Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

[the other pc]

[Andrew C.]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

Sweet Cars! This is held in Irvine right? Where exactly is it held though?

[Nick Chapman]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

Nice to see Pennington's car out there. It's one of my fav's!

[RaskyR1]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

What the heck is this thing? Looks cool!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

What the heck is this thing? Looks cool!

That's a Ford RS200 from the mid 1980's. Back then the World Rally Championship was running what was called Group B cars - virtually unlimited technology - and things were running rampant in ralling!! Audi had dominated with their Quattro, Peugeot was going nuts with their 205, Lancia's Delta was a virtually uncontrollable beast and Ford wanted in on the action. This was the dawn of 4 wheel drive in rallying with Audi showing how it could be done, and done successfully. But with engines making upwards of 500HP or more and speeds getting higher and higher, and the crowds getting larger and larger, something had to give. And it all came to a head in 1986 when a Ford RS200 crashed into the crowd in Portugal, injuring 30+ spectators and killing 3. A few weeks later in Corsica one of the star drivers and his co-driver were killed in a huge wreck with their Lancia. The sports governing body essentially pulled the plug on the Group B spec, effectively ending the competition life of the RS200. It did live on in European Rally Cross for several years after that, even winning a couple of championships.

To enter the RS200 in the WRC, Ford had to homologate 200 production vehicles, which they ultimately did. This car is obviously one of those examples, and a rare site on this side of the Atlantic indeed.

[Mike Pennington]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

Sweet Cars! This is held in Irvine right? Where exactly is it held though?

PAG Building ( 5 / Alton Pkway)

Here is a Map

[Mike Pennington]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

Nice to see Pennington's car out there. It's one of my fav's!

Good eye Nick...

What's that compliment going to cost me though??

LOL

[RaskyR1]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

That's a Ford RS200 from the mid 1980's. Back then the World Rally Championship was running what was called Group B cars - virtually unlimited technology - and things were running rampant in ralling!! Audi had dominated with their Quattro, Peugeot was going nuts with their 205, Lancia's Delta was a virtually uncontrollable beast and Ford wanted in on the action. This was the dawn of 4 wheel drive in rallying with Audi showing how it could be done, and done successfully. But with engines making upwards of 500HP or more and speeds getting higher and higher, and the crowds getting larger and larger, something had to give. And it all came to a head in 1986 when a Ford RS200 crashed into the crowd in Portugal, injuring 30+ spectators and killing 3. A few weeks later in Corsica one of the star drivers and his co-driver were killed in a huge wreck with their Lancia. The sports governing body essentially pulled the plug on the Group B spec, effectively ending the competition life of the RS200. It did live on in European Rally Cross for several years after that, even winning a couple of championships.

To enter the RS200 in the WRC, Ford had to homologate 200 production vehicles, which they ultimately did. This car is obviously one of those examples, and a rare site on this side of the Atlantic indeed.

Very cool! Thanks for that little bit of history Mike!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Cars & Coffee 05-23-2009

As usual, some fantastic looking cars there.