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MTM Audi A1 quattro brings Group B back

Audi tuner turns the Ingolstadt firm’s smallest model into a 1980s monster

Rallying’s Group B regulations were short lived but their impact has inspired generations of rally fans since.

Sadly, we’re unlikely to see a return to such freedom in regulations as spawned those mid-1980s monsters, but through the medium of aftermarket tuning we can at least get close.

Respected Audi tuner MTM has conceptualised just such a car in the form of the MTM A1 quattro Group B. The iconic colour scheme of the firm’s renders is something of a giveaway as to its inspiration, but there’s more to the car than an iconic yellow and white livery.

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The A1’s belligerent bodywork additions are the work of designer Roland Hall from South Carolina, and are not just a homage to 1980s rallying but directly influenced by Group B regulations.

At the moment, the project is still on the drawing table – but MTM has already penciled in a 421bhp engine. MTM chief executive Roland Mayer even suggests a 444bhp version, or the 493bhp 2.5-litre unit as fitted to MTM’s 201mph A1 Nardo Edition. A sequential gearbox might also be on the cards.

‘I could manufacture a small production batch if I could find ten enthusiasts who were prepared to pay around €120,000’ Mayer said, adding ‘there would be full certification for road use as an added incentive.’

It might not be enough to bring Group B back, but MTM’s Audi A1 might be as close as you’ll get without shelling out for one of the original street versions.

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