Group B racing as it was then allowed for 20 Evolution models from the homologated model to be of an up-rated spec and Ford responded by producing the RS200 Evolution.

They were destined to be chassis 201 > 220 and FORD had around 40 2.1L BDT "E" motors ready but as Group B was stopped, FORD decided not to produce an extra 20 cars but to use some of the original remaining 1.8 cars.

They took 20 cars from the warehouse of remaining vehicles:-

Chassis 012, 070, 071, 081, 083, 084, 086, 087, 096, 097, 098, 099, 101, 105, 106, 145, 146, 153, 168, 174

... and set them to be EVO'd. (Chassis 12 was already the EVO prototype)

Having read old RS200 Owners Club newsletters, a further four cars were built from new as Evolutions after the 20:-

Chassis Numbered 020, 089, 161 and 182.

...... it is probably best to refer to them as "Factory 2.1 EVO versions" - In some way even rarer I suppose !

They set aside chassis numbers 201 > 220 to be the evolution cars.

The relationship was planned to be:-

201=012 202=146 203=174 204=087 205=097 206=098 207=099 208=145 209=081 210=153 211=101 212=168 213=070 214=084 215=105 216=106 217=096 218=083 219=071 220=086

These vehicles were then sent out to be upgraded which included a new engine, this time a 2.1 litre. This needed a new block as the walls were too think to handle this extra sized bore. That meant new heads which meant the ports had moved which required all new associated inlet parts, the chassis had to be slightly cut to fit the longer engine and there is a cut out of the firewall between driving compartment and the engine bay which is where the distributor sits, this has a removable panel so you can access it from the inside of the car for adjustment etc

When the cars returned there was no need to allocate the intended 201 onwards range of numbers so they kept their original VIN plates although Bob Howe is sure at least one slipped out with a VIN plate in excess of the figure 200 although the newsletters suggest NONE did so