Description

In six short years, four-wheel-drive cars changed the face of rallying, transforming the performance, the looks, and the handling capabilities of the modern rally car.

It all happened so quickly. Ten years ago there were no four-wheel-drive cars on sale in Europe. Five years ago Audi’s new Quattro started making its mark in World Championship rallying. By the mid-1980s, no competitive rally team could afford to be without a four-wheel-drive rally car, or the highly-paid Superstars needed to drive them.

There was a complete revolution in rallying, at all levels, and in all aspects. The sport which had once encompassed standard-looking saloons became a high-technology exercise, and costs rocketed. Rally cars became so fast that few special stages could really handle them in complete safety, and spectators were no longer able to relate to them.

In 1986 what should have been a phenomenally exciting battle between major manufacturers, with 400bhp/500bhp Group B Supercars, was marred by several horrifying accidents, and the development of all such cars was immediately brought to an end by the authorities.

Although this book acknowledges the dangers of using the latest Supercars, it also salutes the amazing advances made in a very short time. It is a complete, mainly technical, story of how four-wheel-drive rallying became dominant, and of the way the various manufacturers produced unique layouts. It also indicates how these advances may be useful for road cars of the future. At the same time the speed, the glamour, and the spectacle of modern rally cars is brought vividly to life. Rallying Revolution is a complete story of the 1980-1986 period.

Hardback in generally very good condition with good dust jacket.