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Originally Posted by RoadBlock
Hi,
Sorry about the information above. I was wrong with the number of 2.3 Pinto XR4Ti engines developed by Rouse Engineering. The actual number was 5 and those engines currently exist in Ireland. I have also been informed that Rouse Engineering only raced 2 shells (I think the other driver was Pete Hall?). Those shells were cut to make RS500's. So if that's correct the original BTCC winning car no longer exists.
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As you suggested, two cars raced in 1985- one for Rouse, and the second made occasional BTCC appearances with Klaus Niedzwiedz and David Sears (mainly the GP supports as I recall), as well as doing the TT with Tony Trimmer/Rex Greenslade- it was in the blue/white ICS colours, but with sponsorship from BT Radiopaging. Pete Hall drove the ICS Rover in 85/6- I don't think he ever raced an XR4Ti, going straight from the Rover to a Cosworth for 1987.
One car definitely went to New Zealand in late 85- I've seen pics of it in unlettered Rouse livery during the late 85/early 86 race series in NZ, and it went on to be entered at Bathurst in 86 by the Mark Petch operation, after they split with the Australian Volvo team as I recall. I've got a vague memory of reading on here that this one was later cut about to make it into a Cosworth shell.
This suggests, that if only two shells were raced, and the suggestion that Gordon made is that there were just two race cars and a show car, then if the car in the pics at the top of the thread is for real, then we're looking either at the car raced in 1986 (was this the second car from 85, with the championhip winner going to NZ?), or the show car