Still on the MSO. (Manufacturers Statement of Origin). Never Registered - as New.

RARE - VERY RARE - GROUP "B" CAR - ONLY 200 EVER MADE BY FORD. This car has never been raced and is still waiting to be run in. THIS CAR IS COMPLETELY ORIGINAL.

This car came with several FACTORY OPTIONS: 350 HP motor, Rally Lamp Pod (detachable), Motorsport Roof Air Scoops, Cobra Alarm, HD lamp wiring harness, HD alternator, Fog Lamps, factory interior upgrade with door panel inserts matching the Recaro Leather trimmed seats, charcoal carpet with red piping, Stig Blomqvist signature edition steering wheel, Top Line Ford Radio, Four point seatbelt mounts, adjustable boost, 4X4 shift, and Power Windows.

Note: Several RS200's are lady owned and driven, the four centre lights are easily removed, and this car comes with a special cover for the centre lights and has covers for the fog lights.

This RS200 is the real deal - Group ‘B’ Aluminum honeycomb chassis tub with steel roll cage integrated, the mechanical design was shared between Ford Motor sport engineers, and Formula One specialist Tony Southgate. Body by GHIA. This is a full time four wheel drive car it has three limited slip differentials (front, centre and rear). Torque is split 37 front and 63 rear. The RS200 has perfect balance - 25% of its weight on each wheel.

This is one of 16 'Special' road cars that came with all the factory options as above. The engine sounds like a sport bike, very nice (due to 180 degree crank and Cosworth 4 valve head). This is the real deal. Ford made the RS200 to Win at World Rallying and win they did.

"By the end of it's first season, the RS200 had won four major rally championships -- the British Open, Belgian, Dutch, and West Euro Cup -- and had recorded 21 international victories. No other Ford competition car had ever started its career so well". This is a direct quote from the FORD RS200 sales brochure.

TODAY there are approximately 140 - RS200's remaining world wide. When Group was cancelled, Ford limited sales of the RS200! Forty-six cars were disassembled to ensure spare parts for years to come. Six racing cars and six prototypes were destroyed by Ford, that left only 142 cars remaining of the 200 - RS200's built.

The RS200 has an Italian body, styled by GHIA in Turin, Italy.

I received the following E-Mail and wish to correct the writers misunderstanding.

"The RS200 doesn't appear to have a roll cage? This isn't the actual Group B car, this is the street version of it. Besides the "real" Group B had 600hp"  [I have omitted his name and E-Mail address.]

There never was a 600-HP factory car. The only cars that had this kind of power were the IMSA GTO RACE CAR or one of the PIKES PEAK CARS, and these were modified. RS200's had such power to spare, it felt like they had 600hp on tap standard, and many still claim this. The 2.1 litre engine had 525+ HP out of the box. I have heard of it being modified to near 800 HP (unnecessary).

A stone stock 2.1 litre RS200 can hit 175 MPH from zero in about 1/2 the time it takes a Ferrari F40. Note 1/4 mile slip of 10.2 at Denver Colorado (uncorrected) while babying the clutch (reported in Car & Driver Magazine years ago). I have seen 300+ KM/H in an RS200 (as Stig Blomqvist’s passenger) and have some idea of what I speak of.

All RS200's have a ‘quick change’ transfer box that allows the changing of gear ratios in seven steps (on back of the motor before the transmission), so that top speed can be set anywhere from 118 MPH to 230 MPH. The most popular choices fall in the middle ranges depending on engine choice and power level. Most owners have opted or geared for acceleration. This is very brutal (harsh and whiplash inducing) with the 2.1 engine and stunning with the 1.8. Power is such that shifts over 7,000 are unnecessary.

This car (the subject of this auction) is geared for approx. 150 mph and little throttle would be required to maintain that pace. There is ample power reserve. This car is set up to be king of the corners, any road, any highway, and top end can be changed inexpensively for those who want more. In the mountains and on tight roads, I would want no other car. It would take days to go into all the reasons this car is exceptional, for those in the know, I believe it is the bargain of the year.

The 350 hp cars, RS200 (like this one) has acceleration and cornering performance in excess of a Ferrari 355, I have been unable to compare it to the 360, a friend of mine, who has, says the acceleration is on par with the 360 but the cornering of the RS200 is superior! Keep in mind that this car is 2602 lbs wet. With Lb./HP numbers sub 8 (350 HP) or near 5 (525+ HP) it goes . . . 

MAKE NO MISTAKE, THEY ONLY MADE THE REAL THING. ALL 200 OF THE RS200's ARE REAL GROUP ‘B’ CARS with ALL the right bits. The "Road car" was a Pretty (slightly tamer), nicely dressed, Racing Car. SAME CHASSIS, SAME SUSPENSION, SAME BODY, SAME ENGINE, ETC. Only the level of engine tune and interior trim is different.

Some are now in museums such as; the famous - Schlumpf Automotive Museum in Mulhouse, France, the Shikoku Historic Car Museum, Shikoku, Japan, the Paolo Gratto Ford Museum, Farra d’Isonzo, Italy, the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, England, and the Heritage Motor Center, Graydon, England - home of "The Largest Collection of Historic British Cars in the World" and, Ford retained Chassis #200, the last RS200 built for their collection, just to mention a few.

This is the real deal. The RS200's have, for the most part, migrated to owners who will not sell them for a long time. I have found details of high mileage cars that have recently sold for a lot more than I am starting this auction at. If you want a great RS200, this is it.  If you want a 2.1, buy this car and drop it in, you save a bundle! Good luck and thanks for your enquiry.