Group B-est

Back in the '80s, the world was exposed to one of the most exciting eras ever in motorsport — Group B. In summary, Group B was a set of FIA regulations that was applied to both rally cars and sports cars.

Unlike the Group A ruling that it replaced, Group B had minimal technology and design restrictions and only required two hundred road-going units for homologation.

Even though cost and some heavy crashes forced the curtain on the Group B action, the competition was spectacular, as was the resultant technology that filtered down to road-going customer cars. Of all the Group B cars that danced on the international motorsport stage, two constantly rank up at the top of the pile — the Audi Quattro and the Porsche 959.

Setting the pace

The Quattro set the pace on the world rally stage in the hands of legends like Walter Rohl, Stig Blomqvist and Michelle Mouton while the 959 rose to the top of the pile in 1986 on the grueling Pars-Dakar. Initiated by the legendary Jack Ickxx, the 959 took a 1-2 for the Porsche brand. Group B was about building a race or rally car, then cobbling up around two hundred road cars to make them legal.

Group B cars were never built to be practical commutes or comfortable cruisers. You know the cars I’m talking about — think back to your bedroom or the artwork lining any workshop’s wall in 1986. That’s right, those monsters were the business and the lineage to these two beauties you see today.

So enter the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, which in this case was loaned to us by a friend as Porsche failed to return numerous phone calls when we tried to contact them for a test car. Yes, these are four-wheel drive, mid- and rear-mounted rockets, but they aren’t Group B specials.

In fact these two beauties represent the other end of the scale because they are purpose-built road cars that have a more than athletic disposition. When I say road cars, I mean it. Both the Porsche and the Audi are built to eat up the twisting tarmac ribbon on your favourite weekend route, to eat their way around the track and potter down to the country club in some heavy traffic.

Practicality race

As a daily commute, the Porsche takes the stakes in the practicality race. With wide opening doors and only slightly bucketed seats, access to the cockpit is not much different to a family saloon and some rear seats even allow you to stuff a pair of really small kids in the back. A reasonably sized boot, at the front of the car of course, holds ample groceries, briefcases and laptops.

The interior is also specced impressively with automatic air-conditioning, a powerful entertainment system that features a high-res colour display, radio, CD and onboard computer. Optional navigation and a logbook function put the Porsche in line with modern luxury saloons.

Audi also comes to the party with the interior niceties, but falls down slightly in the practicality department because of the low-slung entrance and high sill and side padding.

Like the Carrera 4S, the R8’s finish is exceptional. Both are relatively understated with a classy mix of leather and silver trim, but the Audi is a touch more racy with the likes of carbon-fibre and a traditional supercar-look metal H-gate. No back seating space limits the R8 to a two-seater, but Audi claim you can fit two sets of golf clubs behind the seats.

Like the Porsche the boot is situated in the front of the car. In the spec department Audi packs a good standard punch with the likes of a 140 watt audio system, deluxe automatic air conditioning and a driver information system that even gives the driver an integrated stopwatch for taking lap times.

A range of customisation options are available and options like parking system with integral rear-view camera and the Bang & Olufsen sound system make the R8 competent and comfortable.

Styling is obviously a debatable and opinion-based factor in choosing your practical performance car favourite, but by daring to move away from the appearance of the TT, Audi take the cake here. That said, Porsche must also get points for sticking to its guns and carrying the same silhouette across from the ‘60s.

R8 undeniably more aggressive than the rear-engined legend Porsche. Removable side panels, that channel air to the mid-mounted engine, are easily changeable and give the side view a shark-gill look, while the front view is amped up by day-time running LED lights. The rear also gets LED illumination and in a first for a production car, all-LED headlights are an option.

Carrera 4S is still a work of art though, and thanks to some smoothly sculptured arch flares and twin-arm side mirrors, still looks athletic. The Porsche is just too common now and doesn’t stand out in a crowd.