Discussion
Just looking at the info on the web about the RS200, there is so much miss information about this vehicle, who built it, where it was built, how many, it interests me because I was the production manager for the project at Shenstone, I started work at Reliant in 1957 at the age of 15 for 34 years on all aspects of vehicle manufacture, I left Reliant to take up the position of Production Manager for the Jaguar XJ220 at Bloxham near Banbury, then to McLaren as Production Manager for the McLaren F1 road car, going on to be part of the team to supervise the build of the McLaren Technology Centre i retired in 2004
great life said:
Just looking at the info on the web about the RS200, there is so much miss information about this vehicle, who built it, where it was built, how many, it interests me because I was the production manager for the project at Shenstone, I started work at Reliant in 1957 at the age of 15 for 34 years on all aspects of vehicle manufacture, I left Reliant to take up the position of Production Manager for the Jaguar XJ220 at Bloxham near Banbury, then to McLaren as Production Manager for the McLaren F1 road car, going on to be part of the team to supervise the build of the McLaren Technology Centre i retired in 2004
Never mind the car, a personal biography from you sounds like it would be fascinating reading with these legendary projects under your belt!My memory of the RS200 was working as a rail technician in the 80's at Holten Le Mor signal box one sunday and hearing this un godly noise coming towards the crossing and seeing the car come into sight and 'leap' the crossing (it was slightly concave) and shoot off in the distance I was stood mouth open at how fast it was. On the way to getting there in the morning I had been overtaken in my yellow sherpa by an RS500 cossie with flames out the exhaust as it changed gear going past...it was a good day
It started me wanting a Group B car and I remember going to the Rover dealership in Wakefield where they had 'a few' Metro 6R4 in white clubman spec sat in the showroom at £15995 as group B had been banned
If only my wages would have stretched I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams
It started me wanting a Group B car and I remember going to the Rover dealership in Wakefield where they had 'a few' Metro 6R4 in white clubman spec sat in the showroom at £15995 as group B had been banned
If only my wages would have stretched I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams
An unashamed advert ....
Yes indeed there is an RS200 book - no, correct that, THE RS200 book - on the way later this year.
The book is complete, and going through the production process with Herridge & Sons, with a provisional publication date of October this year.
Hundreds of photographs, nearly all in colour, interviews with those involved at the time, and of course personal reminiscences of my four years of using RS200s as road cars in the 1980s.
In those pages I finally lay to rest all the stupid rumours about RS200s being 'built at Reliant', which of course they were not ....
Yes indeed there is an RS200 book - no, correct that, THE RS200 book - on the way later this year.
The book is complete, and going through the production process with Herridge & Sons, with a provisional publication date of October this year.
Hundreds of photographs, nearly all in colour, interviews with those involved at the time, and of course personal reminiscences of my four years of using RS200s as road cars in the 1980s.
In those pages I finally lay to rest all the stupid rumours about RS200s being 'built at Reliant', which of course they were not ....
I once saw one of these back in 1987 at a car show, I was allowed to sit in it and was surprised how small they were inside, Then saw one on the road in 1991 up north. Fast forward to last year, I saw a C reg one in white on Foxhall road in Ipswich coming the other way!.
Being a local yokel I've not seen or heard of any RS200's around the area, so it may have been a replica, I'm hoping it was an original though, it was a bright sunny day, it sounded loud enough but with only a fleeting glimpse I couldn't tell for sure.Pretty much my second favourite Group B car.
Being a local yokel I've not seen or heard of any RS200's around the area, so it may have been a replica, I'm hoping it was an original though, it was a bright sunny day, it sounded loud enough but with only a fleeting glimpse I couldn't tell for sure.Pretty much my second favourite Group B car.
I'd always preferred the 6R4, since my first car was an MG Metro.
I'm my youth I worked at the Grampian Transport Museum, and were lucky enough to have ex-works versions of both on loan from Klaas Zwart, the Ascari cars chap. 6R4 was Malcolm Wilson and RS200 Stig Blomqvist. They didn't need much in the way of polishing, as they were a bit used looking....bonus.
I'd be interested in the book to add to the collection I've bought and not got round to reading yet.
