188 - F99GKJ - 1.8 - RHD - White - Current owner known (MK) - UK

[Justin Smith]

I was in email conversation with the owner of #010 and they said they thought #188 was originally owned by Sebastian Conran.

In July 2004 I met the owner Will at the Essex RSOC. It was good to find someone who has been using one hard on track days for some time, (he had been at Castle Coombe the day before) - it gave me some re-assurance that what ever breaks on mine can be fixed. He then "threw" it up the road for a short test drive and feeling 1.8 BAR of boost (around 550 BHP and a LOT of torque) was a good feeling.

A basic HPI check in August 2004 showed...

Manufacturer Ford
Model RS 200 4WD
Body type 2 door saloon
Colour White
Fuel type Petrol
Date manufactured 31 December 1989
Number of previous owners 1
Last owner change 01 May 1999

Peter Greening sent me a great email about #188, "Hi, re No.188 F99GJK - I worked for Sebastian Conran when he bought his RS200 (not sure if it was this one, I only remember it being F reg & costing 49k direct from Borehamwood) & I think it was just standard spec then. It was white with a red interior I seem to remember + the front reg no. was stuck on the bonnet (I remember helping do that). He stored it in the office workshop alongside his Traction Avant & Bentley S1 continental Fastback. We (the other 3 designers in the office) tried to persuade him that it was a good deal & would go up in value like the Ferrari he had recently sold for a big profit.....we were wrong. Best story was he took it on his Honeymoon (he used it just for general driving around in!) to the Cotswolds soon after he got it, however he decided to turn the turbo boost up- is there a knob behind the passengers seat?- however the limit hadn't been set by Ford so he blew the engine. He told us that it made the technicians week at the Ford dealership in Oxford as the whole engine had to be replaced. I seem to remember it had done approx 1500 miles at the time & was replaced under warranty- just like on a Fiesta. - He kept it for quite a long time & in good condition- no rallying / racing as I remember it. - If you want to contact Sebastian (he's a nice guy aged mid 40's now) his email is xxxxxx@xxxx.com he's still a petrolhead - regards, Peter Greening"

Then Sebastian got in touch, "Hi Justin, Yes I did have a pretty ferocious 480hp RS200 and my Bentley lost it’s number plate as we went off on honeymoon. - Give us a ring if you want to discuss - Sebastian" - Great bit of history on #188 !

In October 2005 (WO), (SG) and I went to SPA to play on the track, check out "RS200's in action" for the images !

I get to chat to (WO) quite a bit as he doesn't live that far from me - We have done a few trackdays together and is a good mate, you should check out some of his 0-60 times on YouTube !

April 2023 - 188 has a new owner. The car is having a freshen up as it has not been driven for some time then it will be out to play.

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

Images