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Group B, Group S, and the Rally Prototypes That Never Raced

Audi’s Group S prototype was developed for the 1987 season but never raced. Its documented features illuminate one project, not every planned Group S car.
Entry276 Date Time2 min MechanicCarCody Team
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Group S was planned as a rally category for the era after Group B, but the class never reached competition. Audi’s own mid-engine Group S prototype was developed for the 1987 season and never raced. Its documented features are specific to that Audi project—not a template for every proposed Group S car.

What was Group S?

Group S was a planned rally category associated with the period after Group B. Audi describes its own prototype as developed for the 1987 season, but the available material here does not establish a complete official rulebook, a definitive cancellation chronology or a full inventory of proposed cars. That means Group S is best understood through documented individual projects rather than assumed class-wide specifications.

What is known about Audi’s Group S prototype?

Audi describes its car as a mid-engine rally prototype built around a tubular space frame, with plastic bodywork and a turbocharged four-valve engine. The company says it was developed for the 1987 season and never able to race. Audi later presented the car publicly at a rally event after three decades; its account calls that the prototype’s first public show at a rally event. Audi’s account of the Eifel Rally Festival 2016 and its 2017 event material document the prototype.

Did any Group S prototype ever race?

Audi’s prototype did not compete. That is the firm answer for this car; it should not be expanded into a claim that every Group S project had the same development history. The information available here does not establish a complete, authoritative record of every proposed prototype or whether any other project ran in testing.

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How does this fit with Group B?

Audi’s historical material says the final five-cylinder engine used in its later Group B rally cars produced well over 500 PS. That figure describes Audi’s engine, not every Group B car, and it does not establish a technical specification for Group S. Audi’s 2025 history of its five-cylinder engine provides the context for that claim.

What about the other never-raced projects?

The evidence available here is not sufficient to identify three prototypes reliably or compare their construction, engines, testing or competition status. In particular, Audi’s chassis and engine details cannot be applied to other manufacturers’ projects. A responsible three-car technical comparison requires primary manufacturer or FIA material for each named prototype; a definitive count of all Group S proposals is not established here.

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Further reading on Lancia’s projects

A review of a book about Lancia’s Group B cars discusses the ECV and ECV2 projects, offering a route into related prototype history. It is a further-reading lead, not confirmation of current retail availability or a source for a complete Group S inventory. Read the review of the Lancia Group B book.

Quick Recap

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