Colin McRae Metro 6R4 at Barkaways
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2020
- Since the start of the year Barkaways have been recommissioning this iconic ex-Colin McRae Metro 6R4 Group B rally car. Watch as Ian discusses the car and its history and gives an insight into some of the work undertaken in bringing it back to its best, before taking this road legal beast out on to the road!
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I don’t think you could be a Petrol head from the 80’s and not be able to appreciate these cars. Thanks for sharing
I don’t think you could be a petrol head PERIOD and not be able to appreciate these monsters. Cheers!
@@samsonian took the words right out of my mouth 😀
@@samsonian I was born 89 and I love all the rally cars from the 50s onwards. In fact out of most production cars the 50s 60s 70s and 80s are my favourite
@@ItzJigz187 You have good taste sir.
WORD UP
You’ll never beat the experience of Group B going through the Welsh forests in the middle of the night..... WRC is good but them days were exceptional. The Lombard RAC in the 80s would pass through our valleys and it was a 10 minute ride up to the forests. It’s hard to describe the feel of being there and seeing your first Group B car being driven in anger, mine was Mikkola in the Audi S1 Quattro. That was the very first stage win for Mikkolas Quattro chassis 10# (1985 Rhigos SS13)
Hi, Richard! Yep! :-) I did most of my viewing in the Yorkshire forests, and the night stages were truly thrilling. As you say, Group-B was special. You'd hear these monsters literally a mile away. Standing in the mud or the snow or the rain, first you'd see the lights, then hear the marshals' whistles, then all hell would break loose. Fantastic!
The engines were utterly unmistakable - I've yet to hear a better sound than a Quattro driven in anger, but the bellowing 6R4 was brilliant, too. A few years previously, the Lancia Stratos was a big favourite.
Ah, happy days for petrol-heads, eh?
too true group b in sweet lamb and all the other stages in the 80,s five days aswell great times
Check out VHS Rallies on you tube
@@150rents I always thought Haffern was better could never get on with sweetlamb maybe that has something to do with having a skoda wheel hub and driveshaft almost flattten me on therer
Keilder and Dalby won ;-)
I remember standing in Craigvinean Forrest in Perthshire at the McRae stages rally. Colin drove this 6R4 through first as the course car, absolutely flat out over the blind summit I was standing near never lifted at all! Every other competitor after him dropped at least one gear at the same spot. 'If in doubt flat out!' An absolute legend.
I was there too standing at a hairpin right and Colin was so much faster than any other car was amazing to see 🏴
@@BobsYirUncle even though he wasn't officially timed as he was the course car I was told he was fastest over the stage by a huge margin.
Spectated on the 93,94 & 95 RAC's, his runs through Hafren were insane, remember Sainz dropping to 5th for a right hander and Colin didn't lift in 6th... on the night time stage.
Just sadly no longer with us 😢
I grew up near Cambridge and was a regular visitor to Marshall’s with my Triumph Dolomite Sprint on the rolling road,she had skimmed head,polished ports,quick rack,Lsd and a Jamspeed full exhaust system. I remember extremely well watching the Metro 6R4 on Rally stages and being completely blown away by it and it’s performance,saw one on the Rolling road once and omg that thing was awesome. Great to see that you have done this for such a iconic Vehicle and such a legendary Driver. Top work guys. ❤️
I grew up between the Kielder and Hamsterley forest stages of the old Lombard RAC rally and several teams used to use my parents' business yard as a service point. There was always a great atmosphere - the cars were usually there around dark, heading to a night stage. I don't remember having a 6R4 in the yard but I definitely remember the noise of one of them (Tony Pond's I think) accelerating from a standing start from the crossroads below my parents' place on its way towards Kielder. I also got to stand next to Markku Allen's S4 (ridiculously loud). I didn't realise how much 'future history' was around me at the time.
Good to see the old car back on the rd ...i was lucky enough to work on this car i built the exhausts on it 💪
Hi, William!
We'll call you The TIG! ;-)
Some say... he welds with lasers.. Some say... he -
what a machine!
