In the mid-1980s, the 'Group B' race category of the World Rally Championship inspired the wildest, most powerful rally cars ever built. The MG Metro 6R4 was born out of this short-lived turbocharged era and Austin Rover's optimistic thirst for motorsport success after the TR7 V8 and TR8 rally cars had hung up their competitive boots. The entire project was the brainchild of Austin Rover Motor Sport Chief, John Davenport. Davenport decided to follow the lead of Audi's revolutionary permanent 4WD transmission, and once the green light was given, he collaborated with the best engineering brains in the land. Patrick Head and John Piper from Williams F1 were brought onboard as not only were Williams the best F1 team at the time but they were also sponsored by the company.

In December 1982 the finished prototype was delivered to Cowley for in-house development to begin. However, it wasn't until 1984 that the 6R4 was introduced to the press in order to quell increasing speculation surrounding the project. Beneath its skin, the puny A-Series engine/front-wheel-drive package was replaced by a David Wood-designed 3-litre, 90-degree V6 situated behind the front seats and driving all four wheels. Twin-cam cylinder heads modelled on those of Cosworth's Formula 1 DFV V8 engine ensured the 6R4 was a true giant killer.

The car appeared in two guises. There was a so-called Clubman model, a road going version developing approximately 250bhp, of which around 200 were made and sold to the public. A further 20 were taken and built to International Group B specifications. However, in 1986 Group B rallying was scrapped after a series of fatalities among drivers and spectators. Just as teething problems were being ironed out, the 6R4 was denied any chance of glory on an international stage.

Happily, that was not the end of the story and, with the help of the various governing bodies, detuned versions (the capacity was limited to 2,500cc) of the 6R4 were allowed to continue rallying at a national level - something they do with great success to this day. They also achieved a stellar career in Rallycross.

The 6R4 presented here (substantiated by a 6R4 expert and documented in a corresponding e-mail from 2002 to a previous owner - a copy of which is in the car’s history file) is one of the original batch of 200 cars assembled for Group B homologation between August and October 1985. It confirms that the car’s chassis number was SAXXRWNP7AD570052 and its 6R4 number was 061 (all as per they appear on the car’s chassis plate, number tag and V5C). The records state that the engine was fitted on the 14th September 1985 and the car was allocated to the Sales Department on 13th October 1985.

Skip forward to 2018 and this car, 061, was bought by our rally-enthusiast vendor, and between him and his son (who also campaigns a WRC Fiesta), it has done numerous events (demos/hill climbs – which the previous owner also did with a sprint/hill climb MSA logbook) and is very well-known, being a highly regarded example in 6R4 circles.

The history of this particular car is interesting, with information provided by our vendor, it has ownership continuity from new. In 1987, Ted Toleman (former principal and founder of the Toleman F1 team) acquired two 6R4s, cars 052 & 061 - 052 was selected to be modified. Having given up on F1 in 1986 when he sold his team to Benetton, Toleman decided to become involved in Endurance Rallying instead, with the aim of becoming the first British team to win the Paris-Dakar. After competing in the 1987 event with a Range Rover, the Toleman Group returned for 1988 with the modified Metro 6R4 to be driven by World Hot Rod Champion Barry Lee and Toleman himself. Known as the TG88 Metro Raider, the ugly brute was widened and lengthened by 8.5" to make it more stable and the highly-strung V64V engine was replaced with a JE Motors-tuned 3.9-litre Range Rover engine producing 230bhp. Unfortunately, it was disqualified at the end of the first day after exceeding the time limit (their support truck failed to reach them in time to start the next stage).

To be able to use this TG88 Metro Raider (052) in the Paris-Dakar, he attached to it the registration ‘E577 CWC’, whether this was done officially or not, but it's often the done-thing in motor racing. The car presented here, 061, the sister-car of this Metro Raider (052) today officially wears the registration E577 CWC (as per its V5C) and the car’s original ID tag (denoting) 6R4 061 and BL chassis plate all correspond and, as mentioned, are supported by the e-mail from the 6R4 expert.

Importantly, car 061 retains its original Clubman-spec shell and is fitted with an International Spec engine (Goodman Racing unit) and a dog box’. Like most race/rally machinery this car has had a life, with parts replaced, updated and adapted for use over the years, often being sourced from specialists, including John Price Rallying. It has always been owned by 6R4 enthusiasts, with one restoring it back to standard pristine condition and subsequently using it as demonstration events.

The car is today in fine mechanical fettle and has, pleasingly, retained many original features over the years - real testament to the previous owners’ dedicated custodianship. It has been little used in the last few years. The underside particularly appears unmarked and is in fine condition. Indeed, when Top Gear wanted to do a feature on the 6R4, the production team approached a previous owner of car 061, who was more than happy to oblige and lent the car to the programme in which it was driven by Richard Hammond (photo attached on the Top Gear set).

With Group B rally cars now hitting the £500,000 mark, British Leyland's answer to the factory cars from those elite manufacturers now looks incredible value.