Lydden Hill Classic A special Group B Ford RS200 sees action for the very first time

Wayward ultra-rare fast Ford wings it as it debuts at Lydden hill classic

England’s unexpected progress in the World Cup meant competitors in the Lydden Hill Classic outnumbered spectators on the first day of the weekend-long event, so they missed the spectacle of Group B rallycross machinery at full chat – including a special Ford that saw action for the first time.

ford rs200 evolution

‘This car has only done 11 laps in its life,’ said Steve Harris, returning from the track in his RS200 after a tentative shakedown. ‘I found it in bits two years ago and rebuilt it. It’s one of 14 Evolution models, built specifically for rallycross by Mark Page in 1988 using a Gordon Spooner chassis tub, rather than part of the original Ford Group B rally homologation run,’ he said, indicating towards the vast rear downforce wing.

‘The engine had been built, dyno-tested and installed in the car, but never used. Although it was intended for rallycross the owner, Richard Lee, wanted to turn it into an extreme road car. But it was never finished. Some aspects of RS200 specialist Liam Doran’s restoration were almost like assembling a kit – when we fitted the door mirrors, they were still in their original polystyrene boxes, and when we opened the bonnet we found the original build sheet taped to the inside.

‘The engine runs well but the car’s going to need tracking – rear-end steering may look dramatic but it wasn’t always intended...’

tvr 3000ml

Richard Beckmann’s 3000ML paid its first visit to Lydden Hill as part of a track session and display to mark TVR’S 70th anniversary. ‘It’s probably the rarest production TVR in existence – number 11 of a run of just 22 and one of just three survivors – and one of those was pulled apart to turn it into a racing car,’ said Beckmann. ‘I’ve had it two years – it had sat rusting in a barn, its chassis hanging next to it on a wall, before Chris Gilpin restored it.

‘The L stands for Luxury. They were only offered in 1974, and it was TVR’S first attempt at a grand tourer. The interior is different from a standard 3000M, with a walnut dashboard, a centre console housing electric window switches – the first fitted to a TVR – full leather trim, Wilton carpets and a vinyl roof with a retractable full-length sunroof.

‘It’s actually a great car, but its problem was the international fuel crisis of 1973 – TVR only built them in 1974. They were also fraught with earthing problems and it was considered too unreliable for a luxury GT. The drop in numbers is probably caused by a combination of chassis rust and later owners not realising what they had and just restoring them as standard 3000Ms. There may be some still out there that we don’t know about.’