Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
FORMER EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPION WILL GOLLOP BACK IN HIS BITURBO MG METRO 6R4
With its iconic Silkolene oils livery, Will Gollop’s legendary Biturbo MG Metro 6R4 is one of the most famous machines ever to compete in rallycross.
But since the Blean resident, now 66, sold it to a hill-climb competitor from the Republic of Ireland in early 1993, it has never once been seen at a rallycross circuit.
That was until late last month, however, when its new owner displayed it in front of thousands of spectators at Lydden Hill’s FIA World Rallycross Championship round.
“To be reunited with the old car was a good experience,” said Gollop.
“The car hasn’t changed hardly at all – it has still got all the bits and pieces and brackets that I made up for it.
“It has only been added to rather than changed and I am pleased that the new owner has bought it because he wants to keep it like it was.”
Gollop, who won the European Rallycross Championship in 1992 before Group B machines were outlawed, got to sit in his old 6R4 at Lydden.
It marked the first time in 23 years that he had even seen the car, which had only been bought from Malvern in Worcestershire by its new owner six weeks before.
“I had heard rumours it was around,” Gollop added.
“It is one of the most famous 6R4s – no other Metros won a European championship and the Silkolene livery is often commented on as one of the best in rallycross.
“It is good for the sport that it is being brought out as it is a famous car.”
After winning the British Rallycross Championship’s Formula B class in the 1980s with a Saab 99, Gollop turned his attentions to the 6R4, which was driven in several demonstrations at Lydden last month.
“We got the car rebuilt into a Biturbo over the winter of 1989 and 1990,” Gollop recalled.
“We were pretty successful in making it work straight away, which was a good experience.
“In 1990, we didn’t turn it up to full power but we gradually turned it up for 1991 and 1992 – we had 750bhp, I believe.
“We turned it from a 3.0-litre engine to a 2.3 because we did not want to carry the weight of a 3.0-litre with the Biturbo, which I think the others were doing.
“There were some other Biturbos around but nothing as successful as our car.”
Despite winning his only European championship with the machine, Gollop faced ups and downs with the car, which did not have a first gear and was prepared by his own G-tech Motorsport operation.
He says his best memory was beating arch rival Martin Schanche in Belgium in 1991, but in the same year he was involved in a fiery accident on the exit of Chesson’s Drift at Lydden, which put paid to
‘It is good for the sport that it is being brought out as it is a famous car’