Sir you did a fantastic job on the exhausts ......That sound is the best of any I have heard
@@EleanorPeterson Some say his welding gloves are fashioned from fairy wings, and that if you look into the blue light you'll be turned into Moon dust 👀🤔
Hi William. Must say you did a crackling job on the exhaust system,must be good knowing you worked on such a amazing machine. My Dad worked on Gloster Meteors and worked on every moving part of them and I know he would have loved to have got his hands on the 6R4 but he did help me a lot with my Triumph Dolomite Sprint 😁😁
I remember following the RAC rallies from late 70s through the 80's. I was gobsmacked when I saw the metro 6r4 decked out in golden wonder livery. The sheer sound of this car was immense.
Iconic cars with legend drivers, vattenan, Jimmy McCrae, Blomquist , mouton and toivenenen. Great memories.
And of course the great Tony Pond
Always loved the Metro 6R4 and I remember watching these in their hey day.
I miss the Group B cars. They were literally F1 power sliding along dirt roads.
I remember coming home from work years ago and heading home up St Albans Road in Watford and seeing one of these at the traffic lights. He launched at Green and was gone in a flash, the sound of these cars is amazing.
The nearest I got to one as a lad was a remote control one my brother had in the famous "Computervision" livery.
Superb guys seeing this 👍
Tony Pond hammered the Delta S4's in one of these back in the day, a fantastic and often forgotten works driver from British Leyland, great video lads
Remember Tony also campaigning the TR8 and SD1. If it had wheels on, he could make it go fast.
Nearly forgot, he also managed to grab the first (I think) 100 mph lap of the Isle of Man in a car.... a Rover 800 !
@@mikebutler6308 Don't forget the Lotus Sunbeam with Ian Grindrod in the navigators' seat.
@@mikebutler6308 Yes mate, there is some footage on the tube of Pond with a Rover Vitesse, stock apart from some super soft tyres hammering the TT circuit, I think this was in the late 80's not long before he succumbed to cancer, his lap record stood for years and took a very hot Impreza to beat it. He was one of the greats from his era but mostly forgotten, which is sad.
If by hammered you mean finished 3rd behind 2 S4's then yes.
I met the owner at a car meet on Saturday. He's turned up at the previous event in the 6R4 and I'm gutted I wasn't there. A real piece of motoring history. Saturday he turned up in his F40, which wasn't too bad a replacement :-) He is a lovely chap and it's clear he gets enjoyment out of other people seeing his cars. He said he's not the type of person who keeps them locked up in garages. He said he drivers the F40 a couple of times a week. I first saw it about 4 months ago, slowly driving round a mini-roundabout in Lingfield. I was gobsmacked to see it on the road, as I'd never seen one in the flesh before, and then to see it at the car meet on Saturday was superb. He let my young son, and his friend sit in it and I took a few photos. See the engine up close and inside was unreal, it is singed on the drivers door sill by Michael Schumacher, unbelievable.
The nicest thing about this video is the fact your son got to drive one of your heroes.
That’s special.
I think we can perhaps all agree though that it took an exceptional talent to get these cars to do what they did in the most challenging of circumstances on arguably the toughest driving challenge on Earth.
I think the TT boys take motor sport beyond Raleigh but that’s just an opinion.
Being a 50 something petrol head this ticks all the boxes much appreciated 👏🏻👍🏼
Brilliant! Lovely to hear that glorious sound again!
You’ve done a cracking job of bringing Colins “wee beastie” back to impeccable condition.
As an old rally fan, I well remember seeing and hearing 6R4’s in the flesh for the first time on the 1986 Manx International, where Messrs Pond, McRae (Senior), David Llewellin and Malcolm Wilson all had factory cars.
The all too brief Group B days truly were the Glory Days of rallying! Glad to have witnessed them.
Thank you so much for this video. As a young lad of 14 yrs when the 6R4 was debuted it was mind blowing, it looked and sounded so incredible and astonishingly still does. Was so sad when we lost Colin but with these examples around and watching him on the Donegal rally videos he'll not be forgotten. Thanks again.
Has to be the best sounding car ever, oh I could listen to that all day long
Had a tear in my eye watching this .I watched Colin drive this car in anger...... No words I can come up with can explain how special the 6R4 and Colin were together..... Thank you so much for making the film and showing how really special this car is .
@nordhorny why is he a "moron" ?
