Photos: Manufacturer media archives
The wildest era in rallying came to an abrupt and tragic end 40 years ago
If you watch archive footage of Group B rallying today, it’s enough to make you wonder how on Earth it was ever allowed in the first place.
Screaming, turbocharged four-wheel-drive cars with a vague appearance of something in your local showroom, blasting through forest stages or around tight mountain passes, with spectators just inches away, often throwing themselves into ditches or flocking into fields if the driver’s got it wrong.
It was an accident waiting to happen, and unfortunately that’s how it met a very abrupt end. Following a series of tragic accidents that highlighted the dangers of the category, the final straw came when Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto lost their lives on the Tour de Corse, Corsica, in a Lancia Delta S4.
Nobody knows whether it was mechanical failure, a misread pace note or driver error, but the Lancia appeared to miss a turn completely and launch itself off a cliffside, ending up in a fireball on the side of a mountain. Harrowing scenes, and with increasing pressure from teams, drivers, and the public, the FIA made the decision to ban Group B cars from the World Rally Championship at the end of the 1986 season.
It was an awful end to an incredible era. Renowned for its daring drivers, ground-breaking technology, and extreme cars, Group B made its debut in the World Rally Championship in 1982, following the introduction of new regulations by the FIA. These rules were designed to encourage innovation, allowing manufacturers to create highly advanced vehicles with fewer restrictions on design and production numbers. The minimum production requirement was set at just 200 homologation units, enabling manufacturers to push the boundaries.
Cars featured lightweight composite materials, turbocharging, and advanced four-wheel-drive systems, resulting in machines that were insanely quick and agile. Here’s our Top 10 Group B racers.
Audi Sport Quattro
The Audi Sport Quattro was a pioneer of Group B, introducing four-wheel drive and turbocharging to the sport. Its short wheelbase and powerful 2.1-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine made it agile and incredibly fast on all surfaces. Audi’s relentless development helped secure multiple wins, changing the face of rallying forever. The Sport Quattro’s influence can still be seen in modern rally cars, and its distinctive boxy design remains an icon.
Lancia 037 Rallye
The Lancia 037 Rallye was the last rear-wheel-drive car to win the World Rally Championship, in 1983. Powered by a supercharged four-cylinder engine and loosely based on the Beta, the 037 was lightweight, responsive, and was particularly rapid on tarmac stages. It also happens to be, in our eyes, one of the most stunning cars of all-time to look at.
Peugeot 205 T16
Almost from nowhere, the Peugeot 205 T16 transformed Group B rallying. It was the first to use a mid-engines layout, despite its visual similarities to a showroom hatchback. Turbocharged and four-wheel drive, it delivered over 400bhp and dominated the championship from its first season, winning back-to-back titles in 1985 and 1986.
MG Metro 6R4
The MG Metro 6R4 was the smallest car of the Group B era, and used a mid-mounted 3.0-litre V6 engine that was naturally aspirated, unlike most of its rivals. It had a four-wheel drive system mounted into a tubular spaceframe chassis, and was recognisably a Metro, just like your granny’s shopping car. While turbocharged rivals fared better on tarmac, the 6R4’s nimble dimensions, all-wheel grip and smooth power delivery made it a forest favourite.
Ford RS200
The Ford RS200 was designed specifically for Group B, and didn’t resemble and factory Ford car, though the windscreen and doors came from the Sierra. It used a mid-mounted turbocharged engine four-wheel-drive, with 444bhp. Its lightweight composite construction and incredible chassis allowed for exceptional handling and acceleration. It was ambitious, and prototype testing began during the 1986 season where it was clearly competitive – but it never got a chance to shine as the category was canned before its first season.
Opel Manta B400
Although never a championship contender, the Opel Manta B400 must take the spoils for being one of the best-looking rally cars of all-time. Unlike most Group B models, it also retained the bodyshell of the road car on which it was based. It used a 2.4-litre engine tuned by Cosworth to develop 255bhp, and while it lacked the outright power of its turbocharged rivals, the Manta’s rear-wheel-drive and linear power delivery made it a hero on gravel stages – and always good for a photograph!
Lancia Delta S4
The Lancia Delta S4 was a technological marvel, featuring both a supercharger and turbocharger, which gave it explosive power delivery. Its advanced four-wheel-drive system and lightweight construction made it one of the fastest and most sophisticated cars in Group B, pushing the boundaries of rally engineering so far that it ended up being tragically associated with the series demise. It was arguably the ultimate Group B car – but was it a step too far?
Porsche 959 Group B
The Porsche 959 was developed with Group B regulations in mind, blending cutting-edge technology with iconic Porsche styling. Its twin-turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, and advanced electronics were all focused on the series, but just as it appeared, the series ended. The 959 Group B car was reengineered for endurance racing instead, notably the Paris-Dakar, with the French team of René Metge and Dominique Lemoyne taking first place and dominating the 1986 event.
Ferrari 288 GTO Evo
The stunning Ferrari 288 GTO Evo was the Prancing Horse’s ambitious attempt to enter Group B and was based on the 288 GTO road car. Equipped with a twin-turbocharged V8 and lightweight fibreglass bodywork, which influenced the shift from steel bodies on its road cars, the GTO Evo showed huge promise. But the project was halted before it could compete, leaving the car as a tantalising “what if” in rally history.
Citroen BX TC Evolution
The Citroen BX TC Evolution was Citroen’s entry into the Group B category, built on the BX platform, but with extensive modifications. Featuring a turbocharged engine and hydropneumatic suspension, the BX TC Evolution was a fascinating and intriguing car, but not a massively competitive one, and with no notable results. Looks great though, doesn’t it?
Which Group B car would you have wanted to be a co-driver in and which would you have politely declined? Let us know in the comments below.
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