What is your favourite Group B car.

[Skid Mark 33]

Group B cars were amazing in everyway. They were non-regulated rockets on wheels. They looked great. They went like stink, literally. And an added bonus, they were so loud that they could drown out Margaret Thatcher's voice. So all I want to know is, which is your favourite?

 

[superberkut]

I liked the Audi Quattro S1 and the Lancia Delta S4, personally. The RS200 and the Renault 5 (I think?) were also favourites. The MG Metro 6R4 was certainly interesting.

I have a magazine article on them somewhere, I'll try and find it...

More interesting is the Lancia Stratos, the car believed to have been the precursor to the Group B rally racers.

 

[Tedehur]

The Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 was one of the most famous too (won the championship in 1985)
But my favourite is the insane Metro 6R4 : 4 wheels drive, midship 3.0L V6 engine...

 

[Skid Mark 33]

I liked the Audi Quattro S1 and the Lancia Delta S4, personally. The RS200 and the Renault 5 (I think?) were also favourites. The MG Metro R4 was certainly interesting.

I have a magazine article on them somewhere, I'll try and find it...

More interesting is the Lancia Stratos, the car believed to have been the precursor to the Group B rally racers.

The MG Metro 6R4 was certainly intresting, but it was one of the slowest Group B cars, probably because it was natrually aspirated. But in a way natrual aspiration made complete sense. The power which was around 450bhp, would be on tap all the time, rather than dealing with time consuming turbo lag. This was one of the things that made this car so intresting. They could have turbo charged it, but they decieced not to. All the cars were intresting in their own way, but I am about to make this even more complicated for you. You see, we all know very well about the Quattro Sport, the Lancia Rally 037 and the Renault 5 Turbo, but did you know about these Group B cars:

-BMW M1
-Opel Manta 400
-Porsche 911SC RS
-Talbot Samba
-Citroen Visa
-Lada 1600
-Lada VFTS
-Fiat 131 Abarth
-Skoda 130LR
-Fiat Ritmo

As you can probably guess yourself, these were'nt succsesful at all, and were'nt really that good, with the exception of the BMW M1, which had 400bhp. It was probably very hard to handle which was most likely why it didn't compete much. I think the others were in Group B, but were probably slow enough to be in Group A that was brought in in 1986. I don't really think they were made to be extreme, as Group B was a Group were you could make it fast or slow, it didn't really matter!

 

[tigermoth737]

The BMW M1 was specifically built as a production racing car for homologation. They served as support racing acts for F1 in 1980, as far as I know, there was never a M1 rally car.

I've never heard anything about Lada in Group B (and maybe thats a good thing).

The Fiat 131 has a distinguished history in rallying. It won the World Rally Championship 3 times in: 1977, 1978 and 1980. They were never used as Group B cars, and I'll be quite astonished if they were.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_B#Cars

You might wanna read this over, because frankly the only Group B cars in that list of yours are the Talbot and the Manta.

 

[superberkut]

The MG Metro 6R4 was certainly intresting, but it was one of the slowest Group B cars, probably because it was natrually aspirated. But in a way natrual aspiration made complete sense. The power which was around 450bhp, would be on tap all the time, rather than dealing with time consuming turbo lag. This was one of the things that made this car so intresting. They could have turbo charged it, but they decieced not to. All the cars were intresting in their own way, but I am about to make this even more complicated for you. You see, we all know very well about the Quattro Sport, the Lancia Rally 037 and the Renault 5 Turbo, but did you know about these Group B cars:

-BMW M1
-Opel Manta 400
-Porsche 911SC RS
-Talbot Samba
-Citroen Visa
-Lada 1600
-Lada VFTS
-Fiat 131 Abarth
-Skoda 130LR
-Fiat Ritmo

As you can probably guess yourself, these were'nt succsesful at all, and were'nt really that good, with the exception of the BMW M1, which had 400bhp. It was probably very hard to handle which was most likely why it didn't compete much. I think the others were in Group B, but were probably slow enough to be in Group A that was brought in in 1986. I don't really think they were made to be extreme, as Group B was a Group were you could make it fast or slow, it didn't really matter!

Yes, they were great cars.

