Ex-Trevor Hopkins (now Ken Block?) RS200

[tbtstt]

I have asked about this car on the Facebook group a couple of times (and also on the Ten Tenths forum), but I thought I'd give it a thread here.

A while ago (mid-2012) I read that Ken Block has bought the ex-Trevor Hopkins RS200. I subsequently read that the car had gone to the US and, at that point in time, the trail seems to go cold.

Block was recently interviewed about his 2014 season...

http://youtu.be/izYzJ8LgeVk

...at the 29 minute mark he is asked about what cars he would like to drive, where he mentions the RS200. This obviously implies the ex-Hopkins car was never finished. I wonder where it is and what state its in?

[Nikki]

I had not seen that interview... He mentions the RS200 but too bad he does not go into more detail.

As you said the trail has gone cold since it's been allegedly shipped to the US. I wonder also how he is going to make the build job while in the US with all the expertise over in the UK as I'd be surprised he just wants to rebuild it to road spec...

[Mike 2]

I know that the car had been sent away to a UK rally specialist (recommended by another RS200 owner) for a few engine bits to be sorted out prior to selling, the main priority being to actually get the car safely running again and re-commission the engine. It had after all been parked up since its last day out at Brands Hatch in (I think) 1992.

Trevor's daughter Amanda, told me that the front crank pulley or rear engine seal had a serious oil leak on that last event which Kieth couldn't repair in the work area, this caused her dad to go for a finish instead of a stab at the podium...

The car had then been locked up in the garage at the family home and untouched since!

In preparation for sale, the car had been thoroughly washed, scrubbed and hoovered out with all tyres re-inflated, it looked about as spotless as a rallycross car could be (I have some pics following the clean up).

I know someone in the UK who was very eager to buy, and good offers were made to the family. That person wanted to keep the car in England with Ford Haynes livery and make guest appearances at various shows etc also retaining that "just as it was" look when last seen in competition. I have also been told that several other people also made offers on the car from outside of the UK during that period.

Ken's agent was also invited to view the car and a deal was soon reached, the car was then taken away for a full & comprehensive rebuild, I would imagine keeping the car mostly as it was due to the rallycross spec engine / gearbox and interior as the original dash etc were left behind. Amanda went on to say it would end up in Ken's private collection and probably not be used or displayed in public again. A great pity if that were to happen.

Then the remaining spare parts from both of Trevor's cars, ie the Red Shell sponsored & the more famous Blue Haynes car were offered up on this site. When I went to collect my items, I could clearly see where his car had been stored as all of the parts were layed out neatly on the floor surrounding what would have been Trevor's car. It was as if the RS200 had just been reversed out of the garage!

So I may not have totally answered the original question, but hope this adds / helps? I invited Amanda on here to explain more, but she just wanted to put the whole thing to bed and be done. She did pop over to my place for a natter and I to hers but she wishes to remain private, and I for one respect that which is why I haven't show those photos I mentioned.

[tbtstt]

Thanks for such a detailed reply Mark. Very interesting to read the background story of the sale and perfectly understandable that Amanda would prefer to keep those photos private.

Based on what you (or rather Amanda) said it perhaps implies that perhaps the car was finished and already has its place in Ken's collection? Given what Block says in the video though, its seems bonkers that he would buy one of his dream cars to drive, then add it to his collection and not use it!

[stuartg]

The car was never restored and was shipped back to America dismantled. He gave up on it because he couldn't get a modern sequential box for the car. I guess it will never see the light of day again.

[torqueatif]

Seems an odd reason to give up on it just because he can't fit a sequential, there are plenty of sequential's that could be grafted in and Quaife do a direct replacement sequential for the original.
I would just build it with a proper H pattern FF or X-trac dog gearbox as it should have and how it was originally driven, it is after all historically important as a period competition RS200.

[stuartg]

I agree but that's the story apparently (acording the the company who were working on the project). The car needed total renovation including having most of the panels replaced and everything else totally rebuilt. He wanted it be a 700hp road car with paddle shift sequential etc. Sadev were going to build a box but gave up because people kept telling them it had to handle 700hp and they couldn't achieve that reliably. The Quaife box relies on you having an original centre diff, front diff and various other parts. As front diffs are almost impossible to find and even if you can find one it will probably be mag cased (which will more than likely break), it's really not a great option. It's a great pity that all of the people who wanted a sequential box hadn't got together with one supplier to get a proper solution rather than everybody doing something different.

[torqueatif]

The Sadev would have been a much better box, I think Sadev were being over cautious as they use the SC90's with power/torque figures to that level in rallycross and offroading in heavier cars, if the Quaife box can handle Pat Dorans engine, the SC90 would have no problems (may have to modify the tunnel though).
Pattern work to cast stronger alloy diff cases would be less than £5000 or you could billet CNC machine cases for the same sort of money.

Still can't see the point of changing gearboxes, front / rear diffs, center diffs etc just to run a 700hp engine that will do about 10 or less competitive running hours between rebuilds and it is still an engine you can't get parts for.
You may as well go the whole hog and fit a modern engine you can maintain and completely change the transmission to Sadev or X-trac, but you end up with hardly any RS200 left !!!!

Why does Ken need 700hp and a sequential in a road car anyway, seems a bit boy racer to me, the RS200 is a classic rally car of interest/value to collectors in 80's specification and should be kept as original as possible and more importantly this car has competition history that should be preserved as it was... any modifying like this makes them less desirable, if I were Ken I would be saying what power can the transmission handle and then build a reliable engine to suit or go buy a gazzilion HP Nissan Skyline.

[cardy]

I think Ken Block would be better off going down the route the guy who built the new style lancia stratos and build a new modern day RS200 rather than change a classic

http://www.new-stratos.com/en/#

[Justin Smith]

I have contact with someone close to the project and it is not cancelled, just sorting out a few options and some other work has overtaken it a little.

We are promised the full story in due course