The Deadly Ford That Helped End Group B Rally

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  • Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
  • Introduced in 1982, the Group B rally regulations are often heralded as a golden era for rallying. Giving rise to some of the fastest and most powerful off-road machines ever to run on 4 wheels. But rally is a dangerous sport, and there is no denying that Group B was one of the most dangerous eras in its history. Today we’re talking about one of the many iconic monsters birthed to take on the challenge; this is the story of the Ford RS200.
    #racing #groupb #ford

Комментарии • 552

  • @YellowbirdYT
    @YellowbirdYT Год назад +622

    The RS200 is one of the biggest examples of being late to a party. It's a shame took so long to bring this car into Group B as I always thought it could have been among the class leaders with a bit of work. They made the right call on building an AWD car instead of their original Escort proposal, but I find it funny that Ford went back to a RWD platform for their Group A rally car, the Sierra Cosworth RS. Well, at least until the end of its run, when they switched to the Sierra Sapphire 4X4.

    • @skaldlouiscyphre2453
      @skaldlouiscyphre2453 Год назад +15

      To be fair, the Cossie wasn't really planned to be their main rally car, but it was either use their big, successful Group A race car or try to use the Turbo Escort that was pretty slow in Group A racing.

    • @BOABModels
      @BOABModels Год назад +17

      You're right about it being late. The MG Metro 6R4 had the same problem.

    • @skaldlouiscyphre2453
      @skaldlouiscyphre2453 Год назад +7

      @@BOABModels Wasn't a lack of power a big part of the problem too?
      I seem to recall them being turbocharged for rallycross competition.

    • @tjroelsma
      @tjroelsma Год назад +11

      I don't know about the RS200 having been able to compete against the class leaders. On raw pace it was very fast, but just like the Audi Sport Quattro S1 it was always on a knife's edge with grip. The Lancia Delta S4 and the Peugeot 205 T16 were cars that handled way better and therefore they were the class leaders. The second drawback of the RS200 was its powerband: a whole lot of nothing a low revs and then insane power at the top of the rev range. That meant it was very tricky coming out of the corners, a bit comparable to the venerable old Porsche 911 Turbo: exit the corner, give it the boot, wait, wait and suddenly spin off the road because the power kicked in all at once.

    • @BOABModels
      @BOABModels Год назад +3

      @@skaldlouiscyphre2453 the Metro had a twin turbo V6, basically the same engine which eventually went in the XJ220.
      But the issue with both the MG and the Ford was they entered Group B just as it was going to be banned - they didn't realise this at the time of course.

  • @Fiction_Supreme
    @Fiction_Supreme Год назад +435

    RS200 does not look 80s in the slightest. It has a very mid 90's shape to it. The design was ahead of it's time.

    • @StainedWhiteVest
      @StainedWhiteVest Год назад +15

      Apart from the circular headlights, I agree

    • @wils35
      @wils35 Год назад +5

      Ashame their engineering is not ahead of its time.

    • @DiavoloGrenadine
      @DiavoloGrenadine Год назад +9

      Was ahead of it's time in term of ugliness.

    • @jkim6200
      @jkim6200 Год назад +40

      @@DiavoloGrenadine Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Looks great from my perspective.

    • @liz8356
      @liz8356 Год назад +6

      And it wasn’t the ford that ruined it it was the teams themselves not making safety more of a thing and the people there

  • @Eleminop
    @Eleminop Год назад +339

    Just imagine how crazy rally could have been if they just kept the fans off of / a safe distance from the track.

    • @alexanderSydneyOz
      @alexanderSydneyOz Год назад +65

      Quite ridiculous, isn't it? Imagine what it must have been like driving a rally car at speed, where the spectators have to step back as you approach so you can get through....

    • @marcelk3847
      @marcelk3847 Год назад +63

      @@alexanderSydneyOz all those people had a deathwish

    • @MrLeovdmeer
      @MrLeovdmeer Год назад +13

      @@marcelk3847 No they just lived life to the fullest.

    • @MrZevv
      @MrZevv Год назад

      @@MrLeovdmeer Yeah... and they where lucky that you arent allowed to just drive through this idiots.

    • @MrLeovdmeer
      @MrLeovdmeer Год назад +1

      @@MrZevv That would be something. Giving I was 13 years old back then.

  • @BOABModels
    @BOABModels Год назад +111

    I had a white and blue Matchbox RS200 when I was a boy - it was one of my favourites as it just looked so cool and different to all the other models. Group B was banned the year before I was born though.
    There should be a 1/24 scale model kit of this coming out soon which I will definitely build

    • @daminox
      @daminox Год назад +7

      Hot wheels also recently came out with a few 1/64 scale rs200s.