The reason the MG Metro 6R4 was naturally aspirated was due to a strategy conceived using the reliability and simplicity of a NA engine. Since so many turbos were in the other cars, and they had a tendency to create extreme lag, they thought that to have a normally aspirated car was to pay off in reliability ("The Metro 6R4 would go off while the competition would be left with smouldering turbos on the start line") and using the car's thus wider power band. However, the gamble did not work, and the 6R4 only made for an interesting museum piece in the space of 3 months. Today, it looks a lot like a Renault 5.

The 6R4 must have been a lot safer than the competition, though, being easier to handle in part of lower speeds. It cornered well, but lacked speed in a straight line.

 

[Stevisiov]

I am going to be predictable and go for the RS200, but I love pretty much all of them.

 

[Skid Mark 33]

The BMW M1 was specifically built as a production racing car for homologation. They served as support racing acts for F1 in 1980, as far as I know, there was never a M1 rally car.

I've never heard anything about Lada in Group B (and maybe thats a good thing).

The Fiat 131 has a distinguished history in rallying. It won the World Rally Championship 3 times in: 1977, 1978 and 1980. They were never used as Group B cars, and I'll be quite astonished if they were.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_B#Cars

You might wanna read this over, because frankly the only Group B cars in that list of yours are the Talbot and the Manta.

There was an M1 Rally car, and I can prove it. Watch this video between 0:43 and 1:04...

See, there was an M1 Rally Car. It was a Group B car of course.

Edit: The cars above were classed as Group B cars, but they were not. Just look at this website were I got the information of...

http://www.juwra.com/finland_1983_entries.html

According to this website a Lada is a Group B car. They were entered in the Group B class by independents, but with Group A styled cars most probably. Like I said, they were entered in Group B, by they didn't have the power or insane styling or the exaust noise or the handling to be a group B car.

 

[TheBigMan045]

.

I've never heard anything about Lada in Group B (and maybe thats a good thing).

There was a works Lada entry entered in the 1985 AWA-Clarion Rally of New Zealand

"Mystery surrounded the works Lada entry. The team had rarely ventured beyond Europe, and its cars were certain to be uncompetitve. Top driver Stassis Brundza had some international experience, but it soon transpired that number two Alexandr Rublev had never competed in a rally before"
-The New Zealand Rally Celebrating 25 years

It also states that Rublev had rolled out early and Brundza was 26th after day one but retired the next day with transmission problems

they also reappeared in 1992 in a front wheel drive Lada Samara and also in 1993 placing 22nd both times and both times winning the two wheel drive class both times driven by Aleksander Artemenko

 

[tigermoth737]

There was an M1 Rally car, and I can prove it. Watch this video between 0:43 and 1:04...

See, there was an M1 Rally Car. It was a Group B car of course.

Edit: The cars above were classed as Group B cars, but they were not. Just look at this website were I got the information of...

http://www.juwra.com/finland_1983_entries.html

According to this website a Lada is a Group B car. They were entered in the Group B class by independents, but with Group A styled cars most probably. Like I said, they were entered in Group B, by they didn't have the power or insane styling or the exaust noise or the handling to be a group B car.

Wow, way to prove me wrong
Come to think of it I actually have a video that showed an M1 with Rothmans sponsorship in a rally.

As for the Lada, what a way to uphold national pride

 

[Skid Mark 33]

.

I've never heard anything about Lada in Group B (and maybe thats a good thing).

There was a works Lada entry entered in the 1985 AWA-Clarion Rally of New Zealand

"Mystery surrounded the works Lada entry. The team had rarely ventured beyond Europe, and its cars were certain to be uncompetitve. Top driver Stassis Brundza had some international experience, but it soon transpired that number two Alexandr Rublev had never competed in a rally before"
-The New Zealand Rally Celebrating 25 years

It also states that Rublev had rolled out early and Brundza was 26th after day one but retired the next day with transmission problems

they also reappeared in 1992 in a front wheel drive Lada Samara and also in 1993 placing 22nd both times and both times winning the two wheel drive class both times driven by Aleksander Artemenko

Lets put it this way. They were entered in the Group B class, but they were nothing like the front running group B cars. I think they were entered in group B for the sake of it!

 

[Danny]

Only one possible option.

