Even among the outrageous cars that sprang from the Group B rallying era, the Ford RS200 stands
apart.
This was Ford’s moonshot: a rally car first, with the road-going version built purely to satisfy
motorsport homologation rules.
Now, one of the most desirable examples of Ford’s 4WD supercar, a 1990 RS200 S finished in
Rosso Red, is heading to auction. It goes under the hammer with Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC Classic Motor Show this Saturday (8 November 2025).
Built for the brave
The RS200 story begins in the mid-1980s, when rally stages were dominated by flame-spitting,
turbocharged monsters in the Group B competition class.
While its rivals started life as production cars adapted for competition, Ford took the opposite approach. Its engineers built a full-blown rally competitor, then produced a run of road-legal vehicles to meet FIA regulations.
The result was something extraordinary. The RS200 combined a lightweight composite body designed by Filippo Sapino of Ghia, wrapped around a mid-mounted 1.8-litre turbocharged Cosworth BDT engine and a four-wheel-drive system with perfect 50:50 balance.
One of 20 cars
Formula 1 talents Tony Southgate and John Wheeler lent their expertise to the chassis, resulting in a car with razor-sharp reflexes and enormous potential.
Officially, the RS200 never reached the full 200 units, with experts suggesting as few as 147 cars left the Ford Motorsport facility in Boreham, Essex. Among the final examples were 20 uprated ‘S’ versions, developed by Canadian Murray DeWert.
The RS200 S gained a useful power increase to around 350hp, along with added creature comforts to
make it more usable on the road.
Ready for the road
Chassis number 138, seen here, was among those 20 vehicles – and one of only two painted in Rosso Red. It was delivered new to its only registered keeper in October 1990. That first owner even recorded the handover at Boreham on video – a rare slice of RS200 history, now available to view on YouTube.
Since then, the car has been cherished and used regularly, covering just under 20,000 miles. Its
detailed history file includes invoices from noted RS200 specialists such as Gordon Spooner
Engineering, Geoff Page Engineering and Graham Hathaway Racing.
The interior reflects the S model’s unique brief, with half-leather Recaro seats, electric windows and
mirrors, central locking, nicer carpets and even air-conditioning (the latter removed for now, but supplied with the car). A letter from Ford Motorsport’s Bob Howe confirms the chassis details and
specification.
A rare opportunity
Presented in excellent order, this Rosso Red Ford RS200 S is both a collector’s piece and a true driver’s
car. Few of these machines ever come to market, and with just two in this colour, it represents an opportunity that may never come up again.
The 1990 Ford RS200 S will be sold by Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC Classic Motor Show on 8
November 2025. Its estimated hammer price is between £280,000 and £340,000.
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