Group B MG Metro 6R4 History

[MG Rover Sport]

Originally Posted by ollyuser

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone had any info or pictures of a gloplas 6r4. It ran with sof 406 number plate and was driven by andy sharam and ade jefferies around 1988/89/90. Any info would be great :-)

Thanks
Olly Jefferies

Good evening Olly, and an equally warm welcome to Ten Tenths to you too!

I know the car well, as I recall watching it in Andy's / Ade's hands during the 1988 and 1989 Esso Metro Superchallenge amongst others. It was first registered D316 CVJ which was later changed to SOF 406 (or SO F40 6) due to Andy Sharam having ordered a brand new Ferrari F40 at the time!

In fact you must remind me to your father - assuming that's what relationship Ade is to you? Tell him David Sims says 'Hi, and I hope he is keeping well? I am still keeping a track of all the 6R4s, but it's nowhere near as fun as the Superchallenge / 6R4 Owners Club days!'

I'd be interested in what his reaction is?

I'll see if I can find some photos and get them uploaded over the weekend.

[ollyuser]

hi david,

Yes i just spoke to him and he remembers you :-) i past on your regards. He is not involved in rallying anoymore but its always nice to have old photos and i suppose it brings back the good old days.....Found a few things on youtube but not much.

I know its not a 6r4 but after the 6r4 Andy bought david llewellyn's toyota celica, any pictures or info on where i could find some of this would also be appreciated.

Cheers
Olly

[ollyuser]

hi david,

My dad just sent me an email and asked for me to copy and paste it on to the forum......

Hi David

I do remember you well, a very keen and informed 6R4 expert I recall, good to see you have not lost interest in these great cars.

A bit of history on our car and Mr Sharam, Andy was my teams sponsor for many years and in 1987 decided he would “have a go” he did have some motorsport experience but the team did have a bit of a laugh when he told us he was going to buy “one of those 6R4’s”. He had the last laugh, with a team already in place Andy took the metro and mastered it very quickly, in 1987 we entered 7 rallies and won five of them including the very first rally he ever contested, the following year it was the Metro Super Challenge, we also went on to the win the BTRDA national series in 1990.

The Metro days were some of the best of my rallying career, we had a great team and really enjoyed the comradeship and the events, it was a real privilege to be part of the metro scene at the time, as a clubman its rare you get the opportunity to experience such a fantastic and exhilarating machine, my memories of sitting in the car through some of the classic welsh and Yorkshire stages is something that will stick with me for ever.

Someone on the forum asked about the death at round one of the super challenge in 1988, this was my good friend Dave Adams, the man who got me in to co-driving, it was a very dark day that Sunday at Longleat, apart from Dave’s driver Steve Whiteford I was probably one of the last people to speak to Dave, we were all parked up at the start of the stage and Dave was asking me about the stage, I remember saying to him to be careful at the end and ironically that’s where they crashed, like I said very dark days and something that cast a shadow over that season.

Andy is still around, still loves his motorsport like me I hung up his helmet quite a few years ago.

Adrian Jefferies co-driver for Andy Sharam

[Gerry Taylor]

Originally Posted by MG Rover Sport

Good evening all, apologies for my somewhat lengthy recent absence, and here's wishing you all a belated Happy New Year!...

...if anything's going to get me posting again it'll be a 6R4!

G177 AWL actually started life as one of the 'production' Clubman versions, but was later modified by Bill Gwynne Engineering (BGE) in 1989/90 for a client in Guatamala as a Rothmans liveried left hand drive tarmac rally car replica - so no actual David Richards Autosport (DRA) history I'm afraid. You are indeed correct with your Rothmans registration numbers, KA - although DRA only borrowed C869 EUD from Cowley for Billy Coleman to use on the 1986 Shell Donegal Rally.

G177 AWL was exported out there by BGE along with Harri Toivenen's Unipart liveried ex-works car C96 KOG for the guy to have a little fun with around his plantation, apparently! Lucky Guatamalian!

Both cars were advertised for sale on an American classic car website for quite some time up until the last year or so - G177 AWL for a stonking $200,000 (approx £124,000 now), and C96 KOG was $250,000 (approx £155,000 now)!

I reckon that's where the photo above was taken as they are located on the Las Vegas strip - am I right Gerry?

Hope that helps.

