Metro 8R4 – Group B legend with a V8 punch

02nd July 2017

Adam Wilkins

As the name suggests, this really is an eight-cylinder, rear-engined, four-wheel-drive Metro. And there were some perfectly logical reasons for swapping the Group B Metro’s usual V6 for a Rover V8. Well, as far as the word ‘logical’ can be applied to a modest hatchback with a massive engine wedged in where the seats should be.

After Group B rallying was infamously banned amid safety fears, some championships allowed the cars to continue to run. This car bought new by a Spanish privateer directly from Austin Rover without an engine. While it would have been perfectly possible to fit a V6, engine builder JE Engineering had plenty of experience of the V6’s fragility in hot and dusty condition. Why? Because it built engines for Paris-Daker 6R4s. For the Spanish gravel stages, it was decided that a more robust Rover V8 would be a better bet.

The car competed until around 1993 or ’94 and proved to be more competitive with the V8 than it had been with the V6. When it retired from rallying it remained in the original owner’s private collection until three and half years ago. Tim Bendle bought it from his friend, who had bought it from the owner, some while ago. It was only a few weeks before FOS that the car had been reassembled.

One hiccup during the rebuild was the gearbox. It was fitted with one of three prototype gearboxes that was known not to work in period – and so it proved in 2017. “The gearbox builder called me to say the good news is that the gearbox is in perfect condition, the bad news is that it doesn’t work,” says Tim. In went, a 6R4 gear set – which it presumably had during its competition years – and the transmission has been fine ever since.

So how does 8R4 compare with 6R4? “It feels identical in many ways as everything else is 6R4 other than the engine,” says Tim. “It’s extremely torque, much more so than the V6 but not as revvy. It gives the sensation of much better acceleration and you can’t really change gear quick enough.”

The car’s future now lies in outings such as FOS and other venues where the car can be seen in action. Tim runs Slowly Sideways, a non-commercial organisation that brings together old rally cars so they can be used and enjoyed. Head to the rally stage at Goodwood and you’ll see exactly what they’re about.

Photography by Tom Shaxson