061 - C200JJN - 1.8 - LHD - Current owner known (MG) - USA

Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:30 pm

The records I was given by Bob Howe are very light in respect of car 061, so light in fact the consist of just the standard "index" form he used to keep for every car sold. That one page, dated 11.11.1986, simply says that chassis 00061 was a "LHD RALLY" with the index C200JJN and that it was sold on 16th December 1986 to a B Wikland from Sweden and it shows an address but we know the car was used by Ford as one of a handful of "works" cars prior to this sale.

Looking back quickly at the index that 061 had assigned to it when sold by FORD I can see on publicly available data that the full chassis number is as expected SFACXXBJ2CGL00061. The other information says:-

Make: FORD
Model: RS 200 4WD
Transmission & fuel type: PETROL
Body type: COUPE
Engine no. GL00061
Colour: White
First Registered: 23/1/1986
Year of Manufacture: 1986

There are no plate change or colour change records associated with this car. This car is still registered to its first keeper.

That makes sense and shows that it was registered, presumably to FORD, on 23/1/1986 before being sold on 16/12/1986 which leads to an obvious question, what did it do during 1986. Luckily my friend Chris Biewer tracks that sort of thing

https://www.ewrc-results.com/carinfo/71 ... /?spz=3214

So Chris has records of 11 "starts" for C200JJN:-

7.2.1986 - Boucles de Spa Alphonse Delettre 1986 - Car 4 - Driver: Droogmans Robert Co-Driver: Joosten Ronny Result: DNF: Accident

As it is stated in the records, for the rally, Car 4 got a DNF from a crash. For some time I thought the images from the crash were thought to be the below but you can see although the car is wearing Belga colours, it has not got the number 4 on it (along with some other differences like tyre choice!) so although this is known as the "Droogman Crash" I do not know any more about it. I can see in the photo I think Ronny Joosten. Wouter Ghysens in 2009 told me "In the beginning of 1986, Robert Droogmans was driving this RS200 in the Boucles de Spa. In the training for the next round he crashed it. So had to take a next one." - I have also seen the same image on another RS200 fan site with the comment "During testing at the Ford test track in Lommel"

They did go on to made a model of the car from this rally though!

11.4.1986 - Internationale AMAC Tulpenrallye 1986 - Car 7 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Anja Lieuwma Result: DNF: Engine

This video shows #061 competing in this event

25.4.1986 - Hellendoorn Rally 1986 - Car 4 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Anja Lieuwma Result: DNF: 1st

***IMAGES WANTED***

15.5.1986 - South Swedish Rally 1986 - Car 5 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Ruud Oosterbaan Result: 1st

***IMAGES WANTED***

25.7.1986 - AvD/STH Hunsrück Rallye 1986 - Car 3 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Anja Lieuwma Result: 4th

15.8.1986 - Int. Monroe Limburgia Rally 1986 - Car 3 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Anja Lieuwma Result: 1st

29.8.1986 - Lotto Bianchi Rally 1986 - Car 3 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Anja Lieuwma Result: 2nd

19.9.1986 - Int. Monroe Rallye 1986 - Car 1 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Michael Eisenberg Result: 2nd

***IMAGES WANTED***

3.10.1986 - Int. Debic Grenslandrally 1986 - Car 1 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: Anja Lieuwma Result: 1st

22.10.1986 - Himalayan Rally 1986 - Car 1 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: André Schoonenwolf Result: 1st

In November 2008 André Schoonenwolf made contact and said, "The RS200 #061 information is correct. I only co-drove Stig A. in 1984 RS1800 and 1985 RS Turbo and in the 1986 Himalayan Challenge. Anja Lieuwma joined Stig in the Dutch championship - kindest regards - ing. André R.P. Schoonenwolf RI/ONRI" - He gave me 3 images which I had never seen.

16.11.1986 - Lombard RAC Rally 1986 - Car 18 - Driver: Stig Andervang Co-Driver: David West Result: DNF: Accident

I manage to find a few images but in October 2008 David West had made contact. "Hello Justin, perhaps I can help to fill in a tiny gap. I competed with Stig Andervang on the 1986 RAC rally, but all records, pictures and videos of the car seem to have disappeared. I was unable to obtain a single picture. Even the official Ford video of the rally did not show car number 18 Stig Andervang/Dave West. The car was prepared by Mike Taylor. There were four cars on that event - the A team Blomquist Grundel and the B team Lovell/Freeman and Andrevang/West - Thanks for a great site, Best regards, Dave" I asked how the DNF came about and he replied "On a very slippery k left and right, it just would not turn as we approached the right. As a consequence it careered off the road and the front left struck a tree stump. Mike said it was likely to get worse, which it did. The reason for the lack of photos was that John Taylor ordered all film and stories to be deleted but Rallysport printed a picture of the car on the front cover. Retirement was caused when John Taylor commandeered the car when we were still lying in then top 20. It was dangerous and I have no idea how Stig coped."

This makes it one of if not the most competed RS200 even before the next phase of it's life!

Another FORD document in the wider records dated 30/6/1989 confirms this car as being one destined for "Wickland B" a LHD Rally Sweden - See the FAQ "How many were made ?" section for more info.

Turning to the sale in on 16th December 1986 we now know that B Wikland was in fact Bengt Wikland who sadly passed away on Feb 27th 2017. I do not think I ever got a chance to speak to him which I regret. We know that Bengt was a great rallycross driver and you can see him in an RS200, I do not know which car it is, in the lead in this image. Vidar Haugen sent me this image of what he believes was 061 which he refers to as the "Neldikett livery" and of course that looks like the same livery as the first image. If you search for "Neldikett" and "Rally" you see lot's of results so they clearly sponsored a lot but I do not know anymore about them, maybe you do?

All I know about this image is that it says "Wiklund, France, 1987" - If you know more let me know.

I shall try and research the use of #061 between Dec 1986 and it being advertised for sale in 1990 - That's just over a 3 year gap so plenty to be found I suspect.

It is clear though that by 5th and 6th of December 1987 Bengt was driving an RS200 as you can see here in the British Rallycross Grand Prix 1987 C Final. You can read about it here http://classiccarmag.net/1987-brands-ha ... rand-prix/ and see it here:-

An advert dated Feb 1 1990, shared with me in June 2010 by Tim Wilkinson, read exactly as follows...

"Works Ford RS200, Earlier works registered rally car fully restored in excellent condition for sale. Chassis no.SFAXXX32CGL00061, reg C200BBN. The car can easily be converted to road condition. Thor Holm, Norway." - Clearly some errors in the advert but pretty sure it relates to #061.

In Feb/March 2003 #061 was sold by Jan Arthur Iversen in Sweden to a new owner in Norway (BV) and in October 2006 the brother of the new owner (BEV) made contact to say that #061 was being restored by him and I was sent some images. I kept in touch and in 2011 and again in 2012 I went over and saw the car in Norway and on the 2nd visit got a rather sideways ride in the snow in her, that was a great weekend. Fantastic Norwegian hospitality, I had the biggest hangover!

In May 2020 the new owner, (MG) made contact "I recently purchased RS200 chassis 61 from Nick maton at ROFGO" and we have kept in touch since.

In July 2022 I can see 061 is for sale https://speedartmotorsports.com/collect ... evolution/

March 2023 this video appeared, the owners tell me he is fine

LOL

If you find out anything else about this car please drop me an email and I'll update the cars entry !

justin.smith@rs200.org