I have to admit that it can be fun to watch cars crash, at least when nobody gets hurt, anyway. Every now and then, however, it’s actually painful to watch, especially when the car is rare and has an important history. And, such is the case with Pat Doran’s beast of a Ford RS200 EVO. If the RS200 name sounds familiar, that’s because Ford built it between 1984 and 1986. It was a homologation special that was produced in just 200 examples and was powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder that was good for around 250 horsepower. It was built by Ford of Great Britain, but that’s not the car you’re about to see get literally ripped to pieces – no; this is an RS200 Evolution, a Group B rally car that was built in just 24 examples.

Unfortunately, this is one of those cars that you don’t want to see crash, but as Doran was attempting to negotiate a rather tight turn on the hill, he went off the road just a bit and ended up losing control. At first, it looked as if he was going to save it, but the momentum was just a little too much and his rear quarter nailed a bale of hay, practically ripping the rear end right apart. The car didn’t exactly fare well, be Doran survived the incident without injury and even took a bow before stepping away from what was left of his treasured RS200. Whether or not the car is repairable or not remains to be seen, but with any luck, it’s salvageable. Keep reading to see the crash and to learn a little more about the RS200 Evolution.

It’s Really One of the Coolest Fords Ever Made

Ugh, that crash is so painful to watch, isn’t it? It’s amazing how much damage a bale of hay can do to a car. In fairness, the RS200 Evolution was built solely as a Rally B car, so it was designed to be light. It’s no wonder it blew into a few hundred pieces given the speed it was going. As a Rally B car, the performance specs of the car are pretty highly debated these days. In Group B-spec, the car is said to have delivered somewhere between 380 and 450 horsepower, but word has it that there were a few extreme racing versions out there that made between 650 and 800 horsepower – that’s a lot of power for a car built in the 1980s, especially when you take into consideration that it’s a rally car. The power was delivered by a Cosworth 2.1-liter four-cylinder. Higher horsepower figures were attainable when the turbo was pushed to the max pressure of 23 psi. Some sources say that the most extreme versions of the car could allegedly hit the 60 mph sprint in 2.1 seconds, while a Guinness world record of 3.07 seconds to 62 mph was set by Stig Blomqvist, and held its place in the books for a reported 12 years.

Aside from the various designs found on the remaining RS200 Evos, the most identifiable feature – and what really set it apart from the standard RS200 – was the large air intake in the rear. It rocked a mid-engine configuration and had all-wheel drive with tripped Ferguson Viscous Coupling limited-slip differentials. Shifting duties were handled by a five-speed manual, but what was really weird was that the transmission was actually located near the front axle – something that’s pretty rare for a car with a mid-engine layout. And, in case that isn’t enough to prove to you how special this car was, one example of this rally-bred beast sold for a whopping $539,000 at a Gooding & Company auction back in 2015.

So, what do you think? Will this RS200 Evo ever make its way to the track again, or did it meet its maker this year at Goodwood? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Read our full review on the Ford RS200 Evolution here.