    • @davebeat
      @davebeat Год назад +2

      @@daminox Hot Wheels have some good stuff coming out in 2023 including a MKII Escort RS2000, a MKVI Escort RS Cosworth, and an IMSA Audi 90 which featured at the end of this video.

    • @iainwalker8701
      @iainwalker8701 Год назад +2

      I have one of these Matchbox cars under a painting of an RS200.

    • @willtaylor6112
      @willtaylor6112 Год назад +1

      Same here, I loved mine beautiful shaped car and still one of my dream cars along with Ferrari F40 and metro 6r4

    • @StigDesign
      @StigDesign Год назад +1

      i still have mine even tho am 36 now, its has aged hehe but still cool :D it even has some spring suspension too

  • @paulplack490
    @paulplack490 Год назад +23

    So, the tragic wreck which claimed the lives of four spectators in Portugal in 1986 spelled the end of Group B, but not the end of lining the sides of rally courses with human guardrails. Got it.

    • @theHardyMonster1984
      @theHardyMonster1984 5 месяцев назад +1

      When the lawyers get involved you can throw all common sense out the window.

    • @g00gleisgayerthanaids56
      @g00gleisgayerthanaids56 Месяц назад

      Killing off group b was more about protecting the drivers from cars that are entirely too powerful for their handling characteristics and safety ratings, not so much about protecting rally spectators who definitely know the risk of standing inches away from cars on maximum attack on gravel/dirt roads.

  • @therealmudafuka7200
    @therealmudafuka7200 Год назад +128

    Well presented and just intricate enough to not be boring, well done. I hope to hear you talk about one of Ford's other attempts at an all out rally machine, the GT 70

    • @351clevelandmodifiedmotor4
      @351clevelandmodifiedmotor4 Год назад

      well presented ???? sounds like a typical moaning pom, oooh the waters too wet ooooh the suns too sunny, poms quit ya moaning you sound like the pms woman of humanity

    • @patbutete1722
      @patbutete1722 Год назад +1

      Ah yes the GT70....Lancia 037 eat your heart out while holding my beer!

  • @Missch_1
    @Missch_1 Год назад +3

    RS200 is my favorite Group B car. I just love the fact that this is the hardest car of them all. The challenge it gives to the driver, that wild handling that it provides. This is amazing.

  • @MattinhoGG
    @MattinhoGG Год назад +133

    I wouldn't call the RS200 a failure, nor the 6R4... They both just arrived late. Had Group B continued they may have found success but going up against outfits that had years of experience at that level was always going to be a challenge

    • @Marshal_6
      @Marshal_6 Год назад

      Ironic that just before WRC, GpA was allowing similar power outputs that were hailed as the deathknell of GpB

    • @matiasdun6599
      @matiasdun6599 Год назад +1

      Adding that we see the entire picture from a higher point. At the time those cars had cutting edge technology and engineers were designing cars that never existed before in short time for competing in a fierce championship.

    • @stevemason9150
      @stevemason9150 Год назад +8

      Group A were restricted to 300 hp , group b some cars were north of 600 hp , it was the fans in some countries that just refused to stay a safe distance from the track- it was a nightmare for the drivers

    • @Marshal_6
      @Marshal_6 Год назад +1

      @@stevemason9150 was it not just a "gentleman's agreement" the 300hp limit though?

    • @stevemason9150
      @stevemason9150 Год назад +1

      @@Marshal_6 no, as far as i know all the cars had to run the same restrictors so there was similar performance, to keep costs down and to attract more manufacturers to the sport. There could well have been slight differences but nothing huge or it would be obvious-

  • @Lizards_Lounge
    @Lizards_Lounge Год назад +8

    It's been over 30 years, I still get sad to think how short lived this era was.
    I'm just glad I was born in time to see this and Prost/Senna era.

  • @strayling1
    @strayling1 Год назад +5

    Lovely car. I worked on the EEC-IV at Dunton while the RS200 was being developed and spent a happy few hours one Sunday blowing 50 EPROMs for the homologation run. Double time on a Sunday to meet a Monday deadline :) They've probably all been replaced by now, but I'm proud to have played a small part.

  • @highspeedhawk
    @highspeedhawk Год назад +33

    Mark Lovell won the British rally championship with an RS200. It was a win on consistency as he didn't win any events overall that year.
    Marc Surer had his massive crash in the RS200 during the Hessen rally 1986. The car exploded after hitting a tree and his co-driver was killed. This showed the immense dangers of group B.

