One to Buy: 12 miles from new 1986 Ford RS200 Evolution
/
Owing to various delays, Ford planned to reserve the highly anticipated Evolution version of its RS200 for 1987 when the model was expected to mount a World Rally Championship attack against Lancia, Peugeot and Audi. 1986 would serve as a learning year, during which Ford would contest a handful of rounds, initially using 420-450bhp versions of the base RS200.
Unfortunately, just before the RS200 Evolutio’s launch, the FIA dropped a bombshell following the latest in a long list of driver and spectator fatalities. After the deaths of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto at the Tour de Corse during the beginning of May, it was announced no new Evolutions would be permitted to compete and Group B cars would be banned altogether from 1987.
Having invested heavily to create the RS200 Evolution by commissioning Brian Hart to create the almost totally new BDT-E engine (of which 25 complete units were ordered in addition to parts for 25 more), the new model would be relegated to Rallycross (where it was still permitted to run) and as the ultimate option for RS200 buyers / owners.
In total, 24 RS200s were converted to Evolution trim, almost certainly the lowest mileage of which will be going under the hammer at Iconic Auctioneers’ November 11th sale taking place at the NEC in Birmingham.
Chassis 086 was one of three cars originally purchased for European Rallycross by Gary Baker in 1988. However, it never saw action and was instead stored from 1988 until 2011 at which point the car was acquired (along with another two RS200s) by collector, Jim Avis. The consigning owner purchased chassis 086 from Avis during late 2011 and it has remained in his temperature-controlled workshop alongside an impressive collection of Ford rally cars ever since.
Showing just 12 miles on the odometer, the unrestored car is accompanied by it original purchase invoice. According to Iconic Auctioneers: “Mechanically, chassis 086 is in excellent condition. It starts, runs and drives remarkably well despite its minimal mileage. The original paint presents well, and while there are some storage marks on the body, the car remains in impressive overall condition. Since 2011, it has made only two public appearances, being displayed with the RS200 Club at Lydden Hill and then at Silverstone Circuit in 2023.”
