Yahoo Autos Driving a Mad Group B Car To The Post Office
Because they are based on production cars and need to be able to drive on public roads between stages, current WRC cars, as well as former Group B machines can all wear license plates, pretty much as long as their headlamps stay functional. Yet seeing an MG Metro 6R4 on a grocery run will never get boring.
The 6R4 is a proper oddball, being just as purpose-built as its next door neighbor, the Ford RS200. Its story started once British Leyland Motorsport decided to retire the aging Triumph TR7 V8 from rallying in 1981. Leyland's masters soon came to the conclusion that they could really show the world who's boss by combining the four-wheel drive of an Audi S1 Quattro with the mid-engined, short-wheelbase nature of a Renault 5 Turbo. The resulting Metro-lookalike debuted in 1984, powered by an equally fresh naturally-aspirated V6.
The three-liter engine, codenamed V64V, was the brainchild of ex-Cosworth employee David Wood. It had four valves per cylinder, with belt-driven twin-overhead camshafts producing up to 410 horsepower. While the engine suffered from reliability issues in its early days, the 6R4 also had a power disadvantage compared to the turbo cars. What's worse, before the team could finish the development, Group B was canceled. Austin Rover withdrew from the rallying scene at the end of 1987, after which all parts and engines were sold to Tom Walkinshaw Racing. Working with Jaguar Sport, TWR has added a pair of turbos to the V6, only to put it in the middle of the Jaguar XJ220.
The Metro 6R4 lived a second life as a turbocharged rallycross monster, fighting against equally angry RS200s in Europe. Three decades on, the cars are still out there, and the 6R4 community is as strong as a Group B car's can be. And while any old car is worth starting up in the name of popping out to the store, getting a bottle of milk with a Metro 6R4 takes the ceremony to a whole new level. If you don't believe me, ask Dan Ellmore. He knows.
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