    • @briangriffith3985
      @briangriffith3985 Год назад

      Mark Lovell's car in all fairness wasnt the full hog. it was a clubman spec, so detuned compared to the works one. but it did the job, he won the championship🤷

    • @loicalex
      @loicalex Год назад

      That Surer crash was awful, truly shocking

    • @aguywithayota
      @aguywithayota Год назад

      ​@@loicalexbut if I'm gonna go out from something other then old age, thats how I wanna go out

  • @nothinphasesme5573
    @nothinphasesme5573 Год назад +14

    the ford RS200 and lancia delta integrale evo 2 are my 2 favorite cars from this era, nothing electrical, just man n machine at its finest.

    • @martinr3167
      @martinr3167 Год назад +1

      Integrale is Group A not Group B

    • @hybridShinx
      @hybridShinx Год назад +1

      @@martinr3167 S4 not ring any bells ?

    • @OwkeejGamers
      @OwkeejGamers Год назад +1

      @@hybridShinx He said Delta Integrale, That car is a Group A car. The Lancia Delta S4 is the group be car.

    • @nix123ism
      @nix123ism Год назад

      My brother owned a lancia integrale 16v (non evo) in the 1990s he entered a street circuit event south of Auckland , NZ and i went out to watch, there was a RS200 that had just been imported from the UK that was entered as well, goes without saying the RS200 won, it was just insane how fast it was, it made my brothers car look pedestrian, the RS200 slowed for the corners, he was being careful, but the acceleration out of the corners was unbelievable, point and shoot kind of stuff......

  • @Berecz
    @Berecz Год назад +2

    I love the Gran Turismo menu music in the end. Really gets you back to the 90's.

  • @pliashmuldba
    @pliashmuldba Год назад +3

    I remember those days, watching group B on the telly.
    I also remember i never felt sad about what ever would befall a rally spectator.

  • @Yora21
    @Yora21 Год назад +6

    Weirdly enough, Group B didn't have anywhere near the accidents that the Isle of Man TT has, and that one still is going to this day, with half a dozen death every year.

    • @andrewphippsphillips1455
      @andrewphippsphillips1455 Год назад

      Cough, we don't mention the IOM TT when it comes to motorsport death, you know (this has to read in an ironically sarcastic tone of voice btw, this isn't my ACTUAL opinion).
      If deaths are caused by bikes, people's views are almost "Oh well, very sad, what a pity" in almost a patronising approach.
      But the car side of motorsport sees deaths as almost completely preventable and unnecessary. The reduction of tragedies is obviously a positive thing but those who say "this is unacceptable" doesn't realise that motorsport generally is never guaranteed to be 100% safe.
      There is always that risk but keeping the risk down to a minimum is good. But make a sport completely risk free & it becomes nothing more than a ride on fairground dodgems.

    • @Yora21
      @Yora21 Год назад

      @@andrewphippsphillips1455 I mean, look at the fatalities in WRC since the Group B disaster.
      14 dead in the 80s.
      4 dead in the last 32 years.
      Formula 1 made similar improvements. It's just a matter of the will to improve things.

  • @davekennedy6315
    @davekennedy6315 Год назад +47

    Reliant didn't only make that turd the Reliant Robin. They also made the way cooler Reliant Scimitar, a bit like a lightweight Capri, same engine and running gear but in a considerably lighter bodyshell. They were also far and away the most experienced UK company in working with fibreglass car bodies.

    • @tumslucks9781
      @tumslucks9781 Год назад +5

      How did Reliant go from the Robin to being adept with fibreglass?
      British engineering in the 80s was chaotic. British Leyland only promoted middle management if they were Freemasons even if they had no ability and we all know what happens if you promote mediocre people.

    • @Charles-dz1bn
      @Charles-dz1bn Год назад +3

      You know, Princess Anne had one of those Scimmitar 👀

    • @davekennedy6315
      @davekennedy6315 Год назад

      @@Charles-dz1bn yes I think I faintly remember reading something about that? I think they were great cars too, practical and quick for the time. They still look cool too, at least to my eyes.

    • @sharkuel
      @sharkuel Год назад +2

      @@tumslucks9781 wasn't the Robin fiberglass as well? I mean, that could have been the testbed they needed to improve their craft.

    • @mikester1290
      @mikester1290 Год назад +4

      What we all really need to see is an RS150, just like an RS200 but with 3 wheels, yes obviously 3 wheel drive too. The Reliant RS150.

