The Group B era of rallying was one of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring periods of competition in the World Rally Championship. Whilst the cars involved in that era were incredibly fast and powerful, the era will also go down as one of the most dangerous in rallying history, as the cars simply got too fast for the venues they went to. But it gave us some spectacular racing moments and some of the greatest rally cars that the world has ever seen. One of those was, of course, the Audi Quattro.
The Quattro is usually regarded as the king of the Group B era, and when it first appeared with its four-wheel-drive system, it stunned the rallying world and set the standard for rally cars of the period. During its time, it saw off competition from the likes of Ford and Lancia, and became one of the most feared rally cars ever built in the hands of drivers such as Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist, and Michele Mouton. This is the story of the incredible rally car that, for years, set the standard in rally competition.
How The Quattro Came About
The Quattro came about after Audi, who was developing four-wheel drive technology for a German Army vehicle, wondered if it could be made to work in a family car. After conducting some tests, Audi found that it certainly would work, and thus the idea of rallying the car was born. In 1980, the same year the first production Quattro emerged, the first rally Quattro made its debut at the 1980 Janner Rally, with its turbocharged I5 engine producing around 300 hp. But it was in 1981 when the Quattro started to reap the rewards of success, as its four-wheel-drive system started to come into its own.
In the hands of Hannu Mikola, the Quattro won its first rally at the 31st International Swedish Rally, and then Michelle Mouton became the first female driver to win a WRC round, piloting the Quattro as she held off Henri Toivonen and Ari Vatanen to win the Rallye Sanremo. The 1981 season though would be won by Vatanen in a Rothmans Rally Team Ford Escort RS1800. But, the Group B era wouldn’t officially kick in until 1982. And it was from that point onwards that, with a car once considered too heavy to compete in rallying, Audi showed the world what the four-wheel-drive Quattro could do.
First Title And Lancia Duel
In 1982, Audi stomped their authority on the WRC and showed just what a four-wheel-drive car could do, in what ultimately proved to be a fascinating season. The 1982 season would be all about Germany, as the Quattro helped to secure the world championship for manufacturers for Audi, ahead of fellow German car company Opel. Remarkably though, Walter Rohrl driving the Opel Ascona 400 was able to win the driver's title, but only 12 points ahead of a highly impressive Michele Mouton, who was second in the standings and top Quattro driver.
Audi though was delighted at their manufacturer's title and expected more of the same in 1983. It seemed four-wheel drive would dominate the sport, although no one seemed to tell Lancia. In one of the greatest motorsport duels of all time, Lancia somehow beat the Quattro and Audi to the 1983 manufacturer's title with the two-wheel drive, and simply stunning, 037 Stradale, thanks to the brilliance of Walter Rohrl. Audi was simply stunned that a two-wheel car, never mind a Lancia, could beat their four-wheel-drive machine. So from 1984 onwards, Audi wanted to put that right. And they did.
Double Title Glory
Determined to finally sweep both titles in the WRC, Audi came into the 1984 season with extra fire in their bellies. And boy did it show. In the first two rounds of the season in Monte Carlo and Sweden, Audi’s were 1-2-3, a feat that would be repeated later in the season in Rally Argentina. Audi won 7 of the 12 rally events in the 1984 season, beating Lancia to the constructors' title and securing a 1-2 in the driver's standings, with Stig Blomqvist winning the championship ahead of teammate Hannu Mikkola.
For Audi, though, its dominance would end as quickly as the 1985 season. The following year would be all about Peugeot and Timo Salonen, as the latter won the driver's title ahead of Stig Blomqvist and Walter Rohrl’s Audi’s, with the German company finishing second in that year's standings. The season was sadly marred by the death of Italian Attilio Bettega, who died after a crash at Tour de Corse in his Lancia 037. Peugeot again won the title in 1986, as Juha Kankkunen won the driver's title, Audi finishing a distant fourth in the manufacturer's standings.
Group B’s Final Fling
The 1986 season though was the last season that saw Group B cars compete in rally competition. During the 1986 season, a tragic accident claimed the lives of Henri Toivonen and co-driver, Sergio Cresto, at the Tour de Corse, with their Lancia Delta S4 Rally 37 Evo plunging off the course, and bursting into flames. FISA boss Jean-Marie Balestre immediately froze the development of Group B rally cars, and that they would be banned from 1987 onwards. This accident, the one in 1985 with Bettega and another earlier in the year that killed three spectators, was what sealed Group B’s fate.
Audi then immediately pulled out of rally competition, along with Ford, neither manufacturer completing the season and thus explaining both companies lower points finishes in the championship. Audi would continue in the WRC with variants of the Quattro, but these were little more than Audi 200s, 90s, and Coupe B2s with the Quattro name. The real Quattro era, was over.
An Unforgettable Era
Group B was perhaps the most unforgettable era in rallying history, and Audi showed everyone just what four-wheel-drive could do across some of the most brutal terrains in the world. It defied the expectations of all those who ultimately would come to fear it and captivated the world with its incredible duel with Lancia’s 037 in 1983. The Group B era had to end one day. But before it did, Audi showed the rallying world the way, for four glorious years of competition.
Sources: Garage Dreams, Pinterest, Girardo & Co, Dirt Fish, Twitter, Motorsport Magazine, Top Gear, Classic Cars For Sale, My Life At Speed