Well done on the restoration of this iconic car. I've personally had a chance to help work on this car whilst it was getting the stainless steel exhaust built by meerkat custom exhausts whilst Colin was still with us. It has to be seen to appreciated. Car still sounds awesome to this day. Everyone who worked on this should be proud of themselves.
6R4 and the RS200 were just incredible rally cars
Thanks for sharing
To witness a very angry 6R4 in the woods back in their hay day was astonishing. This video just makes me grin from ear to ear with the memories of the best motorsport in the world. Thanks Ian for sharing 😁😁😁
I joined my local motor club in early '85, and my first National/International event was 6 months later. Arrival in Stang forest. The Lancia Delta S was amazing and technical (and very warming if you happened to be stood on a freezing evening next to the wastegate exit), but the 6R4 was brutal, even on tickover. Your body didn't just vibrate if you were near the engine, your breathing matched the exhaust pulses.
And Tony Pond and Malcolm Wilson were truly gracious with all the fan boy marshals stood around, and even gave autographs to those who weren't ogling through the rear windows (hence why I never got their sigs) despite preparing to go into an icy forest stage. True heroes of my time, as were all the drivers to me.
Always wanted to progress to a 6R4, but didn't get far having grand ideas on my Mk2 Escort build when I should have just got it on the road and learned to rally drive properly. It's still a dream at 55 to win the lottery and buy one to rally, but sadly the prices are sky rocketing now, as is the cost of rallying.
I had two of these cars. Absolutely fantastic they were but I didn't really get far in them considering I was limited to a figure of 8 track. Also, I couldn't drive them all the time as size D batteries were pretty expensive back then.
Ahh memories! Thanks Scalextric for making the Metro 6R4 set!!! 😁
For me, this was the closests I could get to the 6R4. Maybe one day I get to go in one and experience the thrill.
Thanks for sharing such a unique bit of motorsport history. Group B had us all on the edge of seats wanting more, shame it had to be clipped.... RIP Colin.
The best sounding car EVER. Period. Remember in 85/86 walking into Grizedale on the RAC, and you could tell a mile off it was a 6r4 on its way to bark past you.
Audi Quattro sounds much better
@@kells77 V8 Ferrari trumps both !
Grisdale like as in Washington state
@@royalchaser8090 No, Grizedale Cumbria UK.
@@kells77 nice too.
Fantastic car.... Saw Colin driving that in Scotland... I was part of a service crew.... He drove passed and waved... Never forget that....
Shorty after Alister drove past in a mrk1 Mexico... Great days
Group B rally and Group C le mans in the early 80's, some of the best cars ever made. Golden years of racing. Just love them.
I remember well when Colin Mc Rae raced this car here in Donegal back in 2006. I met with him at service with my young son. Who would have thought he would have such a huge "Moment" in the 6R4 and survive without a single scratch!
Thankyou for such a detailed and superb presentation. Great to see this car in such good hands.
The passion and frankly geeking-out can't help but rub off even for someone as clueless as me. Great treat of a video showcasing this car and the work that's gone into it.
The noise these things made, along with the Quattro S1 was automotive aural heaven!
Edit: That was brilliant, thanks for taking us through this amazing machine. Subbed. 👍🏼
Great video,followed one down the M1 near staples corner in the 80s,still remember the sound and total sublime thing of that vision on a wonderful sunny day. Unbelievable. Cheers.
Thank you so much for the recap.I am old enough to remember the experiences of seeing and hearing the manic ways of the Group B cars.MTBiking into the Welsh forests to find my favourate viewing spot in prep' for these monsters.
The 6R4 no turbos - bliss, instant power and that unmistakeable rear track, only just wide enough on Tarmac' !!!
i would bet that these cars are better scewed together than Your normal work vehicles; no need to answer that one.
Thank You again and happy spannering.
what an animal took me back 30yrs will gollops and matrin shanker going at it in rally cross 6r4 always beating rs200 if i remember right wills 1 got slautered at liddon on the last lap of last race when will was going 2 be retiring it and the team had gifted it to him if im right he must still be gutted 2 this day i would be thamks 4 the memory johns a very lucky man u have done a lovely job
haha, Martin Schanche, what a legend. I used to love watching him on Grandstand, you never quite knew what he was going to do, it was either win or some form of lunacy.
