B FOR BONKERS
Group B wasn’t only about rallying, but the rules turned out to be too crazy for the track
For most people, Group B is synonymous with fire-spitting rally cars, but it wasn’t created exclusively for rallying. In fact, FISA had hoped that the new Group B category would also be used in circuit racing to replace the previous ‘silhouette’ racers.
Group 5 was a prototype category based on road cars, though only the bonnet, doors and roof remained. In 1983, Group 5 was replaced by Group B, which brought the same wild liberties to rallying. However, unlike Group 5, the new homologation rules required 200 road cars to be produced in a 12-month period: cars that had to share most of their homologation features with the racing ‘evolution’ model. Such brutal machines would make little financial sense for manufacturers attempting to sell them as road cars.
A few years after Group B’s debut, some car manufacturers saw Group B homologation as a perfect opportunity to market low-volume, high-end sports cars. Ferrari’s 288 GTO was eminently better suited to circuit racing than rallying, and was homologated in Group B on 1 June 1985.
After building the 200 required, Ferrari went on, with the help of collaborators Michelotto and Pininfarina, to develop 20 Evoluzione versions (above), with lighter bodywork, more extreme aero, and the turbos cranked up for 650bhp – doubling the road car’s power to weight ratio. Ultimately, the 288 GTO Evoluzione never took part in competition of any kind, though it served as a testbed for the F40.
Porsche had also been working on its own contender, the Gruppe B, later known as the 959. Based on the 911, it was Porsche’s tech flagship. Arguably, the 959 can be considered as a circuit-oriented car although it was built around a very versatile chassis that could also be adapted to rallying. Eventual confirmation of Porsche’s intention to participate in Group B circuit racing came when the company developed the 961 endurance racing derivative, surely in the hopes of reviving the 935 glory days.
The 961’s engine was tweaked to produce 640bhp and carried over most of the 959’s technical specifications. In 1986, although the 959 was not ready for Group B homologation, the 961 was entered as a prototype in the GTX category at Le Mans (below), won its class, and finished an incredible seventh overall – it was also the first four-wheel-drive car to race at Le Mans. Although not official by any means, this victory is often considered the first ‘Group B circuit win’, since the 961 was an evolution version of the 959.
While Lamborghini built a special version of the Countach for Group B homologation, better known as the Downdraft, the company’s racing intentions were never clear. Jaguar also toyed with a Group B circuit racer, built around a V12 with four-wheel drive, though what became the XJ220 is another story altogether.
Even if many clues had pointed to Group B circuit racing taking off thanks to the new ‘hypercar’ trend, the entire category was abolished in 1986 due to major safety concerns after multiple unfortunate incidents cost the lives of drivers and spectators in the World Rally Championship.
While this instantly killed any racing ambitions for those hypercars, a few manufacturers still applied for post-ban Group B homologations. That was the case for the Lamborghini Countach Downdraft and for the Ferrari F40 LM, though their paperwork was subsequently recycled into the FIA’s new GT categories. Porsche, despite the 959’s concept name, decided not to apply for the official documentation.
Picture in your head a Porsche 961 battling it out with a Ferrari F40, joined by a Jaguar XJ220 in a long straight, and pushed to the side by a Ford RS200 in a tight corner… or whichever Group B car you like. Theoretically it was all possible!
Sadly, Group B’s broad regulations cursed its circuit racing ambitions early on, and the wildest interpretations put an end to the most exciting time ever in rallying.