Grp A cars 1987 - 1996

[OldF]

My attention was to put both Grp A and WRC in the same post but the text was to long so I divided it in a Grp A part and a WRC part (coming soon).


As there have been discussions about makes attending and possible makes attending the new WRC series, I made a list of the history from the group A and WRC cars that have been there. I put on the list only 4WD cars unless some 2WD have a win in a WRC event.

Most 4WD makes attending during the group A era was 6 in 1990 and 1991 but in both years only 3 of them got a win. Most (4) different makes won in 1989.

Most 4WD makes attending during the WRC era was in 1999 – 2002 (7). Most (5) different makes won in 2001.

From the list (in the WRC part) you can see for example that it was in 2006 when Subaru’s problem started.

Lets hope that the new WRC format (1.6T) will bring in more manufacturers and also more different winners compared what we have today (2 manufacturers of which the other one get the most wins).

As a source I used the excellent wed site www.juwra.com (http://www.juwra.com/) that is worth visiting. If I remember right the administrator of this web site is a Finnish forum member but I can’t remember who is it. But anyway, a great web site.

PS Looking at the home page it seems be Jonkka.

1987: ............................ WINS
Lancia Delta HF 4WD..............9
Mazda 323 4WD.....................1
Ford Sierra XR4x4..................0
Audi 200 quattro...................1
Subaru RX Turbo....................0
Volkswagen Golf Gti (2WD)......1
BMW M3 (2WD).....................1

1988: .................................................. ....WINS
Lancia Delta HF 4WD, Lancia Delta Integrale.......10
Mazda 323 4WD..............................................0
Toyota Celica GT-4 (ST165)..............................0
Subaru RX Turbo............................................. 0
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth (2WD)..........................1
Nissan 200SX (2WD)........................................1
Opel Kadett Gsi (2WD).....................................1

1989: .................................................. ...............WINS
Lancia Delta Integrale, Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v......7
Toyota Celica GT-4 (ST165).......................................1
Mazda 323 4WD............................................... .........2
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4................................................2
Renault 5 GT Turbo (2WD)..........................................1

1990: .................................................. ..............WINS
Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v.....................................6
Toyota Celica GT-4 (ST165).......................................5
Mazda 323 4WD............................................... ........0
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4..............................................1
Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4..........................................0
Subaru Legacy RS................................................ ....0

1991: ............................................WINS
Toyota Celica GT-4 (ST165)..................6
Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v.................6
Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4.......................0
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4...........................2
Mazda 323 GT-X..................................0
Subaru Legacy RS................................0

1992: ......................................... WINS
Lancia Delta HF Integrale.....................8
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (ST185).........5
Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4.....................0
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.........................1
Subaru Legacy RS...............................0

1993: .................................................. .......WINS
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (ST185).......................7
Ford Escort RS Cosworth...................................5
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo I......................................0
Lancia Delta HF Integrale...................................0
Subaru Legacy RS, Subaru Impreza 555................1

1994: .................................................. ...............................WINS
Ford Escort RS Cosworth.......................................... ...................2
Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (ST185), Toyota Celica GT-Four (ST205).....5
Subaru Impreza 555............................................... .....................3
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo I, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II...............................0

1995: .................................................. ................................WINS
Subaru Impreza 555............................................... ......................5
Ford Escort RS Cosworth.......................................... ....................0
Toyota Celica GT-Four (ST205), Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (ST185)......1
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III..............................2

1996: ........................................WINS
Subaru Impreza 555..........................3
Ford Escort RS Cosworth...................1
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III....................5

[Barreis]

This's good work..

[jonkka]

As a source I used the excellent wed site www.juwra.com (http://www.juwra.com/) that is worth visiting. If I remember right the administrator of this web site is a Finnish forum member but I can’t remember who is it. But anyway, a great web site.

PS Looking at the home page it seems be Jonkka.

You do remember correctly, I am forum member. ;)

[Mise]

1992 Mitsu Galant
1993 Mitsu Lancer Evo I

Is the LAncer Evo I the first Lancer and how can that be an evolution. Should there first be just a Lancer and
after that can there be The Evo I.

[Mirek]

There was no sport car called just Lancer in that time. That was just ordinary family car. Sport versions started with Evo I.

[Mise]

thanks Mirek

[RICARDO75]

]There was no sport car called just Lancer in that time. That was just ordinary family car. Sport versions started with Evo I.

I think the Mitsubishi from 1993, was the Lancer GSR

[janvanvurpa]

Hej Gamla Finn-djavul!
To give a better idea, even if it a bit more work, maybe show the numbers not just wins but say top5 or top 10....

Then we see if there was the feeling of more variety...
I mean even if 3 door and 4 door Sierra Cosworth didn't win a lot, they were a constant presence near the top and an inspiration (I'd say! there's a 4x4 Ford Sierra rally car parked right over there in my driveway...)
See what i mean?
Okej, get back to work!
kiitos, Gamling!

