Group B rally cars

[Nick Short]

I have just dug out my membership of the now-defunct Group B Car Club, and was reading the list of cars they recognise, amongst which are:

Audi Quattro and Sport Quattro,
BMW M1,
Citroen BX4TC,
Ferrari 308GTB, GT4 and 288GTO,
Fiat 131 Abarth,
Ford Escort RS, RS1800, RS2000, Sierra RS Cosworth, RS Turbo S1 and RS200,
Lancia Stratos (honorary member), Rallye 037, Monte Carlo and Delta S4,
Mazda RX-7 Mk1,
MG Metro 6R4,
Nissan 240RS,
Opel Manta 400,
Peugeot 205 T16,
Porsche 911 SCRS and 924 Carrera GT,
Renault 5 Turbo, Turbo2 and Maxi Turbo,
Vauxhall Chevette HSR.

Plus "associate cars" that never quite got into Group B include:

Ford RS1700T,
Porsche 959 and 961,
Vauxhall Astra 4S.

Given the appeal of the Group B cars to many (maybe not so many on this forum!), it is surprising how many have never been modelled in 1:18, even by lower quality brands.

AutoArt have made the Quattro and Sport Quattro, and will be making some of the Escort RS and rally versions of the Quattro.
Minichamps have made the M1 and other Escort RS.
Kyosho have made the Ferraris, Stratos and the 037 rally car.
Revell have made the Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo2.
Motorbox have made the 959.

That still leaves a lot of cars, especially the awesome road-going versions. I know Ricko will be making the RS200, but......

[MONAROMAN]

Nick,

the cars you have spoken about are trully legendary.
I have been on a couple of sites and seen photos of the road going versions and they look awesome.
Which leaves me a great problem?

I dont collect race cars.......only road cars.......and it would be nice to collect the road going versions of the rally cars but the dilema is that a road Quattro is different to the rally S2 (with all the wings n things) so Im resigned to not collecting any!

Unless they bring out the rally cars in standard white (or whatever colour!) with no signwriting........or whether I buy them as rally cars and strip the signwriting off.......or......or.......maybe I should just buy the race cars!!!!!!

[Nick Short]

Hi Monaroman - the Quattro and Sport Quattro ARE different to the later Evolution rally cars, but the early ones looked very similar to the road-going versions. I have asked AutoArt to consider making the homologation cars (S1, E2 etc), as they were just white, so we'll see. The other Group B road cars looked pretty similar to their full-blown competition brothers, although again, Evolution rally cars tended to have more or bigger wings. Obviously for road use the cars had nicer interiors, with carpets and more trim, but body-wise were the same. I too concentrate on road cars, and am happy for ANY Group B ones to come along. The Quattro and Sport Quattro have started the ball rolling - I have the Quattro in Tornado Red and both the green and white Sport Quattros. So a grey Peugeot 205 T16, red Lancia Rally 037 and Delta S4, and white MG Metro 6R4 and I would be a very happy man!

[KiwiRallyFan]

"Bring on the quality 1/18 Group B rally models" is all I can say. They're long overdue.

(I didn't know the RS1800 or 131 Abarth's were considered Group B rally cars. I thought they were the old Group 4.)

[Nick Short]

KiwiRallyFan, they were incorporated into Group B from Group 4 in 1982 when the Group was created, as was the Audi Quattro and Renault 5 Turbo! There are actually a lot of other extremely unlikely Group B cars, like the Alpine Renault A110, Datsun Violet GT, De Tomaso Pantera GT, Lada VFTS, Skoda 130LR, Talbot Samba Rallye and Sunbeam Lotus, Triumph TR7 V8, Toyota Celica twin turbo, MGB GT, Triumph Spitfire, Peugeot 504 pickup, Datsun Sunny pickup, Fiat Giannini 128 etc, that mostly predate the start of Group B and so were incorprorated from their various categories, as long as there had been more than 200 examples built. As many were production models they managed that; the reason the Porsche 959 never made it officially into Group B was that they didn't make 200 before qualification ended, whereas Ferrari made enough 288 GTOs to get in! Amazingly, that car was intended for tarmac rallying!

