Rallying is a wild part of motorsports. But things were wilder during the early 1980s with the Group B rally class. This was the most dangerous form of rallying. The accidents were so serious that the WRC board banned Group B by the late 1980s.
But this category also showed us the wild and untamed side of many car-makers. Now, each of the cars that took part in Group B is special in some way or other. And as per homologation rules, each automaker was bound to make a bunch of road-going cars in the rally car's image. We are going to compare the road cars that came from two contradicting icons of the time - the sophisticated and glorious-sounding Audi Sport Quattro, and the lesser-known Ford RS200.
Interesting Trivia: Two of the worst accidents that caused the death of four spectators and a co-driver treaded the needle for Group B's danger level. And a Ford RS200 was involved in both these crashes!
The Sport Quattro was a better version of Audi's iconic Quattro and Ford joined hands with Cosworth to build a hooliganistic machine. We take you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane and tell you why being sub-par in rallying is not necessarily bad. And these two rally-derived cars are the prime examples of "meh" rallying but "desirable" road cars.
We stir up some nostalgic dirt by comparing the road-going models of the most powerful and most-beautiful Group B rally icons.
Ford RS200 And Audi Sport Quattro: Rallying DNA On The Roads
Ford's rallying history is not that exciting because they weren't very successful in splashing dirt. Their first attempt at rallying was with the RS1700T, but that didn't make it past the development stage. Then came the Ford RS200 which was way better than its predecessor. But Group B was discontinued before the RS200 could warm up on the tracks. But yes, thanks to homologation, the Ford RS200 got to shine on the roads.
The Sport Quattro is a refined Audi Quattro. Since 1981, Audi has been making a fine name with its 4WD wizardry. But the package wasn't whole with a heavy and unbalanced structure. This was hurting its rally scores and was also beaten by an RWD Lancia 037 in the 1983 Constructor Championship. This pushed Audi to go back to the drawing board and build the Sport Quattro, the most powerful car in Group B rallying. And yes, the road-going model was as fierce as its rallying counterpart.
Cosworth Magic Vs Quattro Wizardry
Ford's RS200 might not have made a mark in the most dangerous sport in the world, but the technological feat that Ford achieved here was truly remarkable. It had a mid-engined layout ( the second Ford to have so, after the GT40), and packed a Cosworth-developed 1.8-Liter turbo inline-four motor that churned out a claimed 250 hp and 215 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels.
It had a specially developed five-speed manual gearbox with three limited-slip differentials. Even more clever was its weight distribution with an almost 50:50 ratio. This resulted in impressive handling traits for this Ford. But its 0-60 mph time of 6.1 seconds was too lame for the stated 250 hp rating. 20 units of the RS200 EVOs got a bigger 2.1-Liter version of the four-cylinder and could pump out a staggering 650 horses!
Quattro was the star world for Audi during this time. While the rally-spec car packed an insane 591 horses (the most in a Group B car), the Sport Quattro mellowed it down for the general public. The road car came with a 2.1-Liter turbo five-cylinder that churned out a healthy 302 hp and 278 lb-ft. And unlike the Ford, the numbers translated to visible thrill!
The front-mounted engine was tucked away in a monocoque chassis which was fun to drive but wasn't nimble as the mid-engined Ford RS200. Audi was a lot more powerful than the Ford with a 0-60 mph time of just 4.8 seconds. This made it faster than a Lamborghini Countach at the time!
Two Different Ends Of The Visual Spectrum
The Audi Sport Quattro was typical in terms of design. It was boxy and sporty with VW Golf vibes all around. The beefed-up body reciprocated with its rallying roots and Audi used a mixture of Kevlar and laminate glass fiber for the body panels. This helped reduce weight and Audi quoted the Sport Quattro to be just 2,200 pounds. The squared-off front fascia and the Sportback rear quarter were iconic design layouts.
But the Ford RS200 was the exact opposite in visual appeal. So much so that it was more beautiful than aggressive! It had serious Lancia vibes going on with a sweep-up rear end and that cool roof-mounted intake channel for the engine. The front fascia looked too cute to compete with, and it was one of the most proportionate cars in rallying.
Ford RS200 Vs Audi Sport Quattro: Do We Have A Superior Icon?
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Audi Sport Quattro was more famous than the Ford RS200 during its rallying days. Audi was able to make a mark but Ford's timing was, well, not on point. Audi had its Quattro spell chanting all the right bits and the fit-and-finish was also commendable. Ford was too raw in that aspect. The body was flimsy and fit-and-finish was not up to mark.
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But then again, these are racing cars, so who cares! And people are giving these rare cars the respect and money it deserves. Both these legends are highly sought after in the used market. While the Ford RS200 sells for an average of $330,000; Audi Sport Quattro is more demanding with an average value of $434,000.
Sources: Audi-mediacenter.com, Media.ford.com, Bringatrailer.com, Autozine.org, Dirtfish.com, Evo.co.uk, Autoexpress.co.uk