Group B...those were the days..

son of solo · May 21, 2006

if you are under 30 then you probably wont have heard of "group B" rally cars...best described as "formula 1 in the forest" ......banned after cars blew up and spectators died ....how could something so good go so bad......
reanult were a big player in this with their "turbo 2" which doesnt look too far removed from a clio V6
this video says it all....watch and learn..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADXtD_cTAhY&search=group b rally

SimonV6 · May 21, 2006

Cool vid

I wonder though now whether modern rally cars are just as fast as the old "B's"?

Aren't rally spectators a stupid lot though, no wonder they get hit by the cars, can't imagine F1 letting you get that close to the action

Simon

Turkish · May 21, 2006

I'm 27 and i remember it, back in the days when rally drivers had to kart their b****cks round in a wheelbarrow and the world wasnt a nanny state wrapping everyone one up in cotton wool just incase they hurt themselves. Bring it back i say!

ukaskew · May 21, 2006

I'd imagine most people will have heard of them, plenty still about in some form or another competing and they always crop up in computer games, stunning cars. I love the 6R4...

Scott · May 21, 2006

Beasts

damon · May 21, 2006

when you watch videos like this you can see why spectators died. One thing is wanting to be close to the action but being a noblet and trying to run out the way after taking a picture... No wonder health and safety stepped in!

Great cars and legendary drivers nonetheless.

Gaz_ · May 21, 2006

now where is that clip i posted...... off to find it

Mish · May 21, 2006

Im 19....

and a MASSIVE fan of anything group B. Unfortunately not old enough to of ever witnessed it first hand in its original form (as said they are still knocking about), the cars fascinate me now more than most modern sports cars do now. The 6r4 and the 205 T16, the original 'hot hatches' that can't really be touched by anything nowadays in terms of out and out performance and driveability. Incredible bits of kit. Minimum weight, maximum power...these cars wern't just car's, they were weapons!

There is a man round me who has a 6R4, it is NEVER driven and hasn't been for a long time. It is concourse, but seems shame. It's begging to be driven as to how it was made...

Turkish · May 21, 2006

There was a clip posted on here ages back of one of a pug 405 rally car going up pikes peak, f**king awesome display of driving. Flat out a gnats c**k from massive drops sideways on gravel. Takes a huge amount of skill and nerve to drive like that.

ukaskew · May 21, 2006

another 6R4 at Sunseeker this year...

edde · May 21, 2006

I know abou it.
Stunning ravcing I've seen clips though of people ever closer than that they apparently used to find people finger in the car when they had got to close.
Shame the heatht and safty couuldn't have been imporved and the series continued it the best racing realy.

lawrence · May 21, 2006

im 24, dont remember it but i am a massive fan of the group b cars, have a massive video collcetion of group b rallying, history, cars etc cant get enough of it

Gaz_ · May 21, 2006

http://a178.v096910.c9691.e.vc.akamaistream.net/7/178/9691/v0009/audi.download.akamai.com/9691/history/04_mh/05_rallye_original_b.wmv

enjoy

Big Iain · May 21, 2006

will always want a 6r4 but the rs200 is a close second

lawrence · May 21, 2006

mmmmm listen to the wastegate chirping away on the audi, good vid

dont know whose more mad the spectators or the drivers!!!

Big Iain · May 21, 2006

infact the sound if that audi in the clip makes me want one of those too lol

Gaz_ · May 21, 2006

feckkin awsome, make the hairs on the back of you kneck stand up

lawrence · May 21, 2006

wasnt it the lancia 037 and rs200 that finally put the nail in the coffin???

lawrence · May 21, 2006

if you think about it we have rallying and group b rally cars for the max power brigade

Gaz_ · May 21, 2006

not sure, wasn't there a story that mansell took his williams round a track in this country, then someone ran one of these group b cars round and it was as quick??!!

mental!!

ukaskew · May 21, 2006

Put it this way, Lancia Delta S4: 0-62 on gravel in 2.3 seconds

lawrence · May 21, 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWJHqmdZftw&search=group%20b%20rally

some more

Big Iain · May 21, 2006

some grp B in my collection

Dave S2K · May 21, 2006

Great vid, super cars!

James Bushell · May 21, 2006

Most of the footage on the link is from the Group B video i have..

has been watche many times.. !!

