Ford World Rally Team

The Ford World Rally Team, also known as the Ford Motor Co. Team prior to 2005, was Ford Motor Company's factory World Rally Championship team. It was a regular competitor in the series from the 1970s until withdrawing following the 2012 season.

Ford ended the 1978 season with a win for Hannu Mikkola on the season ending Lombard RAC Rally at the hands of an Escort RS1800. He was followed by Björn Waldegård and Britain's Russell Brookes in similar machinery.

Ford won the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1979 with the Ford Escort RS1800 and drivers Hannu Mikkola, Björn Waldegård and Ari Vatanen.

Ford did not officially enter any cars for these seasons after winning the 1979 World Rally Championship season, they instead concentrated on development of the Ford Escort RS 1700T, however this programme was cancelled in 1983. A new car was required to compete with four-wheel drive Group B rivals like the Audi Quattro S1 and Peugeot 205 T16. Lessons learned from the RS 1700T programme were used in the development of the RS200, which hit the stages in 1986. However, Ari Vatanen did win the 1981 drivers championship in a Rothmans liveried Ford Escort RS, but this was run by David Sutton Cars and not the official works Ford team.

Having spent time away from the sport developing the Ghia styled RS200, Ford made a return to the world rallying stage at the second round in Sweden. Ford's new RS200 featured four-wheel drive, a turbocharged Cosworth BDT engine generating 450 bhp and a new blue and white Ford Motorsport livery.

Ford employed the services of Swedish drivers Stig Blomqvist and Kalle Grundel, but they would each only be entered on four rallies in a season overshadowed with tragedy. Grundel achieved a podium finish on the RS200's debut in Sweden, a result that would not be bettered all season, the following round in Portugal saw an RS200 driven by Joaquim Santos leave the road, killing three spectators, Ford withdrew their entry for that rally.

Fifth place for Grundel on the Lombard RAC Rally marked the end of the road for the RS200, as Group B rallying was banned for 1987, Ford finished fifth in the manufacturers championship behind rivals Peugeot, Lancia, Volkswagen and Audi.

Ford started the post Group B era with the Sierra XR4x4, which had the benefits of 4WD, but was not as powerful as its rivals, and then replaced it with the RWD Sierra RS Cosworth which was more powerful, but lacked grip and traction on the gravel rallies that dominate the World Rally Championship.