Well here goes......... I will post a few pictures up of what I have bought...This will be a tricky build that will take some time to complete but I'm up for a challenge.... I have managed to 'find' a complete set of origonal panels from the Vauxhall/Opel group (b) S Astra/Kadett 4x4 rally car from the mid 1980's.. The aim is to recreate one of these cars to as near as is possible.. For anyone who doesnt know what one of these is here is a little history.
By mid the 1980's rally cars competing in the group b formula were fantastic machines. You needed 4wd and around 500 bhp in a car weighing less than 1000kg to be competetive. To be able to compete in group b a manufacturer needed to produce 200 cars that were basically the same as the rally car. This was a very expensive way to go rallying as most of the cars would remain unsold.. Even Opel couldn't afford to commit to this but a new formula (group s) would replace group b in 1987.. To enter this a manufacturer need only build 10 specialised cars to be eligable. Opel/Vauxhall designed the Astra 4s/ Kadett 4x4 for this. Unfortunately group b and group s were banned from rallying from 1987 onwards. Opel had built 4 complete cars and had enough spares to build the other 6 when this happened. They had entered 2 cars in the Paris Dakar rally of 1986 to test the basic car. They used the 2.4 Opel manta 400 engine with around 250 bhp and the x trac transmission designed by Mike Endean and were beefed up to cope with the rough conditions so were relatively heavy but were competetive whilst they ran.
When the project was cancelled John Welch bought as much as he could back to the UK to continue to use in the British Rallycross championship as he was running one already.. Opel crushed everything else that was left
So only four origonal cars survived, the 2 Paris Dakar ones, the one that Opel kept which has a Ford Zakspeed 1.7 turbo engine in (the first one made) and the supercharged manta 400 engined one that Vauxhall Heritage have. John Welch had also built the one that he used in the Rallycross championship..
I will have to check again with my source but only 3 are still around I think.. One was broken up and the transmission put in another car.. Vauxhall heritage have the supercharged one, Opel have the Zakspeed engined car hidden away and one of the Paris Dakar cars is in Jersey with a certain individual.. The other may still be around, well the shell anyway ( it was last seen in Sweeden).. I will try to confirm this info
Onto my project... Whilst it could be possible to replicate one of these cars the cost would be rather expensive. A gearbox and associated hydraulics is around £50 000.. My plan, unless a fairy godmother appears, is to use a 4x4 system from a doner car.. Calibra Turbo or Sierra Cosworth 4x4.. I think the Ford system is favourite as the layout is much like the Xtrac in layout (only) ie the engine is mounted north/south and the front diff is mounted towards the front of the engine which makes the weight distribution more balanced.The Vauxhall layout is really fwd with the engine forward of the front diff/driveshafts which makes the weight biased towards the front and compromises the handling. Whilst the Astra 4s was based around the mk2 shell it doesnt share any of the suspension components or wheel positions. The 4s shell only uses the roof, door apetures, hatch apeture, and windscreen..The rear wheels are actually further forwards than a mk2 Astra and the track of the car is much wider. What we are going to do is to use parts of a ford floorpan and also to spaceframe the shell (the factory shells are spaceframe). Its a massive job but i will suceed or die in the attempt Anyway a few pictures....
The panels were found in some bushes...
The last picture is how it will look when its done....
By mid the 1980's rally cars competing in the group b formula were fantastic machines. You needed 4wd and around 500 bhp in a car weighing less than 1000kg to be competetive. To be able to compete in group b a manufacturer needed to produce 200 cars that were basically the same as the rally car. This was a very expensive way to go rallying as most of the cars would remain unsold.. Even Opel couldn't afford to commit to this but a new formula (group s) would replace group b in 1987.. To enter this a manufacturer need only build 10 specialised cars to be eligable. Opel/Vauxhall designed the Astra 4s/ Kadett 4x4 for this. Unfortunately group b and group s were banned from rallying from 1987 onwards. Opel had built 4 complete cars and had enough spares to build the other 6 when this happened. They had entered 2 cars in the Paris Dakar rally of 1986 to test the basic car. They used the 2.4 Opel manta 400 engine with around 250 bhp and the x trac transmission designed by Mike Endean and were beefed up to cope with the rough conditions so were relatively heavy but were competetive whilst they ran.
When the project was cancelled John Welch bought as much as he could back to the UK to continue to use in the British Rallycross championship as he was running one already.. Opel crushed everything else that was left
So only four origonal cars survived, the 2 Paris Dakar ones, the one that Opel kept which has a Ford Zakspeed 1.7 turbo engine in (the first one made) and the supercharged manta 400 engined one that Vauxhall Heritage have. John Welch had also built the one that he used in the Rallycross championship..
I will have to check again with my source but only 3 are still around I think.. One was broken up and the transmission put in another car.. Vauxhall heritage have the supercharged one, Opel have the Zakspeed engined car hidden away and one of the Paris Dakar cars is in Jersey with a certain individual.. The other may still be around, well the shell anyway ( it was last seen in Sweeden).. I will try to confirm this info
Onto my project... Whilst it could be possible to replicate one of these cars the cost would be rather expensive. A gearbox and associated hydraulics is around £50 000.. My plan, unless a fairy godmother appears, is to use a 4x4 system from a doner car.. Calibra Turbo or Sierra Cosworth 4x4.. I think the Ford system is favourite as the layout is much like the Xtrac in layout (only) ie the engine is mounted north/south and the front diff is mounted towards the front of the engine which makes the weight distribution more balanced.The Vauxhall layout is really fwd with the engine forward of the front diff/driveshafts which makes the weight biased towards the front and compromises the handling. Whilst the Astra 4s was based around the mk2 shell it doesnt share any of the suspension components or wheel positions. The 4s shell only uses the roof, door apetures, hatch apeture, and windscreen..The rear wheels are actually further forwards than a mk2 Astra and the track of the car is much wider. What we are going to do is to use parts of a ford floorpan and also to spaceframe the shell (the factory shells are spaceframe). Its a massive job but i will suceed or die in the attempt Anyway a few pictures....
The panels were found in some bushes...
The last picture is how it will look when its done....
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