..

s**t music though.. especially when the cars sound awesome.. criminal to cover it up..

fmp_ · May 21, 2006

i am not sure who is more mental, the drivers of the uber powered cars, or the crazy ass spectators lining the roads!!!

good stuff tho... they dont make em like they used to!

son of solo · May 21, 2006

FIA (International Automobile Federation) introduced Group B in 1982 as the most exotic category in motor rallying. The regulations for Group B required the manufacturers to build only 200 road cars, very much lower than Group A's 5000 cars. Besides, more modifications were allowed for the race version. Therefore car makers could put as much state-of-the-art technology as possible into their racing cars.
This created a golden era in motor rallying history - Audi, Lancia, Peugeot, Ford, Citroen and Austin Rover created many super rally cars to compete in World Rally Championship, all with at least 400 horsepower, lightweight Kevlar body and most of them were mid-engined and 4-wheel drive also. Recalling that period, motor rally enthusiasts always regard that as the best moment of their life. WRC had never been as exciting as that period.

What a pity the Group B ended in misery. In 1986 season, series of accidents involving spectators as well as led to the death of Lancia's top driver Henri Toivonen and navigator Sergio Cresto happened. Group B was accused of being too powerful and too light to be controllable. As a result, FIA axed it after that season.

ukaskew · May 21, 2006

son of solo said:
FIA (International Automobile Federation) introduced Group B in 1982 as the most exotic category in motor rallying. The regulations for Group B required the manufacturers to build only 200 road cars, very much lower than Group A's 5000 cars. Besides, more modifications were allowed for the race version. Therefore car makers could put as much state-of-the-art technology as possible into their racing cars.
This created a golden era in motor rallying history - Audi, Lancia, Peugeot, Ford, Citroen and Austin Rover created many super rally cars to compete in World Rally Championship, all with at least 400 horsepower, lightweight Kevlar body and most of them were mid-engined and 4-wheel drive also. Recalling that period, motor rally enthusiasts always regard that as the best moment of their life. WRC had never been as exciting as that period.

What a pity the Group B ended in misery. In 1986 season, series of accidents involving spectators as well as led to the death of Lancia's top driver Henri Toivonen and navigator Sergio Cresto happened. Group B was accused of being too powerful and too light to be controllable. As a result, FIA axed it after that season.

Not forgetting the insane Group B Evolution Cars, manufacturers only had to produce 20 road-going versions of those.

From that wmv vid posted its the T16 that really gives you an idea of how fast these things went, around the 1:40 mark on the vid I think, the acceleration after each corner is unbelievable.

Leeds_VTO · May 21, 2006

Isnt there going to be some groups bs at fcs?

MarkCup · May 21, 2006

Loony said:
I'm 27 and i remember it, back in the days when rally drivers had to kart their b****cks round in a wheelbarrow and the world wasnt a nanny state wrapping everyone one up in cotton wool just incase they hurt themselves. Bring it back i say!

Well said that man!

I'm 35, and in my time as a yoof, built countless Airfix/Tamiya models of these behemoths... my fave was the 205 T16 - absolutely f***ing mental motor

Gaz · May 22, 2006

Great Video, In motorsport News last week they were on about if Group B cars were around today they would be generating somthing around 1500bhp by now

Hotshot · May 22, 2006

stunning stuff, never seen much like that cheers for sharing

Ross M · May 22, 2006

amazing things. im 20 so dont 'remember' it but have grown up really really interested by the cars and totally love them.
my favourites are the lancia delta and the audi ... total beasts.
i posted some pics and video a while ago of the audi doing some blasting about recently.

al · May 22, 2006

son of solo said:
......banned after cars blew up and spectators died ....

That'll be fords fault then.......

Adam · May 22, 2006

awesome vid that.
cool stuff

2 live · May 22, 2006

al said:
That'll be fords fault then.......

wasnt only the fords tho was it lol.

Jays172 · May 22, 2006

ford made the rs200 i think it was, it was a complete flop and each car ended up costing s**t loads, then they raced it and that season i think it was all over iirc!

Zorba_the_greek · May 22, 2006

Jonaldinho · May 22, 2006

Cracking vids!

clio head · May 22, 2006

iom a tad young to remenber..but yeee u see em about all the time..awsome cars

Group B...those were the days..

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