So I've never made a secret of the fact that Group B rally cars are a bit of a passion of mine. The sheer insanity of the whole thing just grabs you and never lets go. The anger in the sound of the engines from Audi, Peugeot and Lancia, the charisma of talented drivers like Tony Pond, Walter Rohlr, Ari Vatanen, Juha Kankkunen and many others, all of it combined is like the best dish at the best restaurant in town. I personally can never get enough of it.
So it goes without saying that I've done more than my fair share of searching on Youtube for Group B videos. More often than not they end up being inconsistent at best, and with Euro-trash disco pop as background music at worst. Anyways, my personal favorite is a selection of edits from way back when. The coolest thing about these videos is that they are not just about the cars. It shows the environment in which they performed. It shows the fans that came out in droves to support their favorite team or driver. It combines background music of the era, with good edits and a wide range of shots. It is, in my opinion, probably the closest you could get to actually being there, because the car footage alone is one thing, but if you were there you'd have seen the rest. The fans, the kids, the beautiful women of Portugal, support vehicles, the beautiful landscapes. All is here for your enjoyment.
And so, enjoy the show. There are seven videos here, but many are just a few minutes long so don't be intimidated. My own personal favorites are numbers two and five, but feel free to form your own opinions.
_WRS
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6
Video 7
Showing posts with label group b. Show all posts
Showing posts with label group b. Show all posts
August 1, 2009
Video Post: Audi Turbo Insanity
So I was over on oneighturbo.com and was reminded that I do in fact like Audis. I just don't like a lot of the more modern ones, but back in the 80's, man did they have it right. Is there a better sound than a huge horsepower, high-boost turbo 5-cylinder ripping along at 8,000 RPM? Probably not.
Case in point: The 100 yearsof Audi at the Donauring video. It reminded me of two things. One, Walter Röhrl is probably top three, if not the best driver alive, two, how can you not be impressed with the old Ur Quattro and the Trans Am racers of the 80's. Man. I get chills just thinking about it. I was thirdly reminded of a video I favoritie'd over on youtube years ago, and go back and watch occasionally just because it's awesome. It doesn't matter how many times you see Walter Röhrl sliding the short wheelbase Sport Quattro through the curves, just inches from the lunatic Group B fans who are spilling into the road, (1:20 in) it reminds you of what skill it takes to be a real race car driver.
No traction control. No ABS. No sequential transmissions. None of the driver aids upon which everyone is so reliant on these days. There is also no cheesy dance music, just pure unadulterated angry Audi bliss. By the way, I happen to know why the Audi 5-cylinder sounds so incredible. Thanks to the notes which the Audi straight five produces, it's essentially the same exact sound that you get from playing a heavy power chord on an electric guitar with the 3rd added in. To give you an idea of what the hell I'm talking about, check out this song called Avon by Queens of the Stone Age. Listen to the guitar tone on the main chord progression which starts at 27 seconds in.
If there was a song equivalent to an Ur Quattro going flat out at Portugal in the 1985, Avon is it. It's got the heavy riff with the aggressive, but musical chords. It has the explosive drum track, with the heavy snare hits are equal to the anti-lag popping off at every shift and change in throttle position. Loud, in your face, sounding like it might take your head off, but ultimately seducing you with the harmony.
Where was I? Oh yeah...how I actually do love Audi cars. The other favorite is the IMSA Audi 90 GTO. It was basically the engine from the S1 Quattro rally car, making even more power, something stupid-crazy like 720 or so, in a wide, wide, insanely wide Audi 90 silhouette. (Tube frame chassis though) Speedhunters did a really solid write-up on this car back in May. Worth reading, as I say... You want pure unadulterated insanity? Check out the in-car clip with Hurley Haywood behind the wheel of the slightly less powerful, (510hp) but similar Audi 200 in 1988:
And one of the GTO in 2008...
...and another of the Audi 200 from 1988, which is probably the best of the bunch. I mean Radar Love? Does it get any better than that, or more 80's excess? And the Audi Trans Am cars, much like the rally cars, were certainly excessive. The spiritual heirs to the Group 5 Porsche 935's, or perhaps the 917/30.
That's so awesome I think I might go buy one just because...forget about project Scirocco Madness, I'm doing an Audi 90 Quattro project.
Hmm....maybe an Audi 5-cylinder Scirocco shelled AWD insanity machine? No...better yet the 2.5 from the Mk5 Rabbit, turbo, built internals...maybe FWD to start and then AWD later on down the road. Now where's that winning lottery ticket? Robert, you think we can start on this once the Bus is done? =)
_WRS
Case in point: The 100 yearsof Audi at the Donauring video. It reminded me of two things. One, Walter Röhrl is probably top three, if not the best driver alive, two, how can you not be impressed with the old Ur Quattro and the Trans Am racers of the 80's. Man. I get chills just thinking about it. I was thirdly reminded of a video I favoritie'd over on youtube years ago, and go back and watch occasionally just because it's awesome. It doesn't matter how many times you see Walter Röhrl sliding the short wheelbase Sport Quattro through the curves, just inches from the lunatic Group B fans who are spilling into the road, (1:20 in) it reminds you of what skill it takes to be a real race car driver.No traction control. No ABS. No sequential transmissions. None of the driver aids upon which everyone is so reliant on these days. There is also no cheesy dance music, just pure unadulterated angry Audi bliss. By the way, I happen to know why the Audi 5-cylinder sounds so incredible. Thanks to the notes which the Audi straight five produces, it's essentially the same exact sound that you get from playing a heavy power chord on an electric guitar with the 3rd added in. To give you an idea of what the hell I'm talking about, check out this song called Avon by Queens of the Stone Age. Listen to the guitar tone on the main chord progression which starts at 27 seconds in.
If there was a song equivalent to an Ur Quattro going flat out at Portugal in the 1985, Avon is it. It's got the heavy riff with the aggressive, but musical chords. It has the explosive drum track, with the heavy snare hits are equal to the anti-lag popping off at every shift and change in throttle position. Loud, in your face, sounding like it might take your head off, but ultimately seducing you with the harmony.
Where was I? Oh yeah...how I actually do love Audi cars. The other favorite is the IMSA Audi 90 GTO. It was basically the engine from the S1 Quattro rally car, making even more power, something stupid-crazy like 720 or so, in a wide, wide, insanely wide Audi 90 silhouette. (Tube frame chassis though) Speedhunters did a really solid write-up on this car back in May. Worth reading, as I say... You want pure unadulterated insanity? Check out the in-car clip with Hurley Haywood behind the wheel of the slightly less powerful, (510hp) but similar Audi 200 in 1988:And one of the GTO in 2008...
...and another of the Audi 200 from 1988, which is probably the best of the bunch. I mean Radar Love? Does it get any better than that, or more 80's excess? And the Audi Trans Am cars, much like the rally cars, were certainly excessive. The spiritual heirs to the Group 5 Porsche 935's, or perhaps the 917/30.
That's so awesome I think I might go buy one just because...forget about project Scirocco Madness, I'm doing an Audi 90 Quattro project.
Hmm....maybe an Audi 5-cylinder Scirocco shelled AWD insanity machine? No...better yet the 2.5 from the Mk5 Rabbit, turbo, built internals...maybe FWD to start and then AWD later on down the road. Now where's that winning lottery ticket? Robert, you think we can start on this once the Bus is done? =)_WRS
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