- Chassis # SFACXXBJCGL00080
- Ken Block's Self Described Dream Car
- Number 80 Of Only 200 Produced To Meet Group B Homologation Requirements
- Upgraded To Evolution Specifications
- Custom Crafted To Ken's Specifications By Hoonigan Racing
- 2.1 Liter Evolution Spec Turbocharged 4-Cylinder

Like most manufacturers at the time who were competing in rallying on the global stage, Ford saw the introduction of the Group B rally class as a shot at glory and notoriety. Their top-tier rally car at the time, the MKIII Escort would simply not keep them competitive in this new class of essentially limitless possibility, and it was determined that a new design would be needed. A plastic fiberglass composite body was designed by Ghia and wrapped around a lightweight aluminum chassis which was developed by former F1 designer Tony Southgate. A mid-mounted 1.8 liter, single turbocharged Ford-Cosworth BDT straight-4 engine was utilized, which produced about 250 horsepower in road-going trim and somewhere between 350 and 450 hp in its racing variant. To help the new RS200 put that power to the ground, a four-wheel drive system was utilized in addition to a double wishbone suspension setup with twin dampers on all four corners. In an effort to save some money on development costs, both the windscreen and the rear tail lights as some other pieces were borrowed from the parts bin of the significantly less sporty Ford Sierra. Despite its fantastic handling and weight distribution, the RS200 had some issues staying competitive early on, generally blamed on its power-to-weight ratio and a significant amount of turbo lag at low RPMs. Although it was first shown to the public in 1984, the RS200 was not officially homologated until the 1986 season. The highlight of the RS200’s 1986 season was when factory driver Kalle Grundel piloted his RS200 to a 3’rd place finish at the 1986 WRC Rally of Sweden. In an attempt to try and make the RS200 more competitive for the 1987 season, Ford underwent development of an “EVO” version of their engine which would displace 2.1 liters and put out well over 500 hp depending on the mechanical setup. However, due to the untimely end of the Group B series the 1987 season never took place and the Ford RS200 likely never got to see its true potential on rally stages around the world. 24 of these EVO engines were however later retrofitted to existing cars along with some additional modifications. Some of these updated EVO cars (also known as the Ford RS200 E) even competed in Rallycross with Norwegian Martin Schanche claiming the 1991 European Rallycross title in one.

Had the Group B series been allowed to continue, it is highly likely that with further development the RS200 EVO would have been extremely competitive in the series. In the latter part of 1986, an RS200 EVO driven by Stig Blomqvist managed to set a Guinness World Record 0-60mph time of 3.07 seconds, a feat which stood for an astounding 12 years. In the end, Ford produced 200 examples of the mighty RS200 to meet its homologation quota with parts for roughly 20 more examples set aside for their racing teams. Each one of these cars represents the peak of rally racing design and technology for the time, crafted with the sole purpose of being a rally car and built from a clean slate. Even in today’s world of bonkers modern supercars the RS200 remains blisteringly fast and has a special aura that surrounds them that is impossible to replicate. Each of the 200 examples represents a brief window in time when the rules were thrown out, designers and engineers were given the ultimate “go ahead”, and drivers who were crazy enough to step behind the wheel of these machines were exalted as titans of their time.

This Car

The example on offer here, chassis SFACXXBJCGL00080 is a 1986 Ford RS200 owned by professional rally racer and youtube sensation, Ken Block. It is one of only 200 ever built and making it even more unique is the fact that it was upgraded to EVO specifications. Not a great deal is known about the early life of this particular RS200 but it is believed to have been sold to its first owner, who resided in Norway, in December of 1987. According to available information, it appears the car was used incredibly sparingly, accruing just 456 kilometers by 2006. It was acquired by Ken in 2017 after he spent years lusting over them and the Group B era of racing as a whole. Once it arrived back in the Hoonigan Racing headquarters, his team set about customizing the car to take Ken’s dream car and personalize it to his style. The cosmetics of the car were updated to match the rest of the Hoonigan Racing fleet with a stealthy gloss black paint job and complimenting matte black vinyl wrap on the exterior. The interior received an update with custom suede throughout the cockpit and deep-set Recaro bucket seats with 5-point harnesses. A custom upgraded hand brake was added to the car should Ken need to…get the rear end a little loose! The 2.1-liter EVO spec engine in its current tuning configuration is said to produce 700hp on pump gas and over 800hp on race gas. It is matted to a custom 6-speed sequential gearbox. The suspension was also updated to KW custom coil overs, no small task as you can’t exactly just order custom suspension for an RS200 out of a catalog! The wheels on the car are a set of custom Rotiform wheels finished in white with Toyo Proxes R888R tires.

As it sits today, Ken’s dream car remains in great condition and has been well maintained by the professionals at Hoonigan Racing. Unlike the rest of Ken’s fleet, this RS200 was treated with a bit more special care and saw minimal hooning (which must have been difficult for someone like Ken!) as well as being mostly driven under nice weather conditions. There are some minor imperfections on the exterior in high wear areas, such as some minor rock chipping on the front bumper, as well as some slight bubbling in the matte black wrap in a few spots, but overall the outside of the car presents very well. The interior of the car is likewise relatively clean and tidy thanks in large part to updating it received when it was purchased by Ken.

Most recently the car underwent some minor service work to aid in better driveability and roadworthiness.

The opportunity to own a full-fledged Group B rally car for the road is quite special in itself but when you add in the fact that it was owned by a professional rally driver and the original Hoonigan himself, the importance of this car cannot be overstated! This is the ultimate chance to live out a special era of rally racing history from the very seat that Ken Block himself has enjoyed for years.

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