Hi, sorry for the delay in responding. This car is in the Motor Museum on the Strip in Las Vegas, along with quite a few others, all are for sale. Owned by a millionaire collector theyre displayed in a really good area above a hotel. If anyone visits L V it's well worth a visit.
Gerry

[KA]

Apologies if it's already been answered, but a question about the 6R4 seen in the Ayrton Senna rally car test in CCC Magazine- According to pics, it was C64WDU.
http://www.racecar-engineering.com/i...5ef8efb7e3.jpg
Was it loaned by Austin Rover themselves or a private owner- it's got ARG logos on the front/rear wings, so possibly a factory demo car?. The number plate rings a vague bell from somewhere...

[MG Rover Sport]

Apologies for my delayed response but I have been somewhat busy I'm afraid. I am going to have to be quick again as I don't have much time at the moment.

Olly - many thanks for copying / pasting your father's comments. They were nice to hear and bought back quite a few memories of the 'old' days. I'll get some photos scanned in and uploaded for you which will hopefully bring back a few memories for your Dad.

Gerry - many thanks for the confirmation.

KA - C64 WDU was indeed the works test / press car. In fact on the original registration numbers fitted to the car, there was a very small 'R' placed between the '6' and the '4' making it 6R4. It was used by various magazine contributors over the 1985-87 period including being driven by the likes of Andy Dawson, Pentti Airikkala as well as the late great Ayrton Senna. These articles appeared in a variety of publications including Motor, Autocar, Motoring News, Cars & Car Conversions, Car, etc...

...it is now being rallied by Phil Lilley and appeared on the recent 2010 Dukeries Rally complete with Austin Rover stickers from the period.

[KA]

Thanks David- that probably explains why the number rang a bell, I've probably seen one of those original test articles recently while looking for BTCC stuff in old mags.

Found a few 1988 rally pics, plus some more rallycross stuff- will post them later

[33JOY]

Originally Posted by KA

Just had a look at the '86 RAC entry, which has to have been the biggest number of 6R4s ever to start a single rally, at international level at least. I count no less than 13!

4. Tony Pond/Rob Arthur: Works/Computervision (C95KOG)
10. Malcolm Wilson/Nigel Harris: Works/Computervision (C99KOG)
14. David Llewellin/Phil Short: RED/Computervision (D750PDM)
15. Jimmy McRae/Ian Grindrod : DRA/Rothmans (C749LFM)
17. Per Eklund/Dave Whittock : Konrad Schmidt/Clarion (N-CM467)
19. Marc Duez/Willy Lux : Works/Belga (C868EUD)
20. Harri Toivonen/Neil Wilson: RED?/Unipart (C98KOG-works or RED-run car?)
23. Tony Teesdale/Greg Horne: Teesdale/Repco (MT8217-New Zealand entry)
34. Alastair Sutherland/Peter Watts: CBC Motorsport (C869EUD- works-loaned car?)
35. Willie Rutherford/Bryan Harris: RED/Sanyo/Comet (C998LCA)
36. Ken Wood/Peter Brown: Wood/Golden Wonder (261GWC)
37. David Gillanders/Ken Rees: Gillanders Motors/Austin Rover Fleet (C670JSU)
58. Geoff Fielding/John Robinson: RED/Sanyo/Comet (C288JFM)

The 'official' entries (Pond,Wilson, Llewellin,McRae,Eklund,Duez,Toivonen) all appeared on the entry list as 'Austin Rover World Championship Team', irrespective of which team ran the actual car.
Even this armada couldn't couldn't match Pond's 1985 result, but they monopolised the lower end of the top 10- Pond 6th, Eklund 7th, McRae 8th and Llewellin 9th. Wilson was 17th hving lost a lot of time- don't remember whether it was mechanical problems or an 'off'. Neither Duez, Toivonen or any of the privateers made it home

Can anyone confirm that C869 EUD started the '86 RAC? Photo anyone?

I only ask because when quizzed about this recently by a mate of mine Alistair's recollection was of being loaned a 'works' engine only - and cursing the fact that he used it in place of his own when it blew up at the start of the event.

Thanks

Peter

[MG Rover Sport]

Good evening Peter, and I trust you are keeping well? Oooopps, I forgot to clarify my identity...

...it's me, David Sims here!

I have always been led to believe that it was indeed C869 EUD that Alistair used on the 1986 Lombard RAC Rally.

In fact, I have not only seen mention of the fact in pre-rally features, photos in post-rally reports, but I have also seen it mentioned in lists of individual MG Metro 6R4 histories made by certain individuals connected to Austin Rover Motorsport at the time!

I'll try and dig out a photo from the period as 'evidence' for you Peter.

[33JOY]

Thanks David. Rest assured that I wasn't questioning your encyclopaedic knowledge, it was just a little surprising when Stuart L told me that the car's driver (Alistair) had no recollection of using a loaned car (just an engine).

Peter

[MG Rover Sport]

No problems at all Peter - I'll dig something out over the weekend.

