Getting your hands on a cared-for Group B rally car is getting harder and harder, especially if you’re looking for a top notch example, but this MG Metro 6R4 is a gem.
With only 3,100 miles (4,989 km) from new and without seeing any actual rallying or track auction, is one of the best maintained rally cars ever to cross an auction block.
Strange as it may sound, this 1985 machine was never raced or rallied because it was the original Rothmans show car. Thus, it was mainly used as a display car at shows and for occasional demonstrations.
This is as close as you can get to an almost fresh, out-of-the-box Group B legend. Okay, maybe the MG Metro 6R4 wasn’t the most glamorous or successful Group B racer ever made, but it has all the ingredients to satisfy a petrolhead. It’s rare, it has four-wheel-drive and a mid-engine layout, while its 2991 cc 6-cylinder boasts up to 410-horsepower.
To top it off, its development had been entrusted to Williams Grand Prix Engineering and the engine used some the Cosworth DFV architecture. Unfortunately, the 6R4 never managed to complete a course in its lifespan, as the majority suffered engine problems. To make matters worse, in 1986, the only season attended by Rover, the Group B era came to an abrupt end due to a series of fatal accidents.
The car will go under the hammer at the Coys auction at Autosport International, and although a price estimate for the car wasn’t disclosed, it is estimated at around 200,000 pounds.
In any case, if if rally cars aren’t your thing, the same auction features over 60 classic and historic road and race cars, including a 996 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup complete with proven racing pedigree. It won in Silverstone and Indianapolis in its debut season at the Porsche Supercup Challenge with Henzler Wolf behind the wheel and finished fourth in the championship.
Not interested in motorsport at all? Well, a 1974 Ferrari Dino, which has been in the same family for the past 36 years, may get your attention then.
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