The Ford RS200 is an incredible car but it’s nowhere near as famous here in America as Tim Allen and Jay Leno. In this video, the pair of celebrities take a deep dive into the homologation special. Then, Leno takes it out to the canyons of California and shows us how it behaves on public roads.
The 1986 RS200 that Tim Allen owns is one of the very limited street-legal versions that Ford built only to conform to Group B rules. It features a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that sits behind the passenger compartment. Jay says that it makes “about 240 hp”. That power is then sent to all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.
The two celebrities bemoan the fact that the RS200 and Group B rally racing never really caught on here in America. That’s somewhat surprising given its brash nature and brutally fast cars. To its credit, the RS200, even in its street-legal guise, is an amazing feat of engineering.
More: What’s The Greatest Rally Homologation Special Ever?
Instead of basing its Group B rally racer on a current production car, the RS200 was a bespoke creation specifically for rallying. As such, the homologation special doesn’t share any tie to a then-current production car from Ford. While the engine in the street car isn’t anywhere near as powerful as the fire-breathing one from the rally car, the rest of the setup is nearly identical.
Each corner features dual coilovers, the body panels pop up and off in the same fashion as the rally car, and the turbo lag is present too. The combination of features provides a really exhilarating driving experience according to Leno.
“This thing is great,” he exclaims. He goes on to say that he can’t imagine how it would’ve felt in competition form. “This thing is incredible with 250 (horsepower),” he says. That’s not the end of his praise for the rare rally star. He goes as far as to call it one of his favorite cars to drive. Its laid-back suspension, turbo lag, and engaging drivetrain make it one of the greats, just like Allen and Leno.