and style of car. Even Audi were late in realising this and getting the spaceframe , short wheelbase S1 evo into competition.

The RS1700T was far too convenional to succeed amongst those homoloagtion specials. And the RS200, despite showing promise, was far, far too late. Even Lancia which realised their mistake with 037 were (slightly) quicker to react and with better results too.[/quote]

[digitalcraft]

Cars in the 80's was like music in the 80's. The main trend sucked, but if you look there are some gems.

[Ferrer]

Not really, monocoque chassis - ok with tubular front and rear outriggers.
Rear engine, RWD.
About all it had for it was the short wheelbase, which was it's downfall.
A great looking car and one of THE best to hear coming through a forest, but off the pace :(

Not really, didn't share anything with the concept.
( well OK, the idea of a monocoque core and spacefreme front/rear, but the 037 took it much further than the Stratos did and used small supercharged engine.
I didn't meant the following it mechanically but rather as a concept. The Stratos was basically a purpose built, mid (rear) engined rally car with a powerful engine. Which is what the 037 was in the 80's, with updated mechanics.

It didn't have four wheel drive, but in everything else it was the way to go. And the Audi was conventional, but four wheel drive was its saving grace. Unfortunately the RS1700T had none of this.

[Kitdy]

The 80's were a great decade with some truly great cars and you could still buy some of the all time greats.

It also was before globalisation and standardisation took over.

Were the 80s better than any decade after the 20s? I would say no.

[clutch-monkey]

Were the 80s better than any decade after the 20s? I would say no.

well it's better than the current decade? for racing, anyway. today's racing championships are just bland somehow.

[Ferrer]

Were the 80s better than any decade after the 20s? I would say no.
I didn't say they were the best decade, I said it was a great decade.

well it's better than the current decade? for racing, anyway. today's racing championships are just bland somehow.
Arguably for road cars too.

[Kitdy]

I didn't say they were the best decade, I said it was a great decade.

And I asked you if any decade after the 20s was worse than the 80s. I think no - this does not make the 80s necessarily bad but it's pretty damning if you agree that they are the worst essentially in the post WWI era.

[Ferrer]

And I asked you if any decade after the 20s was worse than the 80s. I think no - this does not make the 80s necessarily bad but it's pretty damning if you agree that they are the worst essentially in the post WWI era.
They aren't the worse.

There are tons of great cars from that era. Hot hatches came into its own, and you could still buy all time greats like the SD1, the CX or the 900. Cars still were and felt different. And they were quite fast, without being weighted down with electronics. Mercs were reliable and BMW concentrated on doing what they did best. Alfa Romeos were rear wheel drive and Jags still had straight sixes. And then there are the supercars, the F40 and 959 amongst them.

And I could go on and on.

[LeonOfTheDead]

things changed so much it's impossible to compare cars from the eighties and from the nineties too.
consider the differences between an F40 and an F50, or between a Fiat Uno and a Fiat Punto (mk1).
or even the first punto with the present one.
or how were Ferraris were in the fifties, with all coachbuilders releasing their own styles and models, and now.
the same for music, movies and so on.
the market changed very quickly, and so the products and the customers, which together form the market to be precise.

I recognize interiors and rear parts were often neglected in the design in the seventies and eighties, but in turn, there is nothing like a Stratos, or a 037, or a Delta S4 (just to stay very slightly on topic) from this years.
and so on. every period has its own peculiarities, and making comparisons among them it's very though, if not impossible.

[naweng]

things changed so much it's impossible to compare cars from the eighties and from the nineties too.
consider the differences between an F40 and an F50, or between a Fiat Uno and a Fiat Punto (mk1).
or even the first punto with the present one.
or how were Ferraris were in the fifties, with all coachbuilders releasing their own styles and models, and now.
the same for music, movies and so on.
the market changed very quickly, and so the products and the customers, which together form the market to be precise.

I recognize interiors and rear parts were often neglected in the design in the seventies and eighties, but in turn, there is nothing like a Stratos, or a 037, or a Delta S4 (just to stay very slightly on topic) from this years.
and so on. every period has its own peculiarities, and making comparisons among them it's very though, if not impossible.

Amen.

[Ferrer]

You can compare though. I'd rather be in a Golf GTI 16v Mk II rather than a Mk V GTI. Or a 205 GTI rather than a 207 RC. Or a Rover Vitesse rather than... nothing.

[carreragt10]

Ford RS200 IMSA GTO #02