In Quarantine with AUTOhebdo – Group 4 in WRC

Ask any fan rally what is the best period of the World Championship: many will tell you Group B, and the fabulous Audi Quattro, Peugeot 205 T16, Lancia 037 and Delta S4, Ford RS200…

However, it would be a shame not to look back a few years ago, just before the introduction of Group B, with the flagship period of Group 4.

Among the first approved in the category, where 500 cars (then 400) were to be produced per year, the famous Berlinette A110 fromAlpine quickly proved to be one of the fastest, scoring a resounding hat-trick at the 1973 Monte-Carlo Rally, the first event of the WRC in its modern form, led by Jean-Claude Andruet. The brand would win the Manufacturers' title that year.

© DPPI

If Ford remained faithful to its Escort RS1600 then RS1800, approved in Group 2, Boreham had to wait before seeing Group 4 arrive in 1977. The niche was then perfect for Lancia, which launched its Stratos in 1974, a real prototype for rallying.

After three successes in 1974, 1975 was the start of a real raid on Italian cars, notably entrusted to Sandro Munari and Björn Waldegård, whether three times consecutively at the Monte-Carlo Rally, but also in Portugal, in Sanremo…

In 1977, Ford finally launched its Escort RS1800 Group 4. The car's first outing in the World Cup resulted in an impressive victory at the Safari Rally, with Björn Waldegård. The latter also won at the end of the season at the RAC, an event that the Escort would dominate between 1972 and 1979 in its different variations, including three successes for Group 4.

Björn Waldegård won the first WRC Drivers' title in 1979 with the Escort, then imitated in 1981 by Ari Vatanen, the Ford "Rothmans" being fielded by David Sutton's structure.

The FIAT group clearly felt that the competition was strengthening and finally abandoned its fabulous Stratos (which, however, continued to win until the beginning of the 80s, notably with Bernard Darniche and Markku Alen), for the less sexy 131 Abarth.

On this car, Alen, but also Walter Röhrl, Michèle Mouton, Jean-Claude Andruet and Bernard Darniche will reveal themselves or victoriously continue their careers. The result was a world title for Röhrl in 1980.

If theEndurance demeure le leitmotiv de Porsche, le rallye n’est jamais bien loin des préoccupations allemandes en cette période. En 1978, avec une 911 SC, Jean-Pierre Nicolas empoche le Monte-Carlo, quand Jean-Luc Thérier s’impose en Corse deux ans plus tard.

© DPPI

In the wake, Renault, with a small bomb called R5 Turbo, Opel, with an Ascona 400 which took Röhrl to a second coronation in 1982, followed the example. The French car won in particular a prestigious victory at the 1981 Monte-Carlo Rally, with “Jeannot” Ragnotti at the wheel.

A victory acquired when a German “tank” equipped with brand new technology, four-wheel drive, had made its grand debut on the roads of Ardèche and the south-east of France.

Audi Sport had just released its monstrous Quattro, first approved in this Group 4 version, with which Michèle Mouton did not come far from the world crown in 1982.

Without also forgetting the BMW M1, the Ferrari 308 GTB, and many others, before Group B took over in 1983.