  • @davidpalin1790
    @davidpalin1790 Год назад +1

    Lived round the corner from reliant cars and I remember seeing a Ford RS200 on the road.
    A cool car 🚗 😎

  • @NoiseBombS14
    @NoiseBombS14 Год назад +23

    Since we are talking about IMSA GTO and GTU, can you make a video about the sheer dominance Mazda has in IMSA for some 14 years?
    The Rx7’s repeated championship runs would make even what they R32 Skylines did in Australia blush

  • @notpoliticallycorrect1303
    @notpoliticallycorrect1303 Год назад +14

    Having been personally responsible for the repair of DS Kara's racing car after a particularly hard shunt in the rain by the owner,who obviously can't drive, I was surprised to find that when I was unbolting the doors that the reinforcement and indeed strength of the A pillars is provided by a block of timber with wood to metal screws,the door adjustment being made by altering how many penny washers sat behind each hinge,the doors are only a fibreglass replica of the top half of a MK1 Sierra door so they are featherweight but I still didn't expect that,as for the mouldings themselves,having repaired all manner of composites over the years,auto/ marine and all manner in between,Reliant moulds were among the best requiring very little hand finishing,filling or fettling.

  • @TheOneWhoBecameStrong
    @TheOneWhoBecameStrong Год назад

    Love the GT2 background music. Gran turismo is truly one of the greatest video game series ever.

  • @davekennedy6315
    @davekennedy6315 Год назад +17

    I swear I've seen another RS200 crash that resulted in the death of the driver and co driver? I remember helicopter footage of the RS200 belting along, getting into a major slide at high speed on a straight and coming off the road sideways straight into a tree and then instantly bursting into flames? Am I dreaming this as it certainly didn't involve spectators?

    • @davekennedy6315
      @davekennedy6315 Год назад +11

      Mark Surer in 1986 was driving and actually survived but the co-driver died. The crash is so bad that I assumed that no one would survive!

    • @hotel_arcadia
      @hotel_arcadia Год назад +1

      That Lancia Delta crash involved no spectators but that was the one that killed the sport

    • @davekennedy6315
      @davekennedy6315 Год назад

      @@hotel_arcadia yeah I heard that was the ONE that finally tipped them over into banning it. A shame as the cars were absolutely insane and they would have only gotten crazier. Makes you wonder how far things might have gone?

    • @hotel_arcadia
      @hotel_arcadia Год назад +3

      @@davekennedy6315 Well, I think modern rally cars are just as, if not crazier than Group B cars... the same AWD, turbochargers, aerodynamics and whatnot

    • @MaaZeus
      @MaaZeus Год назад +3

      @@hotel_arcadia Modern rally cars are more balanced though, handling and power, thanks to modern technology. That and apparently more care is taken where the heck spectators are allowed to stand and watch.

  • @SamMassingham
    @SamMassingham Год назад +5

    Another great car video, like alot of others are saying you do make some very entertaining and informative videos. Also the "fibreglass if youre busy" bit gave me a good chucke. Looking forward to the next one!

  • @samacw
    @samacw Год назад +16

    RS200s and 6R4s were still winning rallycross into the mid 90s. And the Peugeot 205 then evolved into the 405 and finally the Citroen ZX all of which won the Paris-Dakar rally.

  • @siggy2609
    @siggy2609 Год назад +6

    I still can't believe I saw one in real life about 2 months ago when I was riding on my favourite road. I saw a white car hauling ass in the distance and is it got closer I saw the 2 round headlights and thought "no way it can't be", then it drove past me and I looked back, and sure enough that iconic wing confirmed that it was indeed a rs200.
    If only I had something faster than a 125cc motorbike I'd have turned around and went after it to take some pictures😭

    • @NathanMcCabe88
      @NathanMcCabe88 Год назад +1

      I've seen one to, where abouts do you live?
      He was with a car club from Penrith.

    • @siggy2609
      @siggy2609 Год назад +1

      @@NathanMcCabe88I spotted it near Marsden View on the B6114.
      Penrith is a fair bit away so I'm not sure it was him, unless he went on a trip or something

    • @NathanMcCabe88
      @NathanMcCabe88 Год назад +1

      @@siggy2609 it'll probably be a kit car... Gosh they look cool though!!

  • @chuks_drafts
    @chuks_drafts Год назад +2

    I just feel like this channel is for 90s kid in their 30s or 20s that grew up in the super car era and played Gran Turismo 2 for hours after school 😂

  • @trolski1618
    @trolski1618 Год назад +60

    IMHO the RS200 had big potential in wrc Group B, it has the essential mid engine, turbo, 4WD combo of the top cars but including the interesting transaxle with great weight distribution. If only gr B continued for at least for one more year the evo car could see success with the enlarged engine, more suspension travel and the other changes

    • @MiguelGarcia-vj7oo
      @MiguelGarcia-vj7oo Год назад +3

      see I've heard otherwise. a lot of critique if this car is that the underpinnings, chassis and suspension weren't that great and was a basically a parts car..........