Reminds me of my scalextric as a kid, what a beast!
Absolutely epic. My first experience with a 6r4 was as a child , watching Tony pond on a night stage at donnington park. That was it , i was hooked. My favourite rally car of all time ..
This is an amazing car, fantastic to drive and such iconic history.
I’m very fortunate to have helped with the restoration ❤️
Wow, that brings back some memories. I did my motor vehicle apprenticeship in the 80's at a Peugeot Talbot dealership in the Cotswolds. My Boss's son was a rally driver and he had a 6R4 which I think he drove in the Wyedean stages rally in '88. I remember the beast on the ramp in the workshop and thinking it just looked savage.
Hearing the engine note makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, nothing like sitting in the passengers seat of a 6R4. My mate use to drive C870EUD Ex works Tony Pond car, 3.0L International spec.
Donegal native here, awesome seeing the Donegal logo on this car. We're known for having some great rally roads too
20 or 30, more like 34 years old and the idea being born in 84. What a machine, I was luckily enough to see the Steve Whiteford Dave Adams car drive along the road close to where I lived whilst traveling in-between stages for the Cumbria 1987 Cumbria rally. Never will I forget the sound of this engineering masterpiece.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
"M Twain"
Edit: and for any one interested, I was 11 at the time. Imagine that car lovers.
Thanks for showing us this build Guys. 🏴👌🏻
I remember these cars going through the forest stages. Utterly brilliant then. Utterly brilliant now. Thanks for sharing.
I was reversing out the garage today and thought do you know what, this takes me back.
Just watched this video for the first time, awesome! Thank you for taking the time to do it. It's very appreciated by a mere mortal!
THANK-YOU so much the Promenade Stages was cancelled this year and there would be at least 2 or 3 of these beasts Blasting round New Brighton..... that engine is GOD'S engine that sound melts my soul every-time you CANNOT beat a 6R4 on Full Chat
well done for preserving a Legend
I drove one once a round a loop drive, cold tyres lit up, car went sideways and I near punched a hole through the owners garden ranch style fence with the owner and fellow mechanic watching- they were crying at my antics and my sear face of fear.. will never forget the noise or or terror 😱
And I agree they were a nightmare too work on, combining metric and imperial drove us mad. This was back in the mid 90’s, we had to get gear sets special made to change gearing, there was nothing available, the cost was eye watering.
On another day, we were trying to start it (always was an issue) I was dribbling petrol in the throttle body’s while my fellow mech was sat inside, it back fired and flames licked everywhere... he was 6’1, the 6R4 is tiny... his escape was amazing and funny to watch, by the time he was out so was the fire 😂
I was lucky to of had a run round the Silverstone rally cross circuit as passenger in one of these.
Growing up near oxford I can remember when they were outlawed there was a field full of 6R4s by the Cowley factory back in the 80s
I was lucky enough to be taken for a spin in this car last weekend. Everything that Ian says in this video is absolutely true. It's THE single most insane machine I've ever been in. The noise is sheer joy.
Thanks again, Ian. I am still buzzing! Matt (in the band!)
The sound of that full works 3.0L V64V engine coming on the cam is just awesome! :-)
Back in the late 80's early 90's I worked in a body shop for Austin Rover - they had one of these in for a few days - amazing car
I saw this car in the flesh at the recent mcrae rally challenge at Knockhill and I wasn't aware at the time the effort and work that was put into it. Fantastic guys. It sounds amazing on the road!
I remember Colin's dad Jimmy driving a Rothmans 6R4 in the 1986 Ulster rally, my dad was stage commander of a stage just outside Irvinestown on the Saturday morning. It was a long straight from the start, the Metros just ate the gears up from the start! I remember my dad saying them things need at least three more gears!! Fantastic cars! 😍😍
I remember watching one of these at the Brighton speed trials many years ago.
The gearing was so short , he was flat out on the limiter in top gear when only halfway up the quarter mile track !
Astonishing acceleration and sounded gorgeous.
Great film guy's 👍
Very well presented, gorgeous car, amazing sound, remember them well on the rally circuit, Thanks guys.
My mate use to work on these cars, I went to the company years back in redditch, & once they started the 6r4 in workshop all can say it was super loud car!
