Author: Nathan Chadwick
Image: Manufacturers
When the rug was pulled from Group B rallying after the horrific deaths of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto, most manufacturers fought the FIA on the issue.
After all they’d spent significant funds not only building cars for Group B, but even more money on its proposed replacement, Group S. However, Lancia simply moved on to Group A, which it had been developing alongside its Group B programme.
Unsurprisingly, the early years of the Group A World Rally Championship were dominated by the Lancia Delta, in HF 4WD and then Integrale form. The opposition was left reeling, with several unlikely cars being thrust into action – not overly successfully. Still, given that the cheapest Integrale is now £40k, and an Escort RS Cosworth even more, then maybe it’s time to get that Group A fix elsewhere?
We’ve focused our list on cars that competed in the majority of the 1987 season, rather than a limited selection of events.
1. Ford Sierra XR4x4
The Sierra RS Cosworth was certainly quick, but its rear-wheel drive layout left it exposed on anything other than tarmac. Ford chose to use the XR4x4 on gravel events, but the car was underpowered with 230bhp in competition trim, and somewhat porky too. Ford chose to concentrate on the Cosworth from 1988, notching up a win on the Corsica Rally via Didier Auriol; it eventually got four-wheel-drive in 1990.
With Sierra and Sapphire Cosworths now trading for large sums, the XR4x4 makes for an entertaining alternative. Its Cologne V6 has a grunty feel, and the rear-biased four-wheel drive system makes for an engaging drive. It’s also a fraction of the price!
2. Audi 80/200/Coupé Quattro
Audi had revolutionised rallying with the Quattro, but the collapse of Group B and a renewed focus on the US market at the tail end of the 1980s meant rallying duties fell to cars that weren’t quite up to the job. Despite the best efforts of Per Eklund, Walter Röhrl and Hannu Mikkola, among others, the cars were a little too big and heavy to compete with the nimble Delta. One highlight was victory on the 1987 Safari Rally for Hannu Mikkola in a 200, but this rally only counted towards the driver’s championship, not the manufacturer’s title.
Audi did eventually develop the 80 Quattro 16v with a view to Group A competition, but it failed to sell in enough numbers to homologate the car for rallying.
What about the roadgoing cars? All Audis of this era are now very rare, especially in roadgoing form. However, this is an era when Audis were well-engineered, subtly styled and rather special to behold. They might not be quite as exciting to drive as some of their contemporary rivals, but the all-weather grip makes for a satisfying rather than adrenaline-fuelled drive.
3. Renault 11 Turbo
Renault had put up a strong fight against the Group B monsters with its plucky 5 Turbo, with Jean Ragnotti scoring three outright victories between 1981 and 1985. However, the 11 Turbo failed to bring the same joy, even with Ragnotti behind the wheel. The closest was second place on the Portuguese Rally and third on the San Remo, though the car did have better success in national championships in Switzerland and Portugal. By the end of 1988 it was all over.
As a road car, the 11 Turbo makes for an exceptionally rare sight, which is a shame as the angular Robert Opron-styled lines are arguably more fetching now that they were in period. It’s not quite as exciting as the 217hp rally car – not only did its 113bhp (courtesy of the 5 Turbo engine) in road form only make it marginally more powerful than the much lighter Peugeot 205 GTI, but it was also a lot more comfort-focused. However, as an individualistic choice for RADwood, it has to be one of the most fascinating – if you can find one, that is.
4. Mazda 323 4WD
Mazda called on 1985 World Rally Championship winner Timo Salonen to spearhead its World Rally Championship charge with the 323, having had a year of developing the car in 1986. As such it was the only car to beat the Deltas in the main championship (the Safari Rally and Rallye Côte d’Ivoire only counted towards the driver’s championship), other than Bernard Béguin’s BMW M3 on the Tour de Corse. Timo Salonen’s 1987 Swedish Rally win would be the only one of the year, however, though the 323 4WD would take two wins 1989 courtesy of Ingvar Carlsson.
As a road car, the fifth-generation 323 is difficult to find – we’re barely into single digits on UK roads. The hottest 323 came with a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine with 138hp, and you could choose from front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive models were sold in either lightweight GT or comfort-spec GT-X versions, though the true hero of the range was the 1988 4WD GT-Ae, which offered an extra 10hp and a viscous rear limited-slip differential.
5. VW Golf GTI 16v
The Lancia Delta 4WD may have won the 1987 World Rally Championship at pretty much a canter – but it wasn’t the first Group A World Rally Champion. No, that was the VW Golf GTI, with Kenneth Eriksson taking the title in 1986. He would also be the closest driver behind the Lancia pilots in 1987, taking first place on the Rallye Côte d’Ivoire – though this didn’t count for the manufacturer’s championship. Eriksson also notched up a couple of podiums but as more manufacturers joined in the coming years, the pace of development left VW far behind. The Rallye of 1990 sought to address this, but by then the Integrale development programme was spectacularly advanced.
The roadgoing car is, of course, a hot hatchback legend – but few remember just how successful it was in the 1986 Group A Championship, and how much it put up a fight against Lancia in Group A’s early days. Another reason why the Golf GTI is such a great modern classic…