[KiwiRallyFan]

Originally posted by Nick Short
....Datsun Sunny pickup....
I know a guy who used to rally one of these in Group B here in NZ. He did Rally NZ a few times in it in the late 80's. I think from memory it was one of the last Group B cars to run, as it wasn't banned like the others being only 1300cc and 2WD. In one Rally NZ (1988) he was the only Group B car (everyone else had to run Group A or N), and won his class about 2 hours behind the overall winner.

[Pedro]

Originally posted by KiwiRallyFan
[B]"Bring on the quality 1/18 Group B rally models" is all I can say. They're long overdue.
Don't forget them in 1/43rd as well I have no room for all those cars in 1/18th;)

[Nick Short]

There's a surprising number of good 1:43 Group B cars already - I have the 288 GTO, MG Metro 6R4, Ford RS200 and Audi Sport Quattro E2, although it isn't my normal collecting scale. Minichamps have done quite a few, as have iXO, Vitesse and others, to variable standard. Vitesse have modelled the road version ("Stradale") of the Lancia Rally 037, but I don't think it's very good. There are a few Sport Quattro S1s, plus the road LWB Quattro, and a number of Opel Manta 400s. I'm just waiting for AutoArt, Kyosho and Minichamps to pull their finger out and release more in 1:18 as I was promised! I suspect Exoto will jump in there as well, but I can't afford them; similarly Ricko are in the game, but I don't think they'll be wildly accurate or well-made.

As for the 1:18 AutoArt LWB Quattro, the front valance is a touch too short, but otherwise it is a good model, although the metallic paint is a bit spangly. Of the colours available I got the special order non-metallic Tornado Red, as it was the best 1:1 colour, and the model looks awesome in it!

[ferrari fan]

There is a magazine called 4 small wheels out of UK and I would say that all of these will have been made in 1/43 by the many small model makers that this company represents.
They do also make all the starters of the 24h Du Le Mans every year!!

[Nick Short]

Pedro, there's also a number of UK-based specialist suppliers, who have websites, but it's been a while since I bought anything from them and I don't have the addresses to hand. But I found them through searching on Google, so that's an idea. I got the 288 GTO from eBay Italy, and it is a lovely model - nicer even than the 1:18 Hot Wheels one! I'm trying to picture it rallying, but I can't! I have a video of one power sliding on gravel and that's about it. For racing they were in the process of building an Evolution version to compete with the 959. But that all fizzled out....

[KiwiRallyFan]

I really hope Exoto do make some Group B rally car models. I love to have one of these Group B models up to Exoto standards, even if they are expensive. It would make a lovely centre-piece to display in a prominent position with all the bits showing.

:)

[wayno]

The Group B rally cars are something I've been waiting for a long time. Watching 'Too Fast to Race' the other day I just can't believe how awesome these things really were. The footage of the Audi Quattro coming down and shooting past the camera, wheelstanding as it goes over the last hump in the sequence (looks like Finland) makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. And the sound.....I think I need to have a lie down!

[Nick Short]

I agree - it's only a Group B car or a Group C Porsche 962 that could make me dig that deep for a model! Computervision-liveried MG Metro 6R4 or the road versions of the Peugeot 205 T16, Lancia Rally 037 Evo II or Lancia Delta S4 are the ones I would sell my grandmother for!

[Nick Short]

Wayno - you jumped in there as I was posting, so my post was replying to KRF, but I agree with you as well! The E2 Sport Quattro lifting its nose under the sheer power is an awesome sight! If you can get hold of "The Rally Supercars" video there is slow-motion footage of the Audi that is quite scary, with flame pouring from its exhaust pipes, steam gushing from its brakes, and just a sinister presence as it puts all 530 bhp on the road. Well worth buying, as there is also awesome footage of Lancias, the T16 and the RS200. It is very different to "Too Fast to Race" - not just the same rehashed footage.

[wayno]

Is it available on DVD? I will definately keep an eye out as these cars are still among my fav race cars of all time! Thanks for the info.

[Nick Short]

Still available from Duke Marketing I think. Some of the slowmo footage of rally cars at speed within inches of spectators is amazing, and as I say the Audi E2 is intimidating to watch! Plus various bits of footage of cars in the Italian or Greek countryside, leaving a huge plume of dust and the banging of the turbo dump valve echoing round the mountains. And best of all, astonishing in-car footage of Walter Rohrl in the S1 on loose dirt...after you watch his hands and feet the temptation to try it in your own car is overwhelming!

[Nick Short]

Just checked and they only have it on VHS. Still worth it!