APEX PREDATOR Group B is often hailed as the golden era of rallying, producing some of the most powerful rally cars to ever take to a special stage and fostering a previously unheard-of level of development and innovation.

No car or manufacturer exemplified that better than Audi and its game-changing quattro.

The Ingolstadt outfit is credited with bringing four-wheel drive to the rally stage, and its revolutionary design delivered no fewer than three Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World Championships by 1984.

But while it held the advantage over rear-drive competition, the car was also overweight and nose heavy.

In an effort to stay ahead of its rivals—development of Lancia’s S4 having begun in 1983—Audi introduced the Sport quattro in 1984.

Despite its prodigious power output, the shorter-wheelbase car was difficult to handle and drivers struggled.

Eventual 1984 World Champion Stig Blomqvist even avoided using the new car until he had one hand on the trophy.

The situation led to t...