[KA]

Hi David- if it helps, I've got Rally Sport magazine's 1986 RAC report to hand- For anyone who doesn't remember Rally Sport in the 80's, it used to really go to town on covering the RAC, with the main part of the report (about 30 pages in this issue!) given over to a car-by-car listing of every starter and their fortunes on the rally, and a pic of each one

Their entry for the Sutherland Metro is:

Originally Posted by RallySport Jan '87

34 Alistair Sutherland/Peter Watts, GB. 3.0 MG Metro 6R4 GpB 4wd.
(CBC Motorsport, Shell, Dunlop, Lucas 20-20, Hammonds Furniture)
The British National Champion was equipped with one of the new 1987-specification 300bhp engines, but this sadly only lasted one stage. The cam belt stripped on the road section before SS2.

So no mention of a works-loaned car, but it suggests what could be a works-loaned engine.
The accompanying pic is of the car leaving the rally start at Bath, and the reg number C869EUD is just visible on the bonnet...
It's a fairly small b/w pic, and I don't think it'll scan too well

[FastDB2s]

Just a little thing, me & my mate were on the top of a Welsh Mountain miles from anywhere at a stage with a couple of other people, about 1984/5 when Malcolm Wilson was driving the Works Computervison 6R4.
He pulled up at the end of the stage with red raw & blistered hands, I think the power steering was playing up or something, so he jumped out & asked for a pair of gloves, my mate said to me ' you've got your race gloves in your thick coat pocket from your last race a few weeks ago, give them to him' so I did, he thanked me & drove off.
Never did ask him to give them back !
Chris - Four Ashes

[FastDB2s]

I should have said it was the RAC 1984/5
Chris

[andy97]

A couple for sale here (scroll down): http://www.autocollections.com/index...&tab=inventory

Not sure about some of the blurb, though!

[KA]

Found a few more 6R4 pics:

First up, another Lydden rallycross shot- one of the cars I've been looking for, Aidan Creegans 'Creegan Properties' car, pointing in a slightly odd direction at Lydden- I'm guessing recovering from a spin?

I think Creegans car was also sometimes seen with 'Bank of Ireland' sponsorship?

IIRC Creegan's Metro was the ex-Brian Bell C84RBD (the third car to carry that plate, not the original DRA/Rothmans car)

Can't quite make it out for sure from this pic, but did it still have part of the red/dark blue/light blue stripes of Bell's 'Bell Leisure/Funland Skegness' colourscheme in Creegan's ownership? I've got a vague memory of it at least having the stripe over the roof

[KA]

Talking of Brian Bell, some of the few rally 6R4 pics I ever took include this one of C84RBD at Newcastle Civic Centre at the start of the Centurion Rally in May 1988.

Unfortunately I don't have any stage action from the event- IIRC I spent the rest of the day in the library at Newcastle Poly- with an essay deadline looming, a Saturday in Kielder was out of the question..... Fortunately, as the rally start at the Civic Centre was just across the road, I was at least able to take time out to get some pics at the rally start and finish.

There were 4 other 6R4s out on the Centurion that year- in entry list order (though as a BTRDA round, it employed reverse seeding, with the top cars starting last) the Metro contingent was:

3: Bill Barton/Don George D999VFW
7: David Williams/Wayne Goble D809EBJ (Is this the same David Williams who was involved in supporting the early career of Richard Burns?)
9: Rick Holmes/Phil George (Enterprise Racing) D990KHA
11: Brian Bell/Phil Mills (Bell Leisure Group) C84RBD
30: Richie Holfeld/Drexel Gillespie (Bill Gwynne Engineering/Holpak) E498KHU.

According to my notes in the event programme, Bill Barton won from the Mk2 Escorts of Vince Chapman and Richard Mawson. I've got pics of Barton at the finish, but haven't scanned them yet. I think I've still got the 'Rally Sport' issue with the report for this one, so might be able to fill in what happened to the other Metros

[caprisport]

We have now desided to sell this car and all the parts we have for it.
This is the genuin mcrae/colman c84 RBD rothmanns 6r4.
The car is in norway and still in the glomma papp colors as seen on the photo.
Vidar@
Viko Racing

[DRS 28]

Originally Posted by ollyuser

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone had any info or pictures of a gloplas 6r4. It ran with sof 406 number plate and was driven by andy sharam and ade jefferies around 1988/89/90. Any info would be great :-)

Thanks
Olly Jefferies

Hi Olly,

I am Andy Sharam's brother David. I think I have some home video of the gloplas car either taken by Andrea or Austin. From faint memory it is shot in farmland somewhere and is of a stage or stages in a rally. It will take some digging out but if of interest can commit to a dvd and post on to you. It is by absolute fluke I came across your post as had not visited this site before and was looking for info on another subject.
Hope your Dad is well. He may remember me.
rgds, David all the info ref. the toyota and F 40 are correct.

