1985 Ferrari 288 GTO – Fire Eater – 184

The Group B rallying era gave us a lot of things — some amazing technology and spectacle, a certain amount of tragedy, and some of the most fascinating road cars ever. The Peugeot 205T16, Lancia Delta S4 and MG Metro 6R4 are the most commonly remembered of these cars. Group B rallying also gave rise to some of the most intrinsically ugly motor cars ever to grace the sport. It is rarely recognized that Group B also inspired what became commonly voted as the most beautiful car of the 1980s, one which, however, never turned a wheel in anger in a Group B rally competition.

Ferrari is rarely associated with rallying, but did in fact have some success with the 308GTB — built to Group B and Group 4 regulations, from 1980 to 1982, and driven by the likes of Jean Claude Andruet in the Monte Carlo and San Remo rallies, among others.Until 1983 the two main classes of rallying were called Group 2 and Group 4. Major manufacturers competed in Group 4, which required a minimum of 400 examples of a competition car. Notable cars of the era included the Lancia Stratos, Ford Escort and Fiat 131 Abarth.

Group B, however, had few restrictions on technology, design and the number of cars required for homologation to compete

Group B was introduced by the FIA in 1982 as replacement for both Group 4 (modified grand touring) and Group 5 (touring prototypes) cars. Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed technology and overall cost; the regulations aimed to ensure a large number of privately-owned entries. Group B, however, had few restrictions on technology, design and the number of cars required for homologation to compete. Weight was unrestricted, high-tech materials were permitted, and there was no limit on power. The category was aimed at car manufacturers by promising outright race victories, and the subsequent publicity opportunities, without the need for an existing production model.

Many manufacturers took up this challenge, rekindling spectator interest, but soon the speed of the cars and the number of spectators became an embarrassment, resulting in a series of fatal crashes. As a consequence Group B was cancelled at the end of 1986, and Group A regulations became the standard for all cars until the advent of WRC in 1997. Read the rest of this entry »