Artcurial Auction Of Group B Sale Sees Highest Price Paid For A Rally Car
1988 Audi Sport quattro S1
Artcurial’s Parisienne sale on the 5 February 2021 saw the highest ever price paid for a rally car with the auction of Group B legends.
The cars have come from the Manoir de l’Automobile in Lohéac, France which belongs to friends Michel Hommell and Olivier Quesnel. This was quite a collection of well preserved and lightly used cars and to find them in this condition is rare. The Audi is as close to a new one as you can get.
The sale took place over the traditional Retromobile show week, which this year has been delayed. The sale still went ahead at the Hôtel Dassault, Paris with bidders all over the world joining in through the live platform.
The 1988 Audi Sport quattro S1 sold for a record € 2,016,600 or $ 2,424,911 which is the highest price ever paid for a rally car. This example has only covered 1000 km from new and was built to take part in Michele Mouton’s newly created Race of Champions. With the car comes a file detailing the purchase invoice, the production date, confirmation of mileage and the Race of Champions event.
It has had an engine rebuild when a turbo failed in the early 2000s, but otherwise is in remarkably original condition.
1985 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2
The 1985 Peugeot 205 T16 was another record breaker at € 977,440 or $ 1,175,347, representing the highest price ever paid for a 205.
The car at auction is chassis number C209. The registration documents and numbers were often shared amongst cars and it could be difficult to identify which car is which. However, chassis C209 was entered in the 1986 Swedish Rally with the World Champion Timo Salonen. At the time it carried the registration No. 709 EXC 75. The car retired with a split oil filter seal whilst leading the event.
The car was then registered with 239 FWH 75 and used in the 1986 Tour de Corse for Saby and Fauchille. Saby won nearly all the special stages and overall victory.
C209 was then used as a development car for Valeo to test its automatic clutches. Later returning to its tarmac rally specification.
1986 Lancia Delta S4
This rare works survivor of the Lancia Delta S4 is another well preserved example from the museum and another ex-Bruno Saby car.
Chassis no. 227 competed in 1986 with Miki Biasion finishing second in the ‘Memorial Bettega’ as an official entry registered TO 52127 F.
The cancellation of Group B led to the car being used in the French Rallycross Championship.
Saby said; “After Group B, the manufacturers scaled back their programmes, and in 1988 I therefore had the idea of taking part in the French Rallycross Championship and setting up my own team, Grenoble Sport Auto. Lancia helped me, as did the Hommell Group, which was the instigator of rallycross in France. And with Cesare Fiorio’s agreement, we were able to pick up an official Group B Lancia.” It was number 227.
According to Olivier Quesnel, who was running the Hommell Group at the time, “it was intended to go to one of Fiat’s directors, but he agreed to sell it to us, as he believed cars were meant to be used.”
“Throughout the season, I had been battling against Guy Fréquelin, an old friend and rival, who had a 205 T16. The last round was held at Trappes and we had five wins each, so this last race would be decisive. In rallycross, starting in the lead is essential, as afterwards it’s impossible to overtake. Well, the 205 had an extremely powerful Pikes Peak engine and Guy went into the first corner ahead of me. We were bumper to bumper throughout the race and he crossed the finish line half a bonnet’s length in front of me. That was a season we’ll always remember!”
Selling for an impressive € 810,560 or $ 974,678
1986 Ford RS200
The RS200 was Ford’s brilliant, but late to the party, Group B effort. Arguably the most sophisticated design Group B rally car it was never able to produce the results it was likely to be capable of. Time would tell, but unfortunately time ran out.
This particular car placed third on the Swedish Rally with Kalle Grundel which was the best result achieved by an RS200 in the WRC. It then went on to take part in the Rothmans Circuit of Ireland, where it retired and then to win the Audi Sport Rally with Stig Blomqvist.
A Norwegian enthusiast bought the car to use in Rallycross but hadn’t due to the car being an older model. Olivier Quesnel bought the car and put the car into the museum.
The car sold for € 381,440 or $ 458,672.
1985 MG Metro 6R4
This British registered Austin Metro 6R4 has been owned by the museum since 1989 and is in remarkably good condition. The 6R4 was driven by Didier Auriol to win the French Rally Championship in 1986. A championship that was decided on event wins as both Auriol and Renault 5 Maxi driver by François Chatriot had the same number of points.
Didier Auriol complained a lot during the beginning of the season that the car was right hand drive. So, before the end of the season and as can be seen in period photographs of the Rallye du Var in November, the car had been converted to left-hand drive. This left the dashboard in front of the navigator with only a large rev counter in front of the driver. This feature being unique to this car.
At the end of the 1986 season, the car had effectively become obsolete and was put into storage. Michel Hommell bought the car on the 10 May 1989. There are no gaps in the car’s history, and it is in exceptionally good condition.
1985 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo
The Renault 5 Maxi Turbo was the most powerful of all the 2WD Group B cars produced with 250 bhp and 311 lb/ft of torque. Regulations stipulated that 200 cars had to be built for sale, with 20 being available for rallying. So, Renault, with its limited budget built all 20, but half of them assembled dry, with no fluids, and then promptly stripped for parts.
It was with this car that the famous Spanish driver Carlos Sainz would compete in the Spanish Rally Championship wearing registration VA 4650 M. It would seem that this car was used in the latter part of the 1986 season in which Sainz won four and came second in four rallies. He finished as the runner up overall.
The car then went into rallycross with French driver Guillermo Barreras, an official FASA Renault driver. The Maxi was fitted with a driven front axle to convert it to 4WD. Barreras entered the car in the Spanish Gravel Rally Championship in 1988 coming second and again in 1989 coming fourth. He restored the car to 2WD spec and putting it back into the colour scheme Sainz used, he sold the car to Olivier Quesnel in July 1990.
The Maxi sold for € 667,520 or $ 802,676 making it the most expensive Renault 5 ever.
1985 Lancia 037
This Group B pioneer was the championship winning model in 1983. Built to Abarth factory Evo 2 spec for 1983 – 1986 Group B competition.
As with many competition vehicles of the time the complete history is difficult to verify as many cars shared the same registrations. This particular 037 has had the bulkhead cut away and re-welded, which is where the chassis number lives. Thus, making it impossible to verify its complete identity.
Lancia first presented the 037 in October 1981. The car had a monocoque structure with tubular sub-frames at front and back. Fitted with the Fiat 131 Abarth’s 16-valve 4-cylinder, longitudinally mounted, engine and armed with a mechanically-controlled Abarth compressor. The car was light and compact and was the first real Group B car making its debut during the 1982 season.
The car was bought for the museum in 1990 and has remained there ever since.
Selling on the day for € 548,320 or $ 659,341.
1984 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16
At the other end of the Group B scale were the homologation road cars. This French registered 200 series car was bought by Matthieu Leandri and entered into the 1985 Tour de Corse.
With the ever increasing budget required to keep a car like this competitive he sold it on to another enthusiast on the Côte d’Azur. From 2004 to 2007 the car was then owned by an enthusiast from the Puy-de-Dôme who had the engine rebuilt and the car repainted in Peugeot Team Sport colours.
The car went for sale with Artcurial in the 2017 Retromobile sale and Matthieu Leandri’s son learned about it and bought the car. Whilst the Evo 2 spoiler and team colours were different, the car retained its period details. The bolted roll cage and interior remained unchanged since 1984.
It was decided to restore the car to its 1985 Tour de Corse specification. More than 15,000 euros was spent to repaint it completely in its original Winchester grey.