Pandemic Project Car: Building A DIY RS200

Like many Per Ajdén needed to find something to do while waiting for the Swedish government-mandated Covid-19 lockdown to end, instead of catching up on Netflix, he decided to build a replica of one of the most iconic Group B rally fighters of all time, the Ford RS200. Per is no stranger to building cars from scratch having built several replicas and race cars from the ground up.

The project started like most project cars do, browsing the internet, Per spotted an ad for a replica fiberglass body and chassis RS200. Hooking up his trailer and driving the 180 or so miles to see the project, a deal was struck and his new pandemic project trailed home.

The first thing Per did was toss the chassis that came with the body as it was not up to his standard. After completing a 3D scan of the body, he started building out the car in CAD, the plan being to build the car as the original was, with a mid-engine and four-wheel drive. After sourcing an Audi R8 gearbox and front differential on eBay it was time to find an engine that would fit into the small RS200 frame. Per settled on a 2.8-liter Volkswagen VR6, which when complete will be turbocharged.

Once the major components were sourced and also 3D scanned the chassis design could be completed and sent off to a metal supplier who would laser cut each piece of the chassis, delivering them labeled and ready for assembly. It took just one week to assemble the pre-fabricated tubing into a rolling chassis.

Now that the chassis was assembled, Per turned his attention to addressing the fiberglass bodyshell, which had some major differences from the original RS200. Instead of having a separate cockpit and rear hatch, the replica bodyshell had come in one piece. This required cutting the body into two pieces and building a new fiberglass firewall.

Spending the winter in the shop, Per spent a lot of time working on the details, making sure the panels all lined up correctly, making the exhaust system and custom intake manifold, routing wiring, and lighting. The car uses a dual wishbone suspension of Per's own design, Volvo S60R Brembo brakes, a Ford Sierra steering rack, and power steering from the Opel Corsa C.

The goal is to get the body and chassis ready for paint during this summer and to start the final assembly and engine during winter 2021 so it can be ready for the road in the summer of 2022. You can follow the build on Instagram or visit Ajden.se to see the other amazing cars that Per has built over the years.