If RM Sotheby's caught your attention when it added a pair of road-going Group B rally cars to its Villa Erba sale last month, you should see what rival auction house Bonhams has consigned for Monterey later this summer.
Bound to be one of the highlights of its sale at the Quail Lodge in Carmel during the eponymous Motorsports Gathering, is a collection of Group B rally machines from the 1970s and '80s – all from the same single-owner collection, all offered without reserve, and hitting the market for the first time in decades.
With Lancia having dominated the scene during that era, it should come as no surprise that there are three of the Italian automaker's gravel-churners present. There's a beautifully wedge-shaped 1975 Stratos HF Stradale, the a road-legal version of the machine that won the World Rally Championship in 1974, '75, and '76, with 7,835 miles on the clock.
This gem is joined by a 1983 Lancia 037 Stradale, the street counterpart to the last rear wheel-driven car to win the championship before all-wheel drive took over for good. The road model employed a supercharger instead of a turbo to improve response, with this highly original example bearing just 5,805 miles (9,342 km). Eager collectors will also find a 1985 Delta S4 Stradale, twin-charged and looking sinister in black with only 5,500 miles (8,851 km) logged.
Not into Lancias? There's a pair of mid-engined 1986 Ford RS2000s, two of only 200 made and one of them in even rarer Evolution spec. As if those aren't enough, the collection also includes an Audi Sport Quattro S1 and a Peugeot 205 T16, both from 1985, with the latter showing less than 700 miles (1,126 km).
They'll all be crossing the auction block on Friday, August 18, where they're each sure to make some vintage rally enthusiasts and collectors very happy indeed. Check 'em out in the extensive gallery below from Bonhams/P. Litwinksi.
Photo Gallery
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