For many enthusiasts the golden era of rallying was the 80s, marked by the arrival of the technologically advanced Group B formula. The car that arguably started the Group B war was Audi’s Quattro and CAR tested the updated Sport Quattro for the January 1987 issue.
The Quattro was a menace on the world stage and, in the hands of one Sarel van der Merwe on the local front too – winning back-to-back titles in 1984 and 1985. But it wasn’t until Nissan beat Audi in 1986 that the local powers that be decided to go with the updated Sport Quattro for the 1987 season.
While Group B was banned from the World Rally Championship, the monstrous formula could continue virtually unchanged in South Africa – resulting in Geoff Mortimer being handed a 340 kW beast that accelerated from 0-100 km/h in 4,4 seconds and could hit its 196 km/h top speed in just 12,5 seconds.