The street-legal Group B-based ’90s icon is one of just 20 commissioned by a Canadian entrepreneur
- Rare street-legal Ford RS200 S rally car set to cross the auction block late February
- Just 20 examples of the Group B-inspired hatchback were commissioned by a Canadian entrepreneur
- The U.K. sale of the car, sold new in that country, could see it fetch over CDN$600,000
Thanks to input from a couple of F1 engineers, the purpose-built rally racer that emerged from this project was pretty potent stuff. It had double-wishbone suspension at all four corners, a turbocharged 1.8L four-cylinder engine mounted amidships, and a lightweight fibreglass body designed by Ghia. In road-going trim, it set 250 hp against just under 1200 kg (2,645 lbs), with all-wheel-drive for extra grip.
This all sounded pretty good, but one Murray de Weerdt thought he could do better. A Canadian entrepreneur whose name is sometimes slightly anglicized to ‘DeWert,’ he cut a deal with Ford’s U.K. operations to build a more genteel version of the RS200, complete with power windows, thicker carpeting, and more sound deadening, and even air-conditioning (not all models got this).
They also received an additional 100 hp over the standard car. De Weerdt wanted to call this version the RS200 S, and though Ford’s legal team proved a bit recalcitrant about the name, that’s what most of these cars get called when they hit the auction block. Which is not often: just 20 were made.
This is a right-hand-drive car, as it was originally sold to a U.K. owner, who requested the change from the original Canadian-spec LHD. De Weerdt’s original deal for twenty cars shipped to Canada fell through, so many of these cars sold elsewhere around the world. All of the original equipment is included with the sale here, so conversion back to left-hand-drive should be straightforward. Likewise, the air-conditioning is not hooked up, but all the parts are included to get that working again.
Probably the best thing about this example, chassis number 138, is that it appears to have been actually driven. A similar car, chassis 121, sold recently with just over 4,000 miles (~6,400 kms) on its odometer. Chassis 138 has done more than four times that, and it’s to be hoped that its former owner enjoyed every last one of those miles.
Now, perhaps it’s your chance. Deep pockets will be required to snatch this mid-engined Ford up, with estimates as high as a sale of CDN$600,000 indicated. That’s a lot of money for a four-cylinder Ford, but this is the rarest of the rare, and a neat blend of Ford rally heritage with a Canadian backstory. The sale takes place February 22 via Iconic Auctioneers.
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