5 Iconic Rally Cars That Carried The Ford Badge

Rally driving is one of the most demanding forms of motorsport. Heavily modified production cars take on mud, gravel, snow, ice, and narrow boulder-lined roads at breakneck speeds. Surviving in this arena is challenging, but to thrive in it a car needs to be something very special indeed. Rally cars need to be fast, nimble, tough, lightweight, and sure-footed — a difficult balancing act in the best of circumstances — but rallying is also about endurance. Rally cars take part in events that can last for days, with high-speed racing on terrain that is harsh enough to obliterate the suspension of standard road cars.

Becoming an iconic vehicle in such a motorsport is something that has to be earned the hard way. One name that has a rich heritage of rally cars spanning the generations of the sport is Ford. Take a look at these five Ford badged cars that achieved the status many dream of.

We can't curate such a list without including one of the most revered cars in the history of rally — the Ford Escort Mk1. This car famously won the London to Mexico World Cup Rally in 1970. Yes, you read that right, the London to Mexico rally. This rally involved over 16,000 miles of driving, passed through over 20 countries, and took six weeks to complete. From almost a hundred starters a Ford Escort 1850 GT Mk1 driven by Finnish driver Hannu Mikkola won the race, and was one of only 23 cars to complete the course. Not content with this feat, the Ford Escort Mk1 also took four of the top six positions, and five of the top 10.

Of course, no matter how grueling, success in one race does not in itself warrant a place in rally's hall of fame. However, right from the outset the Escort Mk1 was an incredible rally machine. A point it proved when it came close to winning the 1968 RAC British Rally in its first competitive outing, only to be defeated by a blown head gasket. It finally won its first RAC Rally honors when Roger Clark and Tony Mason steered their Escort Mk1 to victory in 1972, the first of eight consecutive wins. It's a testament to the car's appeal that a limited production run of 150 new Escort Mk1s was announced in 2024 by Boreham Motorworks.

To understand the Ford RS200's place in rally history, it's necessary to learn about Group B rallying. The very mention of Group B rallying sends shivers down the spines of rally enthusiasts. Group B cars competed from 1982 to 1986, under rules that allowed manufacturers free rein to build cars with few restrictions. An important feature of Group B was that manufacturers only had to produce 200 identical versions of the cars. By comparison Group A cars required 5,000 models within the same 12 consecutive months. The result was spectacular racing at breakneck speeds. However, Group B was ultimately too dangerous. The final straw was a crash that killed Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto when their Lancia Delta plunged into a ravine and burst into flames during the 1986 Tour de Corse. Despite its short tenure at the pinnacle of rallying, the cars that raced in Group B are still revered. Among them is the Ford RS200. 

Yet, despite its iconic status, the purpose-built RS200 wasn't a particularly successful car. An engine that produced over 420 hp and a short-wheel base made the car somewhat of a handful to drive. It also made its debut shortly before Group B was banned and so didn't get a chance to grow into its role. The RS200 did continue to race in the FIA European Rallycross Championship which allowed the inclusion of Group B cars until 1992. 

Ford and Cosworth first partnered in the rally scene in 1969, when Cosworth's BDA engine powered the iconic Escort Mk1 rally car. It was the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship. Although it was outshone by the later Escort RS Cosworth, the Ford Sierra was a very capable rally car in its own right. It debuted in the 1987 WRC season, originally as a rear-wheel drive Sierra RS Cosworth, although the 4x4 variant would be launched by the end of 1990. While it didn't win in its debut 1987 season, it did score second and third-placed finishes at the Finnish 1000 Lakes Rally.

The Sierra RS Cosworth continued to compete with varying degrees of success and several different versions until the 1993 season when it was replaced by the Ford Escort RS Cosworth. Despite an uninspiring rally record, the Sierra RS Cosworth dominated in touring car racing, winning 84.6% of the races it entered.

It's hard to keep a good car down, and the Escort RS Cosworth proved this when the Escort re-entered the WRC motorsport fray in 1993 as a direct replacement for the Sierra RS Cosworth. It effectively used many of the same components as its predecessor, including the Cosworth engine, but fitted in the smaller Escort body shape. It was hoped that the more diminutive and stiffer Escort body would be more suited to the rigors of rallying. The Escort RS Cosworth made its official WRC debut in the 1993 Rally of Monte Carlo. It managed a very credible second place, although as it entered the last day leading by over a minute it potentially could have won its debut outing if the blamed engine problems hadn't occurred. 

The Escort RS Cosworth was defined by a large and distinctive rear wing. Affectionately known as the whale tale, the wing provided the car with downforce, and interestingly one of the wing's designers took his inspiration from the WW1 Fokker DR1 triplane, with a three-level spoiler originally mooted. Ultimately, the Escort RS Cosworth had a chequered history in rally; despite winning five times in its debut season, it only won another five in subsequent seasons until it was retired from WRC events in 1999.

On July 21, 2000, the last Ford Escort rolled off the production line and a legend was laid to rest. The Ford Focus stepped up to take the mantle both as a road-going replacement for the Escort and as Ford's next entry into the WRC. The Focus WRC had an undistinguished entry into the competition as it was disqualified from its debut outing at the Rally of Monte Carlo, after it was discovered to be running an illegal water pump. 

The development of the Focus WRC was led by Guenther Steiner, who later became better known as the principal of the Haas F1 team. Despite the unfortunate start to its WRC career, the Focus didn't wait long to prove its mettle. Indeed, on only its third outing Colin McRae won the 1999 Safari Rally by nearly eight minutes. From then until it was replaced by the Ford Focus RS, the car went on to take a further ten wins. All of them courtesy of either McRae or Carlos Sainz.