    • @posniknelb6114
      @posniknelb6114 Год назад +3

      It was under developed. Never had a chance to come to fruition. It excelled in Rally cross. But it literally only had months in Rally, before becoming obsolete. So never even had a chance

    • @Mark3nd
      @Mark3nd Год назад

      If it had one more year for Gr B, Ferrari would've joined in thise couple of months

    • @johngeren1053
      @johngeren1053 Год назад

      @@Mark3nd The Ferrari (288 GTO?) was for the planned GrpB road racing class in WEC that never got off the ground, not rally.

  • @rayyanalikhan955
    @rayyanalikhan955 Год назад +5

    You are by far one of the most underrated and under appreciated automotive youtubers I have ever seen.
    Amazingly done in a very unique way.
    I hope the channel succeeds.

  • @TheRUBrally
    @TheRUBrally Год назад +3

    Great video. Unfortunately portugal 86 was not the only event where a rs200 was protagonist of a deadly crash. Hessen Rally 86 was the second one.

  • @derrickstorm6976
    @derrickstorm6976 Год назад +3

    That weird scoop/police light bar on the roof is the coolest thing

  • @petermainwaringsx
    @petermainwaringsx Год назад +4

    The body of the RS200 was fabricated about a mile from where I lived, by Ken Atwell, in a small garage to the west of Swansea, on the edge of the Gower Peninsular.

  • @jacksmith4460
    @jacksmith4460 Год назад +8

    the IMSA car looked so cool

    • @skaldlouiscyphre2453
      @skaldlouiscyphre2453 Год назад

      It's a shame they couldn't clean up the aero like the Group S RS200. Relocating the big intake from the roof probably would have helped quite a bit.

  • @amjrpain919
    @amjrpain919 Год назад +5

    Failed?!... It's flipping legendary! I'd prefer it to many so called "supercars" ...just say'n...

  • @Frank-Thoresen
    @Frank-Thoresen Год назад +16

    The Norwegian Rallycross driver and owner Martin Schanche was really successful with his Ford RS 200. He even built a custom transmission. Engine had 750HP

  • @memofrf
    @memofrf Год назад +1

    Thanks for the footage and video. Always had a soft spot for the RS200.

  • @mtakala82
    @mtakala82 Год назад +2

    Marc Surer's crash in Hessen Rally 1986, where his co-driver Wyder was killed, is also an important story to tell with the history of the car.

  • @pb6839
    @pb6839 11 месяцев назад

    my uncle has a original group b rx7 and I've been in love with it since I was a kid even before I knew what group B was. Since it's a racecar and a rotary its really unreliable and takes a team to get started but it looks really pretty.

  • @geoffreygoodyear3746
    @geoffreygoodyear3746 Год назад

    I loved this car...my dad worked for ford in hinckley in the 80s i was 9 or 10 years old ..got loads of posters and magazine ect free...it was always my fave ford. 🔥🔥🔥

  • @Ob1sdarkside
    @Ob1sdarkside Год назад

    I've vague memories of group B, mental racing. Such a good looking car, great to get it's history. Lovely vid, really enjoyed it.

  • @bobsmoot8454
    @bobsmoot8454 Год назад +2

    One of Ford’s best ideas

  • @TeamLouieTv
    @TeamLouieTv Год назад +2

    Loving the Grand Turismo Japanese Jazz Fusion 🎵

  • @Rich77UK
    @Rich77UK Год назад +7

    One of Ford's finest ever cars. The RS200 may have been late, not successful but boy, its good looking, pant wettingly fast and more desirable than any other group B car.

  • @stickman-1
    @stickman-1 Год назад

    My dream car. It has since been I saw the first one nearly 40 years ago. RS200.

  • @lca2206
    @lca2206 Год назад

    That Gran Turismo 2 soundtrack at 6:03 was perfectly placed. And if I recall correctly it was the soundtrack of the Japanese manufacturer’s area!

  • @_adomCS
    @_adomCS Год назад +1

    my absolute favourite car. great video

  • @TheMrFishnDucks
    @TheMrFishnDucks Год назад +2

    Fantastic video. I love this cars adorable derpy face 😊. Keep up the good work.

  • @MrWolf-xk8sl
    @MrWolf-xk8sl Год назад +2

    Ford is a strange company. There's an interview with the legendary Miki Biason, driver of Lancia in those years, and he stated that after he left Lancia to join Ford, they snobbed him and his mechanical advices despite of him winning 6 world rally championships in a row with the Delta.
    He said at Lancia, they were always trying out the car and he specifically was almost 24/7 making adjustments to tailor the car to his style of driving, that's why Lancia was so successful, but in Ford they had this "big factory" mentality in which they had different pre-made ready-to-go cars for every different stage and rally, which nobody even tried on the specific course.

