Rocket Science
MOTOR Magazine Australia|April 2019

Built In The Twilight Of The Infamous Group B Era, The Unique, Naturally Aspirated Metro 6r4 Was A Unicorn Of The Genre. We Drive It

John-Joevollans
Rocket Science

NEW MOTORSPORT regulations are rarely cause to get excited. They’re mostly about tedious attention to detail such as wing and tyre widths. Group B, however, was very different.

It fired the collective imaginations of a generation of engineers and resulted in some of the most fearsome fourwheeled machines ever to see competition. They were loud, visually wild and ferociously fast.

Making a 300kW-plus MG Metro that could accelerate from a standstill to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds, regardless of the surface, was far from straightforward. It would involve an inordinate number of people from the UK’s car-making and motorsport industries coming together and finding innovative solutions to problems that most hadn’t even conceived a few short months before.

Like Aussies, the Brits love underdog stories. I think it’s written into our cultural DNA. Both countries seem to gravitate to those plucky few who go against the grain. So it was no accident when Austin Rover chose the little Metro to join the Group B ranks. We know you’re all familiar with Group B and its significant position in the pantheon of stage rallying. For those of you who’ve lost their memories, or who know nothing about it, consider this the very briefest of (re-)introductions.

By the end of the 1970s rallying was not only a hugely popular spectator sport, it was translating into sales for manufacturers. However, limitations in the rules meant that development was slow and makers such as Lancia and Renault were frustrated by the limitations placed upon them when designing gravel attack vehicles. There was a desire to reduce and simplify the rules to allow for faster, less restricted and more focused rally models to be created, without the need to manufacture so many road cars for homologation (200, down from 400).

Bu hikaye MOTOR Magazine Australia dergisinin April 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye MOTOR Magazine Australia dergisinin April 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MOTOR MAGAZINE AUSTRALIA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Ged Bulmer
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Ged Bulmer

THE ACCOMPANYING YARN WAS A RIB TICKLER, BUT THE SUITS AT PORSCHE DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY

time-read
5 dak  |
July 2022
Dylan Campbell
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Dylan Campbell

WE WERE LIVING THE DREAM. WE ALL WANTED TO WORK FOR MOTOR AS TEENAGERS

time-read
5 dak  |
July 2022
HONDA NSX
MOTOR Magazine Australia

HONDA NSX

Honda's alloy missile - a friendly firecracker

time-read
8 dak  |
July 2022
TESLA MODEL S
MOTOR Magazine Australia

TESLA MODEL S

Looking back on the automobile's iPhone moment | TESLA AIMS TO ELEVATE THE ELECTRIC CAR FROM INTRIGUING CURIOUSITY TO A VIABLE MEANS OF EVERYDAY TRANSPORT

time-read
5 dak  |
July 2022
PORSCHE 959
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PORSCHE 959

Weissach rethinks the supercar

time-read
6 dak  |
July 2022
PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022

HOW THE ANNUAL QUEST FOR AUSTRALIA'S BEST PERFORMANCE CARS HAS DELIVERED A ROLL CALL OF EXCELLENCE

time-read
10+ dak  |
July 2022
THE UNDEFEATED
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THE UNDEFEATED

HONDA'S FK8 CIVIC TYPE R IS OUR LINEAL CHAMP, WINNING EVERY MOTOR COMPARISON AS WELL AS BOTH PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR AND BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS WITH A FINAL DRIVE IN THE END-OF-THE-LINE LE SPECIAL

time-read
6 dak  |
July 2022
THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE

IN A CULTURE OVERFLOWING WITH POSERS AND TRY-HARDS, WE FIND A HAVEN FOR THOSE THAT LOVE DRIVING ABOVE ALL ELSE

time-read
8 dak  |
June 2022
OPEN WIDE, SAY R
MOTOR Magazine Australia

OPEN WIDE, SAY R

VOLKSWAGEN'S GOLF R LANDS IN AUSTRALIA AND IT ALREADY HAS THE SWAGGER OF A GIANTKILLER ABOUT IT. WE LINE UP SOME ASYMMETRIC ALTERNATIVES TO SEE IF THE GOLF HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE TALENTS COVERED

time-read
10+ dak  |
June 2022
SING FOR YOUR DINNER
MOTOR Magazine Australia

SING FOR YOUR DINNER

As the motoring world undergoes seismic shifts in focus, Rob Dickinson's vision for Singer remains clear

time-read
3 dak  |
June 2022