 

[Sting]

I'm inclined to agree with Danny on the 959, but I always had a soft spot for the Metro 6R4

 

[Skid Mark 33]

My favourite would have to be the Audi Quattro Sport. Everyone used to have the idea that 4wd was bad for rallying because it made the car heavier and harder to handle. This car told the people who thought 4wd was rubbish were to stick-it, up their arse!

 

[Flerbizky]

In my world,

the Pug 205 Turbo 16 is tied for 1. place with the Renault 5 Turbo II...

3rd. goes to the Audi S1, short version..

 

[Tedehur]

I browsed all results from 1982 through 1987 on rallybase.nl and made this list featuring all cars that entered at least one rally in Group B.
There are a couple of unexpected cars in the list.

• Audi 80 Quattro (1983-1985)
• Audi Quattro (1982-1983)
• Audi Quattro A1 (1983-1986)
• Audi Quattro A2 (1983-1986)
• Audi Sport Quattro (1984-1986)
• Audi Sport Quattro E2 (1985-1986)
• BMW M1 (1983)
• Citroën BX4TC (1986)
• Citroën Visa (1982-1983)
• Citroën Visa Chrono (1983-1985)
• Citroën Visa 1000 Pistes (1984-1987)
• Citroën Visa Trophée (1982-1986)
• Daihatsu Charade 1.0 (1985)
• Daihatsu Charade Turbo (1985-1986)
• Fiat 131 Abarth (1983)
• Ferrari 308 GTB (1983-1985)
• Ford Escort RS (1984-1985)
• Ford Escort RS1800 (1983-1985)
• Ford Escort RS2000 (1982-1984)
• Ford RS200 (1986)
• Lada 2105 VFTS (1982-1986)
• Lada Riva (1985)
• Lancia Delta S4 (1985-1986)
• Lancia Rally 037 (1982-1986)
• Mazda RX 7 (1984-1986)
• MG Metro 6R4 (1985-1986)
• Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo (1983-1986)
• Nissan 1200 Pick-up (1986)
• Nissan 240RS (1983-1986)
• Nissan Fairlady 300ZX (1985)
• Nissan Violet GTS (1983)
• Opel Ascona 400 (1983-1986)
• Opel Manta i200 (1985-1986)
• Opel Manta 400 (1983-1986)
• Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 (1984-1986)
• Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 (1985-1986)
• Peugeot 504 (1984)
• Peugeot 504 TN (1984-1986)
• Peugeot 504 V6 Pick-up (1983-1984)
• Porsche 911 SC (1982-1986)
• Porsche 911 SC RS (1984-1986)
• Porsche 924 GTS (1982-1985)
• Renault 5 Maxi Turbo (1985-1986)
• Renault 5 Turbo (1983-1986)
• Škoda 130L (1985)
• Škoda 130LR (1985-1986)
• Subaru MP-1 Utility (1985-1986)
• Talbot Samba Rallye (1983-1986)
• Talbot Sunbeam Lotus (1982-1985)
• Toyota Celica TCT (1983-1986)
• Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HSR (1983-1984)

 

[superberkut]

Nice compilation. That must have taken a fair amount of time... and yes, a lot of unexpected cars were on that list!

Group B represented a new frontier in the sport, a chance to develop new cars with new technologies to completely rocket down unmade roads at the fastest speeds. However, the category's dangerous nature was summarized correctly when Stig Blomqvist said, " We were just waiting for someone to die." Young Henri Toivenen and Sergio Cresta were unfortunately those deaths. However, Group B gave us a new image of hatchbacks, legendary cars, and excitement at the time.

 

[Tornado]

Who sat down and thought "Chevette = Rally Monster?" I halfway expect to hear about a Gremlin Le Mans car now.

 

[Scaff]

I'm going to be a bit naughty here and pull out the fact that Group B was not just conceived for rally events, but also track racing. So my vote goes to a car that never actually raced, but was built and homologated to Group B standards (so in theory could have competed in group B rally events), the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione....

Info - http://www.qv500.com/ferrari288p2.php


Regards

Scaff

 

[Tedehur]

Nice compilation. That must have taken a fair amount of time...

Yeah, it took more time than what I would have expected
And there were many surprises indeed, like this Peugeot 504 V6 Pick-up Group B

 

[TheBigMan045]

Looking back definatly the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 EII

 

[VTRacing]

The obvious choice: Audi Quattro Sport.

For the engine note alone...