  • @golach420
    @golach420 Год назад +4

    The poor spectator control was key in ending Group B. Kids could have done better.

  • @jonfrank2566
    @jonfrank2566 Год назад +4

    My father had an RS 200. Last one made as a road car. He had a few nice cars over the years, including a Lancia S4. But he rated the Ford the best. Chassis and balance were amazing.

  • @damian-795
    @damian-795 Год назад

    0:39 That Mk 2 escort looks utterly great

  • @chrisanilasy
    @chrisanilasy Год назад +1

    Gran turismo vibes on the background music

  • @gerasismatas
    @gerasismatas Год назад +1

    Can’t agree, won’t agree. The car won 19 races and 32 podium finishes during it’s first and only group B year in rally. The car won many other competitions and showed a lot of promise. The portugal incident was caused by a spectator who ran in front of the car at the last moment which caused the driver to lose control. I’m very sorry for the people who died but you can’t blame the car for that situation. I wonder how that day would have ended if that spectator stayed in his place instead of trying to be a deer in the headlights?🥴 The RS200 proved to be a successful as a machine, the only failure was that it arrived late to the party.. This car is literally the definition of “unused potential”. One of top 5 group B machines IMO! Great vid

  • @jondrizzle4554
    @jondrizzle4554 Месяц назад

    Martin schanche was a legend in european rallycross in an rs200
    It won numerous British titles and European and was one of the most successful group b cars in rallycross

  • @rallycorsa1600
    @rallycorsa1600 Год назад +1

    Absolutely amazing drivers in the era of group B, Those cars were monsters to control. I was lucky enough to have a ride Blomquists Grp B Quattro and it was crazy, The throttle was like a 500 bhp on off switch LOL.

  • @jpmtlhead39
    @jpmtlhead39 Год назад

    This was the Ultimate Car Motorsport Ever. Ive seen several rallys,in Portugal,and it was Mindblowing,the speed,the noise,the crowd and the Best drivers in the world,and the fastest Cars Ever made to Run in any surface...
    The Greasted years in Motorsport.

  • @originalforgery
    @originalforgery Год назад +2

    In defence of Reliant....
    Back in the late 70's, early 80's Reliant were the countries largest, most experienced and arguably most expert manufacturers of GRP body shells.
    Our local news paper, the Tamworth Herald would run weekly adverts from the likes of Williams / McLaren etc, looking for experienced guys in composites....
    I remember the RS200's being assembled in Shenstone near Lichfield and road tested on the A5.

    • @originalforgery
      @originalforgery Год назад

      Worth also remembering the RS200 was built purely for racing - not being a silhouette of an existing model (although Essex plod would trial one which was entertaining at the time).
      The 6R4's Audi's, Peugeot's Maxi 5's etc were all very loosely based on production cars......sort of...!

  • @jonnywalker3208
    @jonnywalker3208 Год назад +1

    2:05 Clarkson haha I watched that on DvD last night! 😂 another great video buddy

  • @dannyx2737
    @dannyx2737 Год назад

    Rs200 and the 6r4 are my favourite cars. So bonkers

  • @Aotearoa_Kiwi
    @Aotearoa_Kiwi Год назад +1

    _Excellent video ☑ and great commentary._

  • @torque-drive2488
    @torque-drive2488 Год назад

    This is my favorite group b car

  • @dwchester
    @dwchester Год назад

    Radical styling in it's time. I very nearly bought one for just £16,000 back in the late 80s which was sitting in a showroom in surrey for months!

  • @ivorgreenplant
    @ivorgreenplant Год назад

    watched most of these cars in action at lyddden hill racetrack .. will gollop in the 6R4 metro mark rennison in the RS2000 .. great days

  • @grahamhowland566
    @grahamhowland566 5 месяцев назад

    The RS200 was fairly successful in rallycross and in the hands of the likes of Trevor Hopkins, Mark Renison, Martin Schance etc in the late 80s/early 90s were an awesome thing to watch along with various other ex group B cars 😀👍🏼

  • @turborocketmedia
    @turborocketmedia Год назад +6

    The freakin' RS200 is absolutely undrivable on dirt rally 2.0 🤣🔥

    • @alfredio
      @alfredio Год назад +3

      Being honest RS200 is one of my favourite cars to drive in first Dirt Rally :P

  • @SWBF2-2005IsBestStfu
    @SWBF2-2005IsBestStfu Год назад +2

    2:48 to be fair, relient had some of the longest experience in making fiberglass bodies in the world at the time outside of boat makers, so it isn't that stupid

  • @danijuggernaut
    @danijuggernaut Год назад

    Thanks for the video, very interesting. You forgot to show us Marc Surer´s brutal accident crashing against a tree, splitting the RS200 in two pieces surrounded by a ball of flames. The copilot died, very, very impacting.

