Here we have another success story for Audi in the world of motorsport, although this story was much earlier than their domination at Le Mans. Rallying was a popular form of motorsport and had seen many great times throughout its history. In 1982, a new set of regulations called ‘Group B’ were introduced to help simplify the previous regulations.
At this time, cars that competed in rallying were typically uprated versions of everyday road-going models. However, Audi came along with a product that simply revolutionised the sport. They had been working on a new sports car for several years before Group B came into force, but decided to take the plunge thanks to one significant advantage. Whereas most rally cars at the time were front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. Audi’s new model, the Quattro, was four-wheel drive.
The Quattro was technically an old regulation Group 4 car, uprated to Group B specification. It entered a fierce battle with Lancia which had launched a rear-wheel drive Group B car, the O37. 1983 saw Lancia take the manufacturer’s championship with one race to spare. But, this would be the last time a two-wheel drive car would ever win the world rally championship again.
1984 saw Audi take the championship win, but the win was bitter-sweet as its sheer pace had came to light to other manufacturers. Peugeot responded by joining mid-way through the season, where they launched the 205 T16. The 205 was lighter and had a shorter wheelbase, making it more agile. It was the start of a war between the manufacturers, where the cars became insanely fast and dangerous, not to mention the spiralling development costs.
1986 became an interesting year for the sport with the cars reaching their peak in performance, and Ford joining with their RS200. However, on just its second outing, it plowed into a group of spectators. A further fatal accident involving a Lancia later in the year saw the Group B cars banned. Audi and Peugeot immediately withdrew from the series whilst the other manufacturers adapted their cars for the new regulations.
Group B will always go down in the eyes of rally fans as the ‘golden era’ of the sport. There was great sadness with there being so many fatal accidents, but without the era, the sport would never have grown to the size it is today. Peugeot returned to the sport in the late 90s/00s with the 206 and 307CC. But, Audi has never returned to the sport. But, it can be safely said that the Quattro revolutionised the technology used for years to come.
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