I'm my youth I worked at the Grampian Transport Museum, and were lucky enough to have ex-works versions of both on loan from Klaas Zwart, the Ascari cars chap. 6R4 was Malcolm Wilson and RS200 Stig Blomqvist. They didn't need much in the way of polishing, as they were a bit used looking....bonus.
I'd be interested in the book to add to the collection I've bought and not got round to reading yet.
AAGR said:
An unashamed advert ....
Yes indeed there is an RS200 book - no, correct that, THE RS200 book - on the way later this year.
The book is complete, and going through the production process with Herridge & Sons, with a provisional publication date of October this year.
Hundreds of photographs, nearly all in colour, interviews with those involved at the time, and of course personal reminiscences of my four years of using RS200s as road cars in the 1980s.
In those pages I finally lay to rest all the stupid rumours about RS200s being 'built at Reliant', which of course they were not ....
Please update this when the publication date is confirmed!Yes indeed there is an RS200 book - no, correct that, THE RS200 book - on the way later this year.
The book is complete, and going through the production process with Herridge & Sons, with a provisional publication date of October this year.
Hundreds of photographs, nearly all in colour, interviews with those involved at the time, and of course personal reminiscences of my four years of using RS200s as road cars in the 1980s.
In those pages I finally lay to rest all the stupid rumours about RS200s being 'built at Reliant', which of course they were not ....
Would still love a Group B (and Group C) car, one day!
AAGR said:
An unashamed advert ....
Yes indeed there is an RS200 book - no, correct that, THE RS200 book - on the way later this year.
The book is complete, and going through the production process with Herridge & Sons, with a provisional publication date of October this year.
Hundreds of photographs, nearly all in colour, interviews with those involved at the time, and of course personal reminiscences of my four years of using RS200s as road cars in the 1980s.
In those pages I finally lay to rest all the stupid rumours about RS200s being 'built at Reliant', which of course they were not ....
I’m looking forward to this. Yes indeed there is an RS200 book - no, correct that, THE RS200 book - on the way later this year.
The book is complete, and going through the production process with Herridge & Sons, with a provisional publication date of October this year.
Hundreds of photographs, nearly all in colour, interviews with those involved at the time, and of course personal reminiscences of my four years of using RS200s as road cars in the 1980s.
In those pages I finally lay to rest all the stupid rumours about RS200s being 'built at Reliant', which of course they were not ....
Will definitely look out for the new book.
In the mean time "Rallye Sport Fords" by Mike Moreton has a lot of inside info on the RS200 design and production:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rallye-Sport-Fords-inside...
In the mean time "Rallye Sport Fords" by Mike Moreton has a lot of inside info on the RS200 design and production:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rallye-Sport-Fords-inside...
donkmeister said:
bobtail4x4 said:
its funny how the ford fans insist they were not built at Reliant, yet I remember on a reliant factory visit seeing them on a small production line.
Maybe AAGR can include a foreword from you in his book 
Cars 7 to 200 inclusive were all, repeat all, originally assembled at the EX-Reliant factory at Shenstone which Ford had specifically leased for that purpose.
[After production was completed, some stocks of the cars hung around in storage in Staffordshire for a time, but no new ones were ever produced outside the Shenstone plant.]
Trust me - I was in and out of the Shenstone premises often during that period.
AAGR said:
Cars No.1 to 6 were prototypes, maintained and tested at Ford motorsport in Essex.
Cars 7 to 200 inclusive were all, repeat all, originally assembled at the EX-Reliant factory at Shenstone which Ford had specifically leased for that purpose.
[After production was completed, some stocks of the cars hung around in storage in Staffordshire for a time, but no new ones were ever produced outside the Shenstone plant.]
Trust me - I was in and out of the Shenstone premises often during that period.
So were cars 7-200 assembled by ex Reliant staff, or was Shenstone staffed exclusively by Ford employees?Cars 7 to 200 inclusive were all, repeat all, originally assembled at the EX-Reliant factory at Shenstone which Ford had specifically leased for that purpose.
[After production was completed, some stocks of the cars hung around in storage in Staffordshire for a time, but no new ones were ever produced outside the Shenstone plant.]
Trust me - I was in and out of the Shenstone premises often during that period.
I suspect many of the misunderstandings/"mistruths" around the RS200 assembly have stemmed from language semantics: they were built AT Reliant's [former] facility at Shenstone.
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