Video: Spa 1982 – Group A arrives at the 24 hours
Just looking at the grid forming up for the 1982 Spa 24 Hours in the video below will tell you just why we're putting on a high-speed demo of Group A touring cars at the 75th Members' Meeting next month. The huge lineup of legendary touring cars is simply spectacular.
The Group A formula truly arrived when the European Touring Car Championship adopted the regulations set out by the FIA for the latest generation of touring and rally cars. That same year the Spa 24 Hours returned to the ETCC's roster and the stage was set for a mighty battle between BMW, Ford, Jaguar and more.
It would be BMW who came out on top, in fact they locked out eight of the top ten positions after the clock had passed 12 twice, with the eventually championship-clinching 528i (which Andrew Jordan track tested a few weeks ago) taking all those positions.
But the result of the first Group A race at Spa didn't truly show how awesome the next few years would become; years which you can read about here in Paul Fearnley's history of the era, and watch them at the 75th Members' Meeting!
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