Here's What It Was Like To Spectate A Real Group B Rally

Step inside the camera lens of a spectator at the 1986 Rallye Monte-Carlo as iconic cars fly by and break-neck pace.

By: Brian Silvestro

Dec 24, 2023 at 9:00am ET

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The Eighties were a magical time. The Rubik's Cube was new. The Titanic was discovered. And Formula 1 cars used turbocharged engines that could make over 1,300 horsepower in qualifying trim. The Eighties were also the golden age of stage rally, when big-power Group B cars dominated tree-lined back roads throughout Europe.

This television broadcast from the era published to YouTube by the Passats de Canto channel gives us a first-hand look at what Group B racing was like, circa 1986. Taken straight from the sidelines of the 1986 Rallye Monte Carlo, we're treated to iconic cars like Audi's Quattro, Peugeot's 206 T16, Lancia's 037 and Delta S4, and many more as they carve through the snowy mountain roads of southern France.

In addition to all of the on-road action from the cars, we get to see Italian-language interviews with drivers, mechanics, and team principals. We also watch teams work on cars and prep for fuel and tire stops. It's a fascinating look at how stage rally operated when it was just as popular as Formula 1.

This event would be the last Rallye Monte Carlo for Group B. Numerous spectator and driver deaths throughout the series' history would come to a head at the Tour de Corse rally later that season, when driver Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto were killed after their Delta S4 left the road. Just hours after the crash, FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre banned Group B cars from competition for 1987, marking the end of rally's most epic era.