Group S Rally Prototypes

[NSMG]

Hi,

I would like to know if any of you has some information
(magazine articles welcome )about the misterious
rally prototypes that were built ( in 1986 )to compete in the cancelled Group S category.
For example,The Audi Sport Quattro RS 002 prototype with central engine, from 1986, is currently being displayed at
the Audi museum.
I think there was an old number of the magazine
CCC (cars & car conversions)from 1987, that focused on
these cars, but unfortunatly I don't have it.


Best Regards.

[rdjones]

I saw a program about the Group B era on Sky the other week and it said the group S was to take over from Group B, it said that goup S would not only be a formula for rallying, but for racing aswell, most of the manufators of group B car where commited to Group S and had cars on the drawing borad.

Also some other makes had plans for Group these include Porsche with the 959, Ferrai, how ran a protype car Group S car, which turned in the F40 and also Jaguar, who orginally intended the XJ220 to be a group S car.

[SJ Spode]

So were Ferrari & Jag planning to build them as rally cars, or just race cars?

A rally F40 would have been seriously nuts, and it would have been intersting to see an XJ220 try and negotiate the hairpins on Corsica etc.(Skoda's Octavia is big enough already)

[rdjones]

From what the program said (which I think may have been the Group B Story Video by Duke) Jaguar and Ferrari may have been building the cars to go racing. Give min to do some reserch as I think on a group B website somwhere there is some info on Group S.

[rdjones]

I new I had seen it somewhere here is the information on Group S:-

Group S was the class planned to replace the Group B cars. FISA was planning Group S because they wanted a class to allow manufacturers to develop futuristic, prototype cars. The homologation requirement for Group S was only ten cars, but the cars were limited to 300 horsepower. Oddly, these rules are very similar to today's WRC class, which has a maximum of 300 horsepower and requires 20 copies.

Group S never got off the ground, though. When Henri Toivonen died, FISA hastily cancelled plans for Group S, leaving the interested manufacturers stuck with prototypes that could never be driven. The Group A cars became the flagship cars for the manufacturers left in rallying following the death of Group B. The cancellation of Group S wasn't really necessary, since the cars were restricted to 300 horsepower, but FISA cancelled it anyways.

Not much is known about Group S because Group S never got the chance to compete in the World Rally Championship. The class would have been very interesting to watch because it was aimed towards futuristic cars. Some of the prototypes being developed looked very interesting. Lancia's prototype, called the ECV, looked like the S4 except it was red and it was smaller. Audi announced that they were planning a Group S car called the 002 Quattro. Ford also stated that the RS200 was to be developed into a Group S competitor. Group S would have been an interesting class to watch as it developed.

I found this information at http://www.stormloader.com/groupb/s.html

There is are also some pic of Group S cars on the site like this Lancia:-

[rdjones]

Here is the Ferrari, you can see this car looks very like and F40

[rdjones]

And here is the 959

[SJ Spode]

Excellent research there Mr Jones.

So it looks from all that, that the only car to survive in rally form was the 959 which competed on the Paris-Dakar, along with the Peugeot machines which were presumably their derivatives from the Group B / Group S models

[chunder]

Toyota also built a Groups car based on the MR2, was to be mid engined and was painted black. Car was completed and tested I believe.
Don't think Ford planned anything on RS200. Their development went stright into Group A. Only think they did was homologate the Evo engine that was so successful in Rallycross.
Opel also built two versions of an Astra built loosely to GroupS The first was used on the Parius Dakar. A later version appeared in Rallycross used by British driver John Welch. The other wsa a supercharged machine used by Andrew Wood in Britain.
Skoda built a Group S 130 aswell. Seen in this country only once gaain in rallycross at the Inter Nations Cup driven by a driver representing the Czech team in 1990

[imull]

You want to get the Duke Video, Too Fast Too Race. This goes through the complete story.

The Ferrari was being built to race and rally (Tarmac only probably). The Jag only to Race. Porsche sidestepped competition and went on the PAris Dakar.

Beautiful cars that are sorely missed. I had the chance drive a Delta S4 that was for sale at a friend of a friends Lancia Garage. mmmmmmmmm Roll on the lottery win. (gearobox was about £45K though...