Build the garage of your dreams for Group B cars!

I dream of a Group B rally car. You should too.

The phenomenal era of infinite speed with limited grip brought lusty homologation specials, heroic drivers, impossible horsepower, and sadly, a tragic finale.

I once asked legendary German rally driver Walter Rohr what it was like to drive two legendary Group B cars, the Lancia 037 and the Audi Sport Quattro. He said it was like wrestling a bear blindfolded. It was almost a year later that John Buffum, the most successful American rally driver of all time, told me about the blindfold.

According to Buffum, who also drove an Audi Sport Quattro in Group B, that car accelerated so hard that the driver's eyes were forced open and the chassis was so stiff that his pupils dilated. At times, it was impossible to concentrate on the road ahead, and turning corners at full speed was sometimes an act of faith, Buffum said.

No wonder Group B did not last long. The series started in 1982, but in 1986 a tragic accident in Portugal killed three spectators and injured dozens. The series was discontinued after the 1986 season, although the cars appeared in various other events, including the Paris-Dakar Rally and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Group S rally racing replaced Group B, with a power cap of less than half the high horsepower found in Group B cars.

Today, Group B cars are gaining momentum among Gen X fans and older millennials who remember their heyday. Ken Block drives a Ford RS200 homologation special, and the Porsche 959 that is all over the street owes its existence to the Group B standard, as the German automaker had planned to enter the Group B series (but never did).

So I asked, "Can I build a Group B garage now? How much would it cost?

Buffum can smell a replica like a garlic sprout. We can't, but we don't care. Group B's dream garage is here.

Audi Sport Quattro

The rail bears and wrestles with itself. The Sport Quattro hit the market last year and sold for an undisclosed amount. Canepa offered the car for sale last spring as one of 224 vehicles with just over 34,000 kilometers on the odometer, and the 2.1-liter inline five-cylinder with over 300 horsepower is tame by Group B standards, but still wild by modern standards. Weighing less than a wet sneeze, it looks great, too.

Cost: about $100,000 per corner ($400,000, in case you can't do the math).

BMW M1

Built in Italy and raced at Le Mans, BMW also has a Group B pedigree: BMW France prepared the M1 for Group B racing in the European Rally Championship in 1983, and privateers entered the race in 1984. The M1 won several rallies until the class was discontinued in 1987.

Cost: A recent Hemmings listing has the M1 for sale for $500,000.

Ford RS200

Proving that the best Fords don't always come from Dearborn, Michigan, the Ford RS200 was a mid-engine, four-wheel drive rocket The history of the RS200 is extensive. The fiberglass body was built by Gear, the small car was assembled by Reliant, 200 homologation specials were built, followed by 24 Evolution cars. Ken Block owns it. You can own one too.

Cost Classic car auction site Bring A Trailer sold an RS200 for $280,000 last year.

Lancia 037

Loosely based on the Lancia Montecarlo (also sold as Scorpion), 037 has the distinction of being not only the WRC champion, but also the last rear-drive champion. Rail was WRC champion in 1983, taking first place at Monte Carlo, Greece, and New Zealand; unlike many turbocharged cars of its era, the 037 was supercharged and, in true Lancia fashion, had a longitudinally mounted inline four-cylinder.

Cost Auction house RM Sotheby's offered a 077 Stradale for sale in Monterey last year for $475,000 to $600,000. It is not known if it sold.

Porsche 959

Undoubtedly a Group B car, the Porsche 959 never actually competed in the series that was part of its inspiration: some 911s equipped with the 959's all-wheel drive system entered the Paris-Dakar Rally, but before the car was completed The 959 is famous for many reasons beyond Group B, and its Porsche emblem somehow defies the laws of economics.

Cost A 1988 Porsche 959 Comfort is for sale in North Carolina for $1.4 million.

Renault 5 Turbo

The mid-engine Renault 5 Turbo had a simple name (5 corresponds to the tax category applicable in France) but a legendary pedigree. This French car competed in Group B and won several WRC races, including two in France; the R5 was sold in the U.S. as "Le Car."

Cost A 1985 Renault 5 Turbo sold for $136,000 at BaT last year.

MG Metro 6R4

With a name like FAX, the Metro 6R4 does not have the crossover appeal of the 959 or Sport Quattro; like the 959, the 6R4 was too late to enter Group B racing, but it is definitely of its time. in F1. superteam Williams helped engineer the car, which was very loosely based on the workout Metro.

Cost: A 7-mile example did not sell at last year's Silverstone auction; it was expected to fetch between $250,000 and $300,000.

Lancia Delta S4

The second Lancia on our list should be the first in our dream garage. This is because the Lancia Delta S4 is an evolution of the 037, with all-wheel drive and a twin-charged engine. The Delta Integrale came later and was relatively more accessible, but the S4 was the original homologation special and still thrills us today. Finnish driver Henri Toivonen lost his life when he failed to turn a corner in the S4 and fell into a ravine.

Cost: A 1985 Lancia S4 Stradale, a road-going model, sold for over one million euros last year.

Peugeot 205 T16

The Peugeot 205 T16 is one of the most overlooked Group B cars, but also one of the most successful. 205 Turbo 16 won the WRC in 1985 and 1986. 205 T16's homologation car had nothing in common with the common 205 hatchback and was truly special.

Cost: In 2018, a 205 T16 sold for $156,800 at Amelia Island.