I remember Tony Pond campaigning one of these back in the day. RIP Colin. Celtic Rally Supremo, Colin only knew one pace, flat out, everywhere. Thanks for sharing guys.👋
Gentlemen - thank you so much for sharing and for such a passionate video (how could you not be though!). I lived in Westhumble in Surrey in the late 80's and heard the 6R4 from a fair way away, coming down by the Stepping Stones Pub towards the A243 and blatting off. That sound you just don't forget. Now in Oz, so thanks for taking me back in time. Awesome!
Amazing ....that car and the Subaru . That was Colin summed up for me ...wether it was watching him race on tv or pretending to be him on the Colin McRae rally on the ps1 got he was nutty Scotsman ..sadly missed.. he was my driving hero as a kid
Awesome video guys, i never get tired of the Mero 6R4 it’s a freaking fantastic piece of motoring history , it’s such a visceral vehicle of a rally car, more so than the Audi Quattro....Amazing car. 😎👍👍👍🇬🇧
Donegal native here, awesome seeing the Donegal logo on this car. We're known for having some great rally roads too
Thanks for sharing guys, takes me right back, old school has great nostalgia 👍👍
A great video and good to see genuine enjoyment and enthusiasm. The attempts to describe the experience are spot on. I got a lift in one of these in the late 80's as a 19y old and I was blown away by all the things described. The noise, the acceleration that rams you into the seats and the equally immense braking that left me almost dangling in the seatbelts!! It was superbike performance, and some. I think the hp stats of these cars do not do them justice. The power delivery was brutal and I will never ever forget the experience.
I drove one years ago on a Trading estate in Runcorn with a firm called R.E.D Engineering from Widnes they moved into one of our warehouses and did an open day and i helped them to set up and this 6R4 was there and i was looking at it and the bloke said here take it for a run around the estate i could not believe it OMG the noise was amazing at the time i drove a mk2 escort which was side ways most of the time so nice to see one again and you have done a fantastic job on it 😀👍
It doesn't rev, it barks! Goose bumps everywhere!
I'm not quite sure how I got to this video. Such knowledge and enthusiasm, a superb job and a joy to watch.
I love watching the work you guys at Barkaways keep up the good work.
i have the honour, to have had a passenger ride in one of these, that was clubman spec. my good god they are very fast. I went blind when the driver put his foot down, he uses his for trials. I can still here the roar of that v6 now! Also i know someone who has the prototype 6r4 too, which i think was clubman spec too.
Thank You 🙏 so much for sharing such an iconic rally car👊. Loved 💓group B🇦🇺
Great video, fond memories as a child of the speed of these as the legendary John Price made 10% hills in Glandore look like downhills in the Fastnet rally.
I was fortunate enough to see Colin on the mcrae stages in the 6R4 , at the Hermitage , awesome sound of him in the forest getting through the box and never lifting off for a 90 right, will never forget that day. The stage was ran in both directions and Colin showered us with gravel as he went past , I am sure he was laughing in the car as he 4 wheel drifted past. Great to see this iconic car.
Thank you so much, what a pleasure that was to watch. Such an iconic car from my childhood. Kudos to Paul Wallace for pointing me to Barkaways.
Brilliant video and incredible car. I had the very good fortune of being a passenger in one for about 5 mins on a company driving day at Bruntingthorpe in about 1994. I was so excited to get in the car, which was VERY loud. I was shaken about in it like a pinball in a machine....but I'm still smiling at the recollection today. Stunning.....thanks for posting such a great video of your amazing work.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Awesome
Had a great opportunity while showing the gearbox to explain what 'undercut gears' means, the angled sides of the dogs make the gears stay in when very high torque is applied during driving, the angles are chosen as a compromise between ease of changing & reliability of not jumping out of gear, racing boxes chose more undercut.
WOW... That sounds awesome. Remember watching them in the 80's. Brilliant
Awsome video guys. Love the detail in the gearbox and transfer box, along with how you explained starting it back up. Any pictures or videos of the mapping with the old laptop?
What an incredible sound, love it!
Fantastic car with great history behind it,
I used to watch Group B cars at Lydden Hill in the mid-80's, watching Will Gollop throw a 6R4 around was a real treat,
6R4's were my favourite but RS200's were a close second
My car wet dream of the 80's.