    • @automobilistic
      @automobilistic  Год назад +3

      Yes I have seen the video. I chose not to include it because it didnt happen in the WRC, and I didnt want to shoehorn it in for the sake of it. Not to mention my apprehension about potential restrictions on my video for showing it

  • @richardlehoux
    @richardlehoux Год назад

    Great informative video with amazing footage. Please continue the good work

  • @thorquiaperleme9478
    @thorquiaperleme9478 Год назад

    Playing Gran Turismo while watching your videos it's a therapy for me and you teach me a lot about racing history, I really like your content man, pls do Toyota Minolta some day. (I'm Brazilian, so If there are any gramatical error, sorry 😅)

  • @mariaisabelcarrillo6315
    @mariaisabelcarrillo6315 Год назад +1

    You forgot to talk about Marc Surer horrific crash in 1986 driving a Ford RS200 in which his copiloto Wyder was killed and burned.
    Big missing mate.

  • @pbocking44
    @pbocking44 Год назад +1

    Watched one of these in a Fast Ford race at Snetterton. I believe it was Graham Hathaway - started on the 2nd row cos had the wrong diff for qualifying. Lights went green and he drove it onto the grass to overtake the pole sitter - was 50 yards ahead by the 1st corner.

  • @coolguy13333
    @coolguy13333 6 месяцев назад

    This car is so cool it’s like a modern peice in the 80s

  • @LeviNuen
    @LeviNuen Год назад

    I love that you used the gran turismo 2 music!

  • @a92gsxdsm
    @a92gsxdsm Год назад

    Congrats mate!! 11k subs!!
    Thanks again for another stellar video!

  • @kalleklp7291
    @kalleklp7291 Год назад

    What a beautiful machine.
    The '70s and '80s rallies were just crazy! The non-existent spectator safety and the tuning of the cars to ridiculous numbers were what killed it. Audi made its entrance with the Audi Quattro piloted by Walther Röhrl and 450 Hp, later even with a ridiculous + 500 Hp. However, it was fun to watch back then when these small cars flew over hills and drifted through corners. :)

  • @wieldylattice3015
    @wieldylattice3015 Год назад

    You know you made something special when it simultaneously looks like a Porsche and its own original design

  • @0wly
    @0wly Год назад +1

    I am surpeised you failed to mention marc surers crash in germany where he lost controll and slid into a tree and the car exploded

  • @danielmartin5515
    @danielmartin5515 Год назад

    Love the inclusion of the east city music from gt2

  • @slashmatt
    @slashmatt Год назад

    I was there as a kid in San Antonio and saw the crash referenced. My father was keen to tell me about the insane value of the RS200, something like $500k in 1988. It blew my mind.

  • @michconnor5304
    @michconnor5304 Год назад

    I love the rs200 it looks and sounds so cool definitely a dream car of mine just to have it

  • @TheLRider
    @TheLRider Год назад

    Intro to your video, Ari Vatanen in the black Escort was absolutely awsome. The fasted Group 4 "Works" Escort ever built by Dave Sutton. I was there when Ari got a bit too carried away on the IOM.

    • @andyjohnson4767
      @andyjohnson4767 Год назад +1

      Also Ari's favourite Escort, direct from Ari

  • @richgriffinalb
    @richgriffinalb Год назад

    few of these in yorkshire, seen them at the Motorist quite often. Crazy looking cars.

  • @BrainDamageComedy
    @BrainDamageComedy Год назад

    this is the channel for me, nice one!

  • @Dirpitz
    @Dirpitz Год назад +5

    Neither were failures. The failure in group B was the organisers, people crowding the tracks, stood on the outside of corners, absolutely zero in the way of safety, just look at what the teams were dealing with driving through crowds where you can't even see the road. The RS200 and 6R4 went on to dominate in rallycross and are still used today

    • @automobilistic
      @automobilistic  Год назад

      The RS200 was purpose built to compete in Group B. It arrived years late, overweight and under powered, and only managed a single podium finish. Had the Evo variant been able to compete in 1987, it could have been a different story, but for Ford's purposes, the RS200 was a failure. As for the 6R4, I never mention it in the video, and know the story of that car far less well. Maybe I should do a video on it at some point

