As far as motorsport disciplines go, this is niche. Maybe not as niche as Dutch DAF reverse racing or the Macau ‘Celebrity GP’, but I would be surprised if many of you outside of the UK have heard of Super Saloons before.

Even within the UK, it takes an enthusiast of a certain… vintage to be familiar with Super Saloon racing. But as I learned at the recent 2024 Retro Rides Weekender, there is a lot to love about this outrageous silhouette racer class.

I will attempt to summarise the cloudy history of Special Saloon racing, armed with knowledge gained from conversations with drivers and a deep research dive into British touring car racing history.

Back in the 1960s, touring car racing was huge in the UK. Not only was it fantastic action with intense battles between everything from classic Minis and Hillman Imps to Ford Falcons and Chevrolet Camaros, but it was accessible, too. I will delve into historic touring cars in more detail in an article soon.

The ‘Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday’ philosophy was well known at this point, and it was plain to see manufacturers beginning to invest in the sport as Group 2 FIA regulations came onto the scene. Faster, special edition models were being produced, and some teams even attracted factory backing and sponsorship.

Naturally, costs spiralled as regulations evolved to keep the sport getting faster and faster. Group 5 cars came into the picture in the early 1970s. These cars still had to look like their road car counterparts, but there was immense scope for modification under the skin.

Group 1 was around as an entry-level class, with minimal modifications to pretty much standard road cars. But as is the way, this also evolved into the Club Saloons, Special Saloons and Modsports. The regulations at this point, unlike Group 5 cars, were very relaxed.

As long as cars had the rough silhouette and wheelbase of the production model they were based upon, any modification was pretty much fair game.

OEM steel chassis turned into tubular front and rear sections, then complete space frames with fibreglass body panels. Powertrains were free, too, leading to videogame-esque engine swaps.

Take this Austin A30, of which the only recognisable features are the roofline, headlights and grille. Where once lived an 803cc/49ci four-cylinder toaster now resides a 4,900cc/302ci V8.

The ‘John Pope Special’ Vauxhall Magnum is another prime example. I can’t even say that it still looks like a Magnum – it simply doesn’t – but underneath the white bodywork is a 1970s Aston Martin DBS, complete with a 5.3-litre V8 and twin turbochargers.

I was told this beast makes up to 900 horsepower, which doesn’t surprise me at all.

Other cars, such as this C3 Chevrolet Corvette, are much more modest builds that actually resemble their road-going counterparts.

Meanwhile, you have the likes of this Škoda 1300 RS and MG Metro ‘6R4′, which look like someone has described the base car to another over the phone and asked them to draw it. That being said, I think even a legitimate Group B Metro 6R4 would struggle to keep up with this custom creation around a circuit.

Check out the central driving position!

I think Group B rallying (or Group S, which never got the chance to suceed it) is the closest mainstream form of motorsport to which I can compare Special Saloons and Modsports.

It’s certainly not like-for-like, with nowhere near the technology, budget or manufacturer support that Group B rallying saw. But in spirit, the two seem very similar to me.

They’re both examples of motorsport that just got out of hand, going all out in the pursuit of sheer speed. Danger plays a part in it, and when you think about it, what’s the real difference between a Ford RS200 and the Skoda 1300 RS aside from millions of dollars of developmental budget?

It’s easy to see why Special Saloons are remembered so fondly by older generations of car enthusiasts. All it took was one afternoon of track action – I’m hooked.

Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn
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