I got as close as I could get back then with a Silver over Black Metro Turbo. MGE ???Y.
I used and abused that car all over the Lake District including round the off season forest stages with my mates, mostly in high spec self build MkII Escorts.
I've witnessed this car used in anger by Colin, who being a fairly local guy to us was often to be found testing his cars on the forest stages.
I met him on a few occasions, in SW Scotland and Cumbria.
I'd love to have one sitting on my drive again, I'd still drive it hard, but respect it more!
Peace
Charlie 🇬🇧
Anyone remember Motoring News on a Wednesday. They had a full page advert trying to sell all the surplus 6R4s. I think they wanted £13,000 each. Could have been £15
yep and the motorsport story trying to sell the rs200's.
I can remember an advert someone wanting to "swap" a Jaguar XK150 for an Escort MK1 GT 1300, when they were still in production.
My dad told me this back then, I'm sure he said 12k. I hassled him for months, saying it would keep its value! I've thought about it for years,, thanks for the memory. 👍
@@brimleyhillmassive If you have ever watched "Bangers and Cash" on the tele you will see lots of if only i had kept that examples. Remember your dad was probably trying to keep a roof over your head at the time.
Amazing video guys, thanks so much for sharing. Been on the number 1 bucket list spot since I first saw them race back the 80's.
Proper oldskool 80's monster..my favourite rally car. Loved the noise and your smiles road testing the brute. Happy days😍😎. Cheers for sharing fella's 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for the upload, very informative on the engineering within that monster !!
I know what ‘by-pass’ you were on between the roundabouts, I’ve been in a few quick motors between them, but the short time it took you just shows the pure acceleration..😃 thanks
What a great video guys you have done the car proud. Thank you for sharing and bringing one of Colin's cars back to life. I had the honour of competing against him a long time ago in Group A 1300's. He was a class of his own, naturally quick absolutely everywhere. Fond memories of a great man RIP Colin.
Thank you very much for making this video. Truly unique car and excellent presentation. Even through video it gave me goosebumps when you went though the gears. I can only imagine how much more intense it was to drive it.
Thanks for sharing guys, that was pretty special!
Thank you for this video... the memories are flooding back which is nice after so long in isolation/lockdown. 👍
Whilst living in Oxford around 1985, i heard one of these and then watched as in went sideways round Headington roundabout, About a mile from the Cowley factory. AWESOME to say the least.
What an absolute beauty of a machine!. The expression on his face at 31:52 is just pure joy, and what does his son say at 33:07 ?. Brilliant reactions, i think they certainly enjoyed it!. I have loved these cars right from the first time i saw one.
I like hearing all the work going on in the background.
Super cool. Love the fuses on the dash! :)
I remember the MG Metro 6R4’s very well,they were and still are my ever favourite Rally Sports Car.
Brilliant video, and quality workmanship. Thanks for sharing 👍
Thank you for sharing a vivid glimpse of a world I can only dream of.
I used to Marshall on the RAC in Wales & Sutton Park. Also remember seeing a road version a Becton London (A13) What a terrific car.
2 boys in the cockpit grinning what more needs to be said
I met Colin at Rally Australia in maybe the 90’s?? I have his autograph on my rally pass! Thanks for the video, what a fantastic car. Colin was such a talent, sadly missed.
Thanks for sharing guys ..really interesting .always loved watching them in my youth on grandstand or world of sport!🤓
There really is no other sound like it. Best rally car to grace the track. What a machine
Awesome, goosebumps from the sound of that amazing engine. Thanks for sharing :D
Great video, never realized how special the 6R4 was.
Lovely video! And what a great car! I once owned a Clio V6 and would often drive it with the engine cover removed... nothing quite like this though. Oh to just be a passenger!! The 6R4 is my absolute favourite! 👍 Thank you so much for sharing this!
Thank you for this, I loved every minute of it.
A credit to all involved etc in the motor especially the narrating of this video, can sense the passion, love for cars
That was better than grin factor 10. I remember watching this motor back in the 80's. Thank you!
Absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing guys and congratulations on your achievements. Very well done.
Great car, says everything about the fabulous eighties, loud, in yer face, pumped up to the max, Leyland got the right folks to design and build their rally car and it's stood the test of time.