![]() The rules for the evolution cars also mandated that the cabin section had to remain identical to the homologated road car. In Group B, these were still permitted but the difference was that any modification to some of the major parts (such as engine displacement, aspiration type, overhang, spoiler add-ons, etc) automatically qualified the car as an “Evolution / Termination” (ET) model, to which the regulations stated that the production of the car model used for homologation had to be terminated. It had allowed them to produce and use special racing parts on their cars by masquerading them as dealership “optional parts”. The new evolution “ET” rules were meant to somewhat control the old “VF/VO” (parts manufacturer variant / parts option variant) rules that the manufacturers exploited in Group 4 to greatly enhance the performance of a normal production road car. ![]() LEFT: Homologation Version / RIGHT: Evolution Version If this was something the manufacturer was interested in doing they needed to build a minimum of 20 more cars to homologate any “evolution” models into competition. This would allow an additional 10% of the total number of cars produced to receive special modifications specifically for racing. In addition to the one-time batch of 200 homologation cars, the FISA introduced major revisions to the previous Group 4 “Evolution” (E) feature, now called “Evolution / Termination” (ET) under Group B regulations. While some manufacturers were very proud of showing off their cars by lining up the 200 units side by side on a huge expanse of tarmac, others were rumoured to have used trickery with various double-counting schemes.įor the complete Group B homologation list and papers, CLICK HERE! After completion, FISA officials would then be invited to physically count the cars. Thus, most cars were often roughly finished, somewhat unreliable, and unpractical for daily use. Many of the homologation road cars were designed by the rally teams themselves and not by the manufacturer. HOMOLOGATION 200 Citroën Visa Trophée lined up at the Heuliez plant for homologationįor a Group B car to be accepted in sanctioned competition, manufacturers had to produce a minimum of 200 identical units within a 12 month period. You can view the complete period FIA “Appendix J” by choosing either of these options (Group B regulations were identical from 1982 to 1985, limitations to aerodynamic overhangs and the prohibition of aluminium roll cages were implemented for 1986) Not doing this correctly would handicap the car in one way or the other. The rest of the chassis and suspension could therefore be set up to run the properly sized tires within the class limits. The best way to maximise a Group B car was to make it as light as possible so that its weight closely matched its engine displacement class minimum requirement (taking into account the 1.4 forced induction multiplier, if applicable). Maximal tire width combinations for one side of the vehicle – staggered setups allowed Īs such, when building the cars, Group B engineers had to approximate the race weight of their designs in harmony with the engine choice to properly set the cars up for the specific weight and tire classes. The adjusted figure was used to determine minimum weight requirements and maximal tire width combinations for the particular model. Meaning that, in example, a twin-charged Lancia Delta S4, although it had a 1759 cc engine, would get a final cc rating of 2463 cc. The FISA (FIA) mandated that forced induction engines (with a turbocharger, supercharger or both) would get a multiplication factor of 1.4 to calculate their “final” engine displacement figure. ![]() Group B cars were divided into 4 different classes pertaining to their “final / adjusted” engine displacement This rule can be credited with the forceful Group B homologation of low-powered cars with high production numbers such as the Peugeot 504 Pickup and other supermini models that had very small cabins. It is notable to mention that Group A & N had a minimum interior space requirement for homologation and if that figure wasn’t met the car was automatically transferred into Group B. All of the rest was mostly free minus specific basic safety requirements.Run a maximum tire width combination calculated via engine displacement (x 1.4 for forced induction – see list below). ![]()
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