Gallery>> Group B Cars At Asi Pt.ii

With little doubt in my mind, I really do think this is the car that sums up Group B. The Audi Quattro S1 is a strange beast. It's not a pretty car by any measure, its proportions are quite strange but all of these aesthetic gripes are forgotten once that turbocharged inline five is brought to life.

The official power figures for the S1 were around 475BHP but in reality the cars were in excess of 500BHP at 8,000RPM.

It's also worth mentioning that the only weighed a little over 1,000KGs, giving it a credible power-to-weight ratio of over 400BHP per tonne.

These cars are worth quite a few pounds, so it's no surprise that the owner has decided to padlock the engine bay.

This was the first time I've ever been able to get this close an S1 Quattro. It doesn't show in pictures but they are quite a remarkably strange car.

I don't mean strange in any sort of derogatory way, it's just I can
honestly say I've never been near a car before that held as much
presence as the S1 Quattro.

A slightly unusual inclusion on this stand was that of this Peugeot 405 T16.

Although it never actually ran in Group B, there is no denying the influence on the car from its older brother, the 205 T16. The similarities between the 405 T16 and the 405 road car exist pretty much only in name. The 405 T16 was based on a coupe body shell with a mid-mounted engine.

Like the 205 it had constant four wheel drive and an electronically controlled centre differential.

Also like the 205, the car was eventually banned from its desert racing class but was still eligible for a certain hill climb event in the US of A …

One Ari Vatanen successfully piloted this car to a Paris Dakar win in 1990.

The last car we shall take a look at is the Ford RS200, another icon of the Group B era.

The only problem with the RS200 was that Ford arrived a little bit too late to the party. A failed attempt at developing an Escort RS1700 T led Ford to develop the mid-engined RS200 as a rival to Audi, Peugeot and Lancia's cars on the Group B stages.

However the car only competed one full season before Group B was outlawed at the end of the 1986 season.

Not a bad power output for a 1980's Ford …

Ford had planned to introduce an 'Evolution' RS200 for the 1987 season with power outputs rumoured to have been in or around 815BHP. A semi-interesting and random fact, the bodywork for the RS200 was designed by Ghia but the cars were built by another manufacturer – Reliant (of the three wheeled Robin fame)

It would be unfair to talk about Group B and not pay some respect to the other legendary cars that were not on show : Peugeot 205 T16, Lancia 037 & Delta S4, Porsche 959, Opel Manta 400, and the Toyota Celica Twin-Cam to name but a few.

This post brings an end to our Autosport International Coverage for 2011. I hope you enjoyed reading it and learned as much as I did from attending and preparing these stories for you.

I'm looking forward to 2012 already …

-

Paddy McGrath

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1

A perfect case of function over form! The Audi and Peugeot are horrid looking in my opinion! Don't hate me I know and respect their iconic state and motorsport achievements.

2

all hail the ford rs200



god fuckig hell if i had a spare 100000grand

3

Please, make a wallpaper of the audi!!!! such a wonderfull beast....

4

Awesome. The body design of the RS200 was 10 years ahead of its time.

5

I wish i can control the FIA then return the group b cars to the WRC and make all the S2000 cars run in the IRC, then names like Ferrari and Porsche would enter rallying

6

an ST205 would be nice, but the rs200 is a beautiful piece of work

7

The Audi had one of the most unique sounds. I'm sure it was due to the 20v head. You don't have to liek rallying to get goose bumps at the sound of the S1 at WOP.

Lancia had that hot twin charged combo that made them appear like bullets...i really don't know how those rally drivers back then made it through stages...They were the best!!!

8

I'd give my picky away for that S1 Audi.

9

great article, however the rs200 evolution models were regular models converted by ford and cosworth to be race prepped. i did read somewhere that not all of the evo's were strictly for racing in that there are people bought them (for a bigger price obviously) and still maintain them. wikipedia says this "24 of the 200 original cars were reportedly later converted to the so-called "Evolution" models, mostly marked by their owners as "E" or "E2" types"

10

Someone didn't check B-class history quite.... Audi in that version managed over 600 horsepower, the earlier (older) more subtile versions were around 500 horsepower.

11

great set of articles!



tho,m those cars could have better wheel fitment :)

12

If you want to see some (about 20) sport quattros on one stage and to snatch a closer look to the engine bay of the S1, you have to visit the oldtimer show in Friedrichshafen Germany (Bodensee)!



regards

Martin

13

I was at the show, but your all of your coverage has been so useful in seeing the things I missed, like the padlocked bonnet pin on the Audi, and the odd rear wheel/s on the RS200, or couldn't get to see properly, like all the cars in the auction enclosure in a previous.

Great coverage, can't wait for next year's either.

14

Please upload high def of the s1

15

Love the Group B coverage, these cars will forever be one of the best milestones in rallying!

16

Mentions of Ari Vatanen and his famous hill climb are not to be without the video too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKgeCQGu_ug

also, the 405 shared its headlights and taillights with the road car, but thats pulling strings, nice to see it mentioned here, as it was a gnarly piece of gear, too bad about its eligibility.

thanks paddy

17

Gruop B Rally Cars are the coolest the world has ever seen in my opinion. Love it, thanks for sharing.

18

tough cars, nice write up

19

the first thing i would spend my money on if i won the lottery would be an rs200. also every image from this series should be a desktop

20

@ haymaker "those cars could have better wheel fitment"

ROTFLMAO!

21

Ogy_Cro, you're the one who should check his facts. The earlier quattro's were at less than 400 horses, while the S1 E2 pushed something like 550hp. Audi were also experimenting with a very early version of antilag and auto trans with this car, both of them were dropped quickly though.

The RS200 never got to race even a half season, Ford withdrew in early 1986 when one RS200 was involved in the spectator accident in Portugal, claiming 3 lives. It went on to being successful in rallycross, and one example was even raced in the IMSA GTO series with little success.

22

yeah you got to respect the RS200.. such a well balanced car - the Audi is really the 'Daddy' - hearing one of those fly past is an experience you never forget! - great post/photos!

23

Random bit of trivia - did you know that Michele Mouton, the most successful female rally driver ever (and perhaps the most successful female racer ever, in any field) drove a factory Audi S1 in Group B? I'd choose her over Danica Patrick any day!

24

The Audi is beautiful in every way! I get a boner every time i see it <3 oh and the performance of the car... ^^ its a masterpiece!

25

the Sport Quattro the car that changed rallying for ever .



200 built 50 for competition and 150 for sale as road cars the only road car that actually spit flames out the exaust , I was too young to go to WRC events at the time in fact very few irish people went to wrc rounds in those days , the first sport quattro i saw driven in real anger was ollie Arnesson at the ERC round in Mondello , the first event was magic nittymaki in a 205 T16 peltari in the 800bhp Porsche alamakki in a Delta S4 gollop in the Metro, Palmer , John Welshe in the kadette and Martin ans Pat doran in RS200 now that was an event

26

the Sport Quattro the car that changed rallying for ever .



200 built 50 for competition and 150 for sale as road cars the only road car that actually spit flames out the exaust , I was too young to go to WRC events at the time in fact very few irish people went to wrc rounds in those days , the first sport quattro i saw driven in real anger was ollie Arnesson at the ERC round in Mondello , the first event was magic nittymaki in a 205 T16 peltari in the 800bhp Porsche alamakki in a Delta S4 gollop in the Metro, Palmer , John Welshe in the kadette and Martin ans Pat doran in RS200 now that was an event

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