Group 4 rally cars attack France
The tough, muddy Rallye d’automne VHC in Charente-maritime, France, brought out a selection of colourful brawlers from the Group 4 rally era.
1974 Lancia Stratos Group 4
Rouen-based collector Patrick Hautot gave his newly-prepared Lancia Stratos an outing at Rallye d’automne. ‘It’s my second Stratos,’ he notes. ‘It came from Italy five years ago with an impressive competition history.’ The car has been finished in the Oliofiat livery of the Team Grifone car Fabrizio Tabaton used to take second place in the 1979 Italian Rally Championship, and in a World Championship round at the 1980 Rallye Sanremo.
‘I’d hoped for better today, but I was apprehensive about driving the car. On stage ES2, in the dark, we had electrical problems that put us so far behind that it made catching up impossible. But our times improved as I acclimatised to the car and the route. As I gain more experience I’ll achieve better results in the Stratos.’
1971 Ford Escort RS2000
La Rochelle local Henri Couillard had just completed restoring his Ford Escort RS2000 MKI. ‘I bought it from a collector on Majorca who owned two,’ he explained. ‘Last winter I had it completely rebuilt and resprayed, after which I installed a new tuned 2.0-litre Ford Pinto motor, developing 195hp, coupled to a T9 gearbox. With an Atlas rear axle and Panhard rod it’s a powerful car that handles well.’