Group B Supercar Collection

A limited edition print from the Group B Supercar Era 

Limited to 750 prints by the highly respected Motorsport artist Keith Davies 

 The Group B class was introduced for the 1982 World Rally Championship. This class allowed teams to build cars however they wanted, with very few restrictions on technology or design.

Very few restrictions were put in place. The car had to have a minimum of two seats. There were no restrictions on boost. Materials such as fibreglass for bodywork were permitted. The minimum weight was calculated by engine displacement.

1982 was the first year of the Group B class, and while a few cars freshly built for the new class were entered, not one of them scored a podium in any rally that year. Walter Rohrl won the Drivers’ Championship and Audi won the Manufacturers’ Championship with their Group 4 Quattro.

1983 was the year Group B really kicked off. From the start, it was clear that Audi and Lancia were the championship favourites. They won 10 of the 12 rallies that year, with Toyota and Opel winning the other two.

The two cars really couldn’t have been more different. The Lancia 037 was RWD and mid engine. It was powerful and could dominate on asphalt. The Audi Quattro on the other hand, was AWD and front engine. It was also very powerful, and the AWD drivetrain gave it an advantage on loose surfaces. However, it suffered from a lot of understeer.

In the end, Audi Sport’s Hannu Mikkola took the Drivers’ Title, while Lancia picked up the Manufacturers’ Title by a mere two points over Audi.

For the 1984 season, Audi put together quite possibly the greatest line up of Rally drivers in the world. Defending champion Hannu Mikkola returned to the team, with Stig Blomqvist, Michele Mouton, and Walter Rohrl alongside him.

Audi dominated most of the season, with Stig Blomqvist winning the Drivers’ Title ahead of Hannu Mikkola. Lancia’s Markku Alen was only able to scrape third, winning one rally in his 037.

Peugeot debuted their 205 T16 that year, with Ari Vatanen behind the wheel. It featured a transversely-mounted I4 engine, placed in the middle of the car. This gave the car a roughly 60-40 rear weight bias, which meant it did not suffer from understeer to the degree the Audi Quattro did.

Vatanen won three of the final four races in the season, proving that Peugeot had made something capable of competing with the reigning champions. Ari Vatanen finished fourth in the standings.

In the 1985 season, Peugeot had done it. They had successfully dethroned the Audi Quattro that had won two titles in a row. The 205 T16 and its Evolutions dominated the season, grabbing 7 victories and giving Timo Salonen the Drivers’ Championship over Rohrl and Blomqvist.

Many people began to wonder about the safety of Group B cars, after Lancia 037 driver Attilio Bettega crashed into a tree at the Tour de Corse and died instantly. His co-driver was unharmed.

Audi only managed to get 2nd and 3rd in the standings, far behind Peugeot’s Salonen. Walter Rohrl’s win in San Remo would be Audi’s last in the Group B era.

Lancia struggled even more, with the rear-drive 037 winning nothing. They eagerly awaited their new Delta S4’s arrival, an AWD car. It arrived in time for the final rally of the season, and the Italian team took victory, giving them hope for the next season.

1986 The final year of Group B, where many incidents added up and proved Group B was too dangerous to exist.

The season once again kicked off in Monte Carlo, and Henri Toivonen took victory in his Lancia Delta S4. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire from the next rally in Sweden due to an engine failure.

Then, in Portugal, disaster struck again, as Joaquim Santos lost control of his Ford RS200, sending him into a group of spectators. 31 people were injured, and 3 were killed. All factory drivers immediately pulled out of the rally.

The final straw came at the Tour de Corse. On the French island of Corsica, championship favourite Henri Toivonen drove off the unguarded edge, rupturing the fuel tanks and killing him and his co-driver Sergio Cresto.

Group B cars were immediately banned from competing in the 1987 season. Peugeot boss Jean Todt was furious and sought legal action against the FIA.

Every team except Toyota skipped the Ivory Coast Rally, handing Bjorn Waldergard the victory. Controversy followed at the San Remo Rally, where organizers deemed Peugeot’s side skirts illegal and disqualified them, despite later being proven legal. The Italian organizers were accused of favouring Lancia.

Juha Kankunnen ended up winning the title by 14 points over Lancia’s Markku Alen, bringing the Group B era to a close.

It was an amazing time in rallying, which introduced many game changing technologies and designs. Unfortunately, the death toll of competitors and spectators proved it too dangerous to exist.

All the Colour Prints featured are generated from original oil or water based artwork by the highly respected motorsport artist Keith Davies, who's work many of you will have come across.

All Colour Prints are individually Signed and Numbered by the Artist and measure 640mm x 450mm (25 x 18 inches approx.) unless otherwise stated.