A real slick, elegant Italian car which proved that you don’t always have to shirk beauty to build an efficient, winning rally car.įirst victory: RAC Rally 1975 (Timo Mäkinen/Henry Liddon)
WRC 9 CARS LIST DRIVERS
And with drivers like Munari, Björn Waldegård, Markku Alén and Bernard Darniche at the wheel, you were always guaranteed spectacular scenes on the stages. Three consecutive crowns between 19 and 11 victories, the first of which came via Sandro Munari and Mauro Mannucci on home soil on the Sanremo, cemented the dominance of the HF during this period in its iconic Alitalia livery.Īnd that’s sort of the allure of the Lancia Stratos, over and above the success it delivered, it was as slick and elegant a rally car as you were likely to ever find, and it is little wonder the car is still revered to this day. When the World Rally Championship title was reserved purely for manufacturers, Lancia was the make to beat. Last victory: Tour de Corse 1981 (Bernard Darniche/Alain Mahé) Proof that the ST185 was a quality car is that it won not just the rough events, but the high-speed rallies such as Sweden, Finland and New Zealand, while victories on asphalt (Tour de Corse, Catalunya and Sanremo) showcased the car’s all-round capabilities.įirst victory: Rally Sanremo 1974 (Sandro Munari/Mario Mannucci) The ST185 took its first win on the brutal Safari Rally in the hands of Sainz and Luis Moya during their second title-winning campaign in 1992, a rally the car won the following year with Kankkunen and in 1994 with local expert Ian Duncan at the helm. It achieved 16 wins in ST185 form and three drivers’ championship titles in a row, for Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol respectively. If we played a game of word association with the Toyota Celica of this era, “illegal turbo restrictor” might come up, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this was one of the early 1990s’ most successful cars in the WRC. Last victory: Sanremo Rally 1994 (Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli)
WRC 9 CARS LIST DRIVER
Gruppe 4 – Das Jahrzehnt der Heckschleudern (German)įor other publications specific to a rally car, driver or event – please visit the Rally Group B Shrine BOOK STORE (click).įor videos specific to a rally car, driver or event – please visit DUKE’S VIDEO STORE (click).First victory: Safari Rally 1992 (Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya) Group 4 – From Stratos to quattro (English) Gruppe B – Aufstieg und Fall der Rallye-Monster (German) Group B – The rise and fall of rallying’s wildest cars (English) The complete Group B homologation list can be found HERE (click).ĪWIN Affiliates Program – by purchasing books with the links provided here you are also helping to support the Rally Group B Shrine!* Group 4 based homologation specials are highlighted in BLUE. The manufacturers that used mainstream high volume (production) vehicles for Group B homologation are highlighted in GREEN.
These “semi-homologation” cars are highlighted in ORANGE.
WRC 9 CARS LIST SERIES
Some manufacturers used an existing production model but built a limited series of modified cars specifically for Group B homologation.
The “true” Group B homologation specials that were built entirely from scratch specifically to compete in the class are highlighted in RED. It is notable to mention that the first year of Group B was run almost entirely with Group 4 transfers. In 1982, when the new regulations took effect, previously homologated Group 4 cars could get transferred into Group B if the manufacturer applied for the change.
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