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THE GROUP B CARS A continuation of This is Rallying
In our previous article we took a brief look at the history of rallying both Locally and Internationally where we made mention of the famous Group B Cars 'the devils of rallying as I like to call them'. We continue in this issue to take a closer look at the Group B cars. The Group B Cars were cars with absolutely no specifications and not as stringent rules put in place as far as homologations go today. The Group B Era not only provided the kind of excitement that every rally fan craves today but also proved beyond a shadow of a doubt why rules are essential. Group B separated the men from the boys, the drivers from the “drivers”. These were cars with technology so advanced at that time that according to Nigel Mansel the T16 could out accelerate his F1 car; and to add insult to injury Walter Rohrl said “accelerating from 180-200 mph in the Audi is like accelerating from 30-40 mph in a normal road car.”
THE AUDI QUATRO
The Audi Quattro was not only one of the most successful Group B rally cars and also one of the quickest. Although handling characteristics were said to be not as nimble as the other cars, Audi can considered to be one of the true pioneers of Group B rallying, producing up to three evolutions of their group B monster. It was rumoured that even after Group B was abandoned that two more versions of the S4’s engine were already designed. Engine: 2.1 L Five cylinder, turbocharged, 530bhp Transmission: Four wheel drive, six speed World Champions (Makes): 1982 and 1984 Top Drivers: Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist, Walter Rohrl, Michele Mouton
Peugeot 205 T16
The “Pug” was the little hot hatch of the Group B arena piloted by the very talented Ari Vatanen. The T16 won two world championships, proving itself mainly in the thousand lakes rally of 1986. Engine: 1.8 L Four cylinder, turbocharged, 420bhp Transmission: Four wheel drive, five speed World Champions (Makes): 1985 and 1986 Top Drivers: Ari Vatanen, Timo Salonen, Juha Kankkunen
Lancia Delta S4
In my view this was one of the true devils of Group B. This monster was both turbo and super charged, thus making it the most technologically advanced car to hit any rally stage in the Group B era. Engine: 2.0L 4v Four cylinder, super-turbo-charged 470+bhp Toruque:333 lb ft Transmission: Four wheel drive, five speed World Champions (Makes): 2nd in 1986 Chassis: Tubular space frame and box section structure, glass fibre and epoxy body panel Top Drivers: Henri Toivonen, Markku Alèn, Massimo Biasion, Mikael Ericsson
METRO 6R4
This was the only naturally aspirated car in the group B era. This monster boasted a huge V6 in its ultimate light weight body. The car was developed by Austin Rover in the 80’s to compete with the other devils of Group B rallying. The Mid engined 4 wheel layout however was blisteringly quick. We here in Barbados were lucky for a couple of them to grace our shores back in 2001 for the first ever Rally Barbados. Engine: 3 L 24v V-6, non-turbo 410bhp Transmission: Four wheel drive, five speed World Champions (Makes): 9th in 1985 3rd place RAC 1986 Top Drivers: Tony Pond, Malcolm Wilson, Per Eklund, Harri Toivonen
FORD RS200
The RS200 did not play that big a role in Group B due to its late arrival. Its extremely lightweight fiber glass shell also lended assistance to its quickness. Engine: 1.8L 16V Four cylinder, turbocharged, 450bhp Transmission: Four wheel drive, five speed 0 -60mph 2.1 Seconds 0-100-0mph in 13.6 sec World Drivers: Stig Blomqvist, Kalle Grundel, Mark Lovell
It is evident that the Group B cars were well ahead of their time. Technological advancements made in the early 80’s on these cars although not quite on par with today’s technology, shows that these cars would have been a force to be reckoned with. The events that lead to the culmination of the Group B Era were painful but not without a lesson. Their contribution was two fold as, these cars along with their drivers basically made rallying what it is today; a sport that continues to grow with an enhanced appreciation for homologations with stringent rules and specifications which has inevitably paved the way for the successful introduction of the WRC cars.
Look out for our more in our next issue . . . Written by: Jason Clarke Interested in making a comment about this article or suggestions on future articles email us at comments@bajanrallying.com.