Front suspension
Chief designer, John Wheeler had to
surmount major difficulties in laying out the front suspension - one being that
he wanted to provide fora great deal of vertical wheel movement (to make the
rally car suitable for rough rallies). The other being that he had to allow
space for sturdy front-wheel-drive shafts (and their universal joints) which
would not com promise the rest of the geometry.
Right from the start, he also specified
twin coil-over dampers for each corner of the car - eight springs and eight
dampers per car. The dampers, provided by Bilstein, had spring platforms
adjustable for height, and there were alternative wishbone mounting positions
to allow the geometry to be idealized for Tarmac activity, or for
ample-movement off-road purposes. Prototype testing was also carried out with
only single spring/damper units in place, but these proved to be
unsatisfactory.
The
dampers, provided by Bilstein, had spring platforms adjustable for height, and
there were alternative wishbone mounting positions to allow the geometry to be
idealized for Tarmac activity, or for ample-movement off-road purposes
Conventional rack-and-pinion steering was specified
conventional in that there was provision for left-hand-drive or right-hand-d
rive, the rack itself being a modified version of a Ford production car
installation. There was no power assistance (a privately-engineered and very
costly kit was later developed, but very few such were ever installed), and
there was no ABS, which would have taken years to develop. 8x16-inch Speed line
alloy wheels with 50-series Pirelli P-Zero tires were standard, but wider and
narrower-rim wheels were developed for competition use.
Rear suspension
Like the front suspension, the independent
rear end was a neatly packaged double wishbone layout, complete with
drive-shafts, all controlled by twin coil-over-shocks at each corner. As at the
front end, too, the dampers had spring platforms individually adjustable for
height, and there were alternative inner mounting points to vary the geometry.
As
at the front end, too, the dampers had spring platforms individually adjustable
for height, and there were alternative inner mounting points to vary the
geometry
Interior
Although the normally-specified seats (as
fitted to car number 200) were slim-fitting Sparcos, it was possible to have
more comfortable Recaros fitted. Sierra wind-up windows were standard, though
electric windows could be specified instead. The cabin was neatly styled, and
simply finished, with full trimmed (Sierra pattern) door panels, and with
carpets on the floor. Although the instruments (particularly the 10,000 rpm VDO
rev-counter) were special, much of the facial switch gear and controls was
lifted from the contemporary Fiesta of the day. As to the heating and
ventilation system, face-level vents were provided, as was a heater, but the
performance of the entire ventilation system itself was very poor, and in a
series-production car this would have been considered totally inadequate!
Although
the normally-specified seats (as fitted to car number 200) were slim-fitting
Sparcos, it was possible to have more comfortable Recaros fitted
Brakes
In many ways, the braking system was the
most conventional aspect of the RS200's design, for there were outboard
ventilated disc brakes mounted at each wheel, with four-pot calipers, and a
conventional split-circuit hydraulic system with servo assistance. However
there was no anti-lock braking system, which was not even considered at the
design stage.
Car 200
The left-hand-drive car in the photographs
is what is still affectionately known throughout Ford as 'Car 200’, which was
the very last RS200 road car to be completed, at the Shenstone factory, on
January 31, 1986, just in time to ensure sporting homologation, and a
motorsport career which began at once.
The
left-hand-drive car in the photographs is what is still affectionately known
throughout Ford as 'Car 200’
Unsurprisingly, Car 200 was kept by Ford
for promotional use, and in fact wasn't road- registered until 1997 (though
given an age-appropriate registration, C117 OTW), and in recent years has
become part of Ford UK's now- infamous Heritage Fleet based at the Dagenham
plant. Still unrestored, Car 200 is very carefully looked after by Paul, Ivan
and Colin at the Heritage Fleet's workshop, and in recent years has had an
engine rebuild (retaining the original block and head), along with a softer
clutch to make the car easier to live with on the road - yes, C117 OTW is taxed
and insured all year round.
Transmission
This was totally engineered by FF
Developments of Coventry, and included the gearbox internals originally
intended for use in the Escort RS1700T. In what was a totally integrated
layout, the back-to-front engine drove forward to the clutch, whose housing was
alongside the driver's backside, then forward to the massive main transmission,
which was located between the occupants' foot wells.
This
was totally engineered by FF Developments of Coventry, and included the gearbox
internals originally intended for use in the Escort RS1700T
This magnesium casing included the main
five-speed all-synchromesh gearbox, the central splitter differential, an extra
diff for the front wheels, and the four- wheel-drive/two-wheel-drive control -
the secondary (and very stubby) gearlever needed to actuate the changeover was
not fitted to all cars: Car 200 pictured here, for instance, does not have that
lever fitted. A separate prop-shaft linked the main transmission to the rear
differential, which was mounted immediately behind the mid-mounted BDT engine.
All three axles on the RS200 featured FF viscous coupling limited-slip
differentials.