    • @Dirpitz
      @Dirpitz Год назад +3

      @@automobilistic yes most rally cars don't instantly win everything from the off even the mighty Quattro lost to the 037, but group B being cancelled was neither the car's fault nor was it grounds for the car being a failure nothing more than a bad stroke of luck that unlike others it didn't get the chance to prove itself, hell in 87 it walked the rallycross championship and was a competitive car for decades after, not to mention an RS200 took Pikes peak. So yeah it may not have been able to claim instant dominance in it's intended classification (due to no fault of it's own) but it secured it's place straight away and for many years after. The 6R4 is another with the same kind of story, it's a shame had the organisers gotten a grip sooner and properly controlled the crowds this tragedy could have been avoided and chances are we would have continued to see Group B cars progress, maybe in that world Tajima would have been entering an Escudo xD (Also yeah I clicked the wrong tab was meant to be a reply to someone who pointed out the 6R4, Still great that these monsters get coverage and are remembered, a good video would be one on Michèle Mouton, gotta love a strong female lead ^^)

    • @hillclimbracingfan5821
      @hillclimbracingfan5821 Год назад +1

      @@Dirpitz Ford RS200 also won german hillclimb championship in hands of Dieter Knuttel and is one of the fastest accelerating cars ever in the sport with 0-100 km/h time of 1,73 seconds.Beautiful monster with 700 horsepower on 900 kilos.

  • @pauleaves469
    @pauleaves469 Год назад

    Remember going into the Ford dealership in Carlisle with my dad. They had an RS200 on sale. Sticker price was £50,000. Couldn't persuade dad to buy it 😢

  • @mattwalker529
    @mattwalker529 Год назад +4

    Pretty sure the rs200 won many national events where group b was allowed to continue and was not a failure at all

  • @marklanahan7289
    @marklanahan7289 Год назад

    I used to do building work for FMC and can remember seeing a literal shedload of these parked up at their South Ockendon plant back in the day. I was told they were being assessed by the Met as chase cars to stop the Yuppies ragging their Porches round the M25 every night. Happy days!

  • @davidrobertson5700
    @davidrobertson5700 Год назад

    That was a wee beastie, they had one in Dees in Croydon when I worked for BT , I was lucky enough to be allowed to sit in it.
    Tiny little thing too I thought it was a model of one .
    In white it looked cute
    I wonder who bought that car because I revved the engine up before you 😂

  • @nigeldepledge3790
    @nigeldepledge3790 Год назад +11

    Let's just take a moment to consider the achievement of getting 750 hp out of a 2-litre engine. That is some serious boost from the turbocharger.
    I vaguely remember 1986. The accident in Portugal had been an accident-in-waiting for years. Crowd control there was especially abysmal. Some of the other rallies in southern Europe were not much better, but Portugal was especially bad.
    Before Toivonen's accident in Corsica, group B might have had a chance of survival if the various rally organisers started taking spectator safety seriously. (Actually enforcing control of the crowd instead of just printing "motorsport is dangerous" on the back of every ticket.)
    Obviously, after Corsica, group B was done. I remember an interview with (I think) Stig Blomqvist in which he pointed out that they were racing down the same stages with 500 hp that they had been driving with 130 hp just a year or two earlier.

  • @deano1223
    @deano1223 Год назад +2

    750hp from a 2 ltr car was something !

  • @edgarpoe517
    @edgarpoe517 Год назад

    Great video, really informative.

  • @StrangerYann
    @StrangerYann Год назад

    woah that 700HP RS200 is a beauty

  • @claywoodslim1511
    @claywoodslim1511 Год назад

    Martin Schanche did win the European Rallycross Championship with the RS200 in 91. He also finished 2nd 3 years in a row the years before.

  • @mattmanley7118
    @mattmanley7118 Год назад

    Legendary car for sure

  • @dirk6001
    @dirk6001 Год назад

    It was crazy then and it it still crazy

  • @jacobcolon5295
    @jacobcolon5295 Год назад

    one of my fave cars to whip in Forza Horizon 1! so fun

  • @KRAUSER0130
    @KRAUSER0130 Год назад

    So that's how the Crowdkiller legend began - with an RS200 and not a Mustang!

  • @realrambo1
    @realrambo1 Год назад

    Ford simply missed the tea party while most European manufacturer were running on triple espresso , in essence and ever since Ford has not achieved anything in the rallye world for the last 40 years , but nostalgic youtube video .

  • @christianbuczko1481
    @christianbuczko1481 Год назад +2

    There was only meant to be 200, i think most were made and sold. They did well in events. They werent a failure.. in fact they were awesome for the time.

  • @JailedTrump
    @JailedTrump Год назад

    ''WRC is for boys, Group B was for men''
    -Juha Kankkunen

  • @myperspective5091
    @myperspective5091 Год назад

    👍I always loved that car.👍

  • @sharpsteel6272
    @sharpsteel6272 Год назад

    Now I wanna see a three wheel group b car