Ralt RT2 (F2)
Ron Tauranac's first dedicated Formula 2 design, the ground-effect RT2 was built in effect for one team — Toleman — and nearly stole the 1979 European Championship, Brian Henton losing the title after a disallowed win at Enna-Pergusa. Only six were made, the scarcest Ralt of its era.
History
When Ron Tauranac split his multi-formula RT1 line into dedicated designs for 1979, the RT2 became the Formula 2 car: an aluminium-monocoque ground-effect chassis around the 2.0-litre Hart 420R, built in practice for a single customer, Ted Toleman's team, with the young Rory Byrne consulted during construction. Three works cars went to Toleman; only three more were ever laid down.
Delivered barely two weeks before the 1979 season opener, the RT2 started on the back foot, yet once Toleman caught up on development it was arguably the class of the field. Brian Henton took three victories — one, at Enna-Pergusa, controversially disallowed — and lost the European Championship to Marc Surer's March. For 1980 Toleman built its own Byrne-designed TG280, and the remaining RT2s passed to privateers, one built specifically for the revived single-seater Can-Am.
Six chassis makes the RT2 one of the scarcest Ralts — a marque that otherwise sold customer cars by the hundred — and survivors surface only occasionally through historic single-seater specialists. European grids catering to ground-effect F2 welcome the car, and an ex-works Toleman chassis carries a clear premium over the privateer and Can-Am cars.
Palmarès
Runner-up in the 1979 European Formula 2 Championship with Brian Henton for Toleman Group Motorsport, beaten to the title by Marc Surer's March after Henton's Enna-Pergusa win was disallowed; three 1979 race victories in works hands, with privateer RT2s racing on in F2 and the revived Can-Am into 1980.
What to check before you buy
With six cars built, identity is everything: match the chassis plate against Ralt build records and 1979 Toleman entry lists, and treat any 'ex-Henton' claim as unproven until period photographs and results confirm it — the three works cars are the tier that commands the money, ahead of the privateer and Can-Am chassis. Inspect the aluminium monocoque for corrosion and period crash repairs, check skirt and sidepod hardware against current historic-F2 eligibility, and budget a full Hart 420R rebuild — specialist-supported but not cheap — unless engine hours are documented. RT2s trade privately through historic single-seater specialists; none stays advertised for long.
Did you know
- Only six RT2s were built — three works cars for Toleman and three for private owners, including one laid down specifically for the revived single-seater Can-Am series in America.
- Rory Byrne, later architect of Ferrari's Schumacher-era champions, was consulted during the RT2's build — and the lessons Toleman learned racing it shaped his title-winning TG280 of 1980.
- The first RT2 reached Toleman barely two weeks before the 1979 season opener, yet once developed it was widely rated the best chassis of that year's Formula 2 field.
In the marketplace now
View all →No exact Ralt RT2 (F2) listed right now — here is closely related machinery on the market.
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