Group B represented the pinnacle of rally sport. This set of rules, introduced in 1982 for sport grand touring cars, spurred a flurry of development by Peugeot, Audi, Lancia, Opel, and Ford – all jostling for primacy in the fastest rally series of all time. Audi was already a stalwart competitor when Group B emerged, but clearly, the new rules required a revolutionary car. Audi’s initial answer was the all-wheel drive Sport Quattro Series 1, churning out over 440 bhp in race trim. But 61% of its weight lay ahead of the driver, making it an unruly machine that drivers came to dread. Redevelopment of the car involved cramming everything that could possibly be moved into the rear of the car: back went the radiator, fans, and even the alternator. The kevlar body was redesigned to shuttle air into the rear, as well as to maximize downforce. The result was the Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2 (Evolution 2) and a more tractable weight distribution of 55/45. When Group B was finally banned in 1986, this car was widely considered the best of its breed. Perhaps kudos were also due to Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz, frighteningly fast drivers who took their Audi to multiple wins over several years. Here on Hemmings is a replica Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2, built using dozens of original parts derived from Hannu Mikkola’s dismantled Montecarlo S1, car number 014. The asking price is $1 million, and the car resides in Coalville, Leicestershire, UK. Thanks to Mitchell G for spotting this spectacular car.

The Audi’s engine is a 2110 cc five-cylinder aluminum block/aluminum cylinder head with four valves per cylinder, fitted with an enormous KKK turbocharger. Umluft, a recirculating air system, nearly eliminates turbo lag; a short-throw PDK gearbox supplies the ratios needed for frequent gearshifts on a chaotic route. A taste of the driving experience is shown here. Corraling this 500 hp fire-breather is not for the timid. Imagine driving two corners ahead when you cannot see the corners; now do it in a car that blasts from zero to sixty in three seconds and is most comfortable going sideways.

This car flaunts a meticulous list of original parts, though it is not one of the twenty factory-made E2s, of which only a fraction survive. The seller has been building the car for twelve years; it has taken that long to accumulate the bits, sourced from all over the world. Help from ex-factory mechanics and ex-rally champions brought the car to its current state. The seller intimates that the car is not quite finished and that a discount off the price might be possible if purchased as is. Not sure that helps with the size of my pocketbook, but maybe it helps someone.

Fortunately, a couple of transactions are available to help us set the value for this car. Just last November, RM Sotheby’s sold Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2 RE10, for £1,805,000. RE10 was actually driven by Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz, though the car retired with engine trouble. At the same auction, a 1985 Lancia Delta S4 sold for £1,636,250, again a factory car with race experience and wins. Here is the question: is a replica – albeit with plenty of original parts – worth about 60% of a raced Group B car? What do you think?