FAL

Like almost everything written about Group B, that site contains errors. One of the commonest is getting the cut off wrong. 2000cc GpB cars were not banned for 1987, only over 2000. It was 1988. Then 1600 cars, Then finally 1300 which meant the rest of GpB. It also implies the routine misunderstanding that GpB cars were all "supercars". A very small number of over 2000cc cars were. Virtually anything on 4 wheels made in sufficient quantities that could not comply with the exact prescriptions of GpN or GpA was eventually homologated in GpB. The FIA originally never intended rallies to run GpB cars. It was first seen only as a racing category, just as Gp4 originally was. Pressure from manufacturers caused rallies to include Gp4 categories/classes under the old Appendix J and GpB under the new for 1.1.82. Appendix J. The new Appendix J eventually saw the end of rallying as we knew it on the RAC rally etc. GpN and GpA were initially inadequate to cater for enough entries and Gps 2 and 4 had to be run on for 2 years. This was because Gps N and A favoured injected cars and excluded the UK Gp2 type "stick twin carbs on it and be reasonably competitive" type of international entry. I did 4 International rallies in a GpB car ( with one 3rd and one 4th in class) that was a very mundane vehicle with no relation to the sort of vehicles which are wrongly referred to as comprising GpB. We amateur international competitors hated GpB with a vengence.

The problem is the kit seems to be of one of the three "tarmac special" cars built for 1979 (although, seeing the last photo, the front spoiler seems to be that of a normal works car). Two were the striped Monte cars mentioned earlier and the third was used by Brookes on the 79 Circuit of Ireland and Manx in Andrews colours (and carried two different registration numbers in its short life - TWC234R on the Circuit and GVX489T on the Manx, but the same car). The 77 RAC cars were normal forest cars, not the lowered, changed wheelbase, ultra wide arched cars of this kit. So, sorry, it's totally wrong to depict it in BA colours.

The last photo (the larger arches) seems to confirm the kit (unlike the box art) is actually of the 79 Monte cars and is thus not the shape of the "ordinary" works cars including the 77 RAC Brit Airways car. A photo of the front (cut away spoiler sides) should confirm it. The 79 Monte engines had fuel injection. The 77 RAC cars had carbs (and no cross brace in the roll cage). VHK47S (like VHK74S, the other 79 Monte car) had an earlier existence as a "normal" works car before the registration was put on the new for 79 Monte car. WTW567S, the 77 RAC winner, is around today but is not the actual/original car. That was kept but was destroyed in a demonstration run much later on and another car was re-painted to represent it. So I'm afraid it now looks as if the kit is correct only for the 79 Monte cars and not any others. I competed in the 77 RAC and was present when Bjorn Waldegard made his emotional acceptance speech for the winner's trophy at York Uni the day after the finish.

Pleased to see the original kit being made as what it represents - a normal works Mk2 (although from 1977 onwards they were no longer "RS1800" as on the kit box but "RS" - an homologated car that was never seen on a production line). The 1979 Monte Carlo car the kit purports to be was not the usual spec works car but one of the "Alan Wilkinson tarmac specials". These were visibly different from all other works Mk2s. Most obviously, the arches and front spoiler were very different. The car was also rear biased by having the wheelbase moved forwards relative to the body shell. These changes are well know and were pushing the boundaries of what was allowed (beyond the limits in the view of many - but allegedly main rival Fiat were in no position to protest....). A fairly fundamental error by the kit manufacturer, quite apart from the underside depicting the two link rear suspension of the standard car rather than the works 5 or 6 link rear end. However, the rear arches of the photo of the actual kit in Brit Airways colours of the 77 RAC rally actually looks far more like the 79 Monte car, unlike the box art !