If this video doesn’t make you cringe at minimum or wreck your undies at maximum you’re tougher than us. The footage comes from the early 1980s, the era of the Group B rally car, machines so powerful and dangerous they were banned from competition. In this footage, Finnish rally legend Ari Vatanen pilots an Opel Manta 400 though some streets barely wider than the car at speeds that boggle the mind.
His co-driver is along for the ride, calling out the corners and course notes as they careen through the countryside. You MUST pay close attention at the 1:40 mark when the car pitches sideways and appears to be headed for certain doom. The situation is bad enough that the stiff lipped co-driver exhales, “Dear God!”. Watch it slowly and you’ll see that the car misses the side of a bridge by what seems to be millimeters.
Not shocking, but Vatanen was a World Champion and a Pikes Peak winner back in the day as well.
This kids, is driving!
PRESS PLAY BELOW FOR SOME SERIOUSLY CRAZY DRIVING SKILLS!
The “Dear God!” is hilarious…
Imagine group B with todays tech Insane
Group B was probably the peak of insanity as far as racing goes. How there wasn’t dozens of spectators killed at every event, is more a testimony to the skill of the drivers, than the intelligence of the spectators.
One of my favorite rally videos of all time! – they still run this stage every year here on the isle of man, an its crazy. an its a public road.