[Josti]

I think the Mitsubishi from 1993, was the Lancer GSR

I think it was RS, and then it went on to evo 2, 3 etc. The 70's Lancer was called GSR.

[Josti]

Hej Gamla Finn-djavul!
To give a better idea, even if it a bit more work, maybe show the numbers not just wins but say top5 or top 10....

Then we see if there was the feeling of more variety...
I mean even if 3 door and 4 door Sierra Cosworth didn't win a lot, they were a constant presence near the top and an inspiration (I'd say! there's a 4x4 Ford Sierra rally car parked right over there in my driveway...)
See what i mean?
Okej, get back to work!
kiitos, Gamling!

Plus the RWD Sierra Cosworth was basically a Touring car! It did suit rally good though, especially on asphalt, but overall not much chance against specialised 4WD cars from Lancia and Toyota.

[Barreis]

First coverage that I watched was 1992 on ScreenSport.. THAT WERE THE DAYS!!! :)

[RICARDO75]

I think it was RS, and then it went on to evo 2, 3 etc. The 70's Lancer was called GSR.

http://www.terra2imports.ca/import-japan120867278174356.htm
http://jdmic.com/MITSUBISHI.html
http://imports.mparam.com/vehicles/LANCER%20GSR%20EVOLUTION.cfm

Yes, it was Lancer GSR Evolution

http://imports.mparam.com/vehicles/lancer/fullsize/04_fs.jpg

[JFL]

GSR is road model and RS was spesificly made for rally..(less luxury and lower weight) But both were used..

[Comal]

Here in NZ the GSR's were 1800cc and the RS was the 2000cc 'rally' version as stated above.

[janvanvurpa]

Plus the RWD Sierra Cosworth was basically a Touring car! It did suit rally good though, especially on asphalt, but overall not much chance against specialised 4WD cars from Lancia and Toyota.


Yeah the 2nd and 3rd places that Mr World Champignon Blomqvist and Vatanen did at '87 1000 Lakes was not much chanse against the damn wonderful Lancias.

Funny though as soon as the Ford got 4wd, they were fine on gravel just as the Subie Le-gassy (Americans say the flat 4 sounds like a "farting elephant" hence the nick name "Le gassy") and the Misterbitchy Gaylant ( I'll leave that alone) we quite good--and still are--on gravel, but the length and especially the overhang was bad on continental asphalt.

As we heard Juha k. say just recently after his nice ride in the Fucus: "Not so fast the motor........but everything else!!!"

[dimviii]

1992 Mitsu Galant
1993 Mitsu Lancer Evo I

Is the LAncer Evo I the first Lancer and how can that be an evolution. Should there first be just a Lancer and
after that can there be The Evo I.

all the generations of evos had rs and gsr versions,from evo 1 to evo X. :)

[OldF]

Hej Gamla Finn-djavul!
To give a better idea, even if it a bit more work, maybe show the numbers not just wins but say top5 or top 10....

Then we see if there was the feeling of more variety...
I mean even if 3 door and 4 door Sierra Cosworth didn't win a lot, they were a constant presence near the top and an inspiration (I'd say! there's a 4x4 Ford Sierra rally car parked right over there in my driveway...)
See what i mean?
Okej, get back to work!
kiitos, Gamling!

Hejsan på dig på andra sidan av sjön.

The data is in such format that it can be very time consuming to edit but let see if I can figure something out. But if I succeed with it, the results must in another format because as you could see the columns was as we call it “juosten kustu”.

Terve taas svedu

[janvanvurpa]

Hejsan på dig på andra sidan av sjön.

The data is in such format that it can be very time consuming to edit but let see if I can figure something out. But if I succeed with it, the results must in another format because as you could see the columns was as we call it “juosten kustu”.

Terve taas svedu

Okej
The reason I suggest that is because if you lived thru that time and of course I did--hell i was around in Gp4 days-- (even if i was busy burying my head in mud from one end of Europe to the next every week) --the impression I recall from then was of LOTS of different brands and teams participating, but being an 'gamling' I know that my "then" impressions were at the time not always right.

So yeah just after GpB days we did wonder OK, which Lancia Intergrale driver is going to win, but we "knew' there were Fords and Renaults and Maz-dogs and Opels and then Toyota etc and we knew it was just a matter of time---and in any case the Lancia total dominance was just at WRC level where each car had a platoon of mechanics swarming over it every service.

What I'm getting at is after all these years I've come to the idea of what exactly"maintains" the curiosity and interest in Rally for "draivers", co-"draivers", the whole damn crew and speccies and I conclude it is the "uncertainty of result".

And of course now when only 2 brands have even tried the uncertainty part is devalued...
And so some of us get more excited about F-cup where there is some uncertainty of just how many cars will they "park' in this one corner?