[Sherlock]

Hello again to you all, after a long work related absence from cyberspace, (don't you just hate it when work interferes with motor sport?) I have now been able to resume my search for 6R4 photos. By chance, I found this amongst some old negatives, the quality is not good, as it was I think taken with some kind of instamatic camera. This 6R4, C729HOF, was photographed, on display at RAF Finningley, S.Yorkshire, Saturday 20th September 1986. I hope it's of interest, the search continues!
Kind regards to you all,
Rich.

[billycooper]

early 6R4's on tour of cumbria

1984
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@N02/5100104468/
1985
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1678887...7611422894664/

[Gary Critcher]

Just a quick note, I have a brand new DVD available. It's previously un-seen professional footage from the 1986 RAC Rally. So lots of 6R4's!
More info here : www.racrallydvd.com

[KA]

Originally Posted by KA

There were 4 other 6R4s out on the Centurion that year- in entry list order (though as a BTRDA round, it employed reverse seeding, with the top cars starting last) the Metro contingent was:

3: Bill Barton/Don George D999VFW
7: David Williams/Wayne Goble D809EBJ (Is this the same David Williams who was involved in supporting the early career of Richard Burns?)
9: Rick Holmes/Phil George (Enterprise Racing) D990KHA
11: Brian Bell/Phil Mills (Bell Leisure Group) C84RBD
30: Richie Holfeld/Drexel Gillespie (Bill Gwynne Engineering/Holpak) E498KHU.

I think I've still got the 'Rally Sport' issue with the report for this one, so might be able to fill in what happened to the other Metros

From the Rally Sport report:

• Barton won by 3 seconds from the Chapman and Mawson Escorts
• Williams retired after losing time with a succession of problems- a puncture, losing the exhaust and finally a broken gear linkage
• Holmes posted the first retirement of the event, barely getting a mile from the Civic Centre before stopping with 'an obscure electrical problem'
• Bell finished 14th after what the report described as a 'somewhat leisurely performance,venturing only occasionally into the top 10 stage times'
• Holfeld finished 24th after struggling with engine management problems which meant the car wouldn't pull much beyond 5000rpm all day

The report also mentions that several regular BTRDA 6R4 pilots (including Donald Milne and Pete Slights) missed the Centurion, some of them because of a date clash with the Scottish Championship Autofit Stages- won by David Gillanders' Metro from one Colin McRae in a Nissan 240RS and Donald Milne's 6R4. Other Metros on the Autofit were the cars of Jim Carty 7th), Kenny Dorans (8th) and John Baird (DNF)

Flicking through the rest of the mag, to give an idea of the number of cars in action at that time, a few other 6R4s are pictured, including:

• Paul & Brent Bennett- (reg no. not visible)- won the K&N Filters Rally (EARS/Motoring News Championship). The entry for this also included John Price's 6R4 (DNF) as well as Jeff Churchill's RS200 and Tony Worswick's Ferrari 308.
• John Price/Mike Bowen (D630BFD?) winning the Promenade Stages at New Brighton
• Russell & Donald Hale (D111BEG) winning a Poachers MC rally
• Kenny Dorans (D376COS) a publicity pic showing off new 'Elf Oils' sponsorship on his black Metro
• Steve Palmer and Will Gollop at the final round of the Lydden Rallycross Winterseries, won by Barry Hathaway's Metro

[billycooper]

Couple of pics from the 1985 National Breakdown Rally, the car was featured in the Winning Streak TV series and on this event was driven by Colin Malkin

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@N02/5145234237/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@N02/5145834252/

[KA]

Originally Posted by billycooper

Couple of pics from the 1985 National Breakdown Rally, the car was featured in the Winning Streak TV series and on this event was driven by Colin Malkin

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@N02/5145234237/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16788879@N02/5145834252/

IIRC ITV filmed on a few events for 'Winning Streak' during the 1984/5 seasons, as well as collecting a number of rally cars & drivers together for some location filming. Apart from the Metro (and I think a Mk3 Escort, which might have also appeared for filming purposes on the National Breakdown- sure there was a pic in Autosport), most of the other cars were loaned by various UK drivers and teams.

There was an article in Autosport at the time about the series- there was an accident scene involving an Ascona 400, for which the TV crew had to build a replica of the actual car borrowed for filming. Think the series was shown in the Autumn of '85?