Background
The Mazda Rally Team Europe was created by Achim Warmbold as a preparation business based in Brussels, Belgium. The first Group A model was based on a 323 with a turbo engine and 4WD. The timing of this project could not have been more perfect: the 323 4WD Turbo debuted in the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally. While this was before the Group B accidents at the Rally Portugal and the Tour de Corse, its launch was only one year away from the ban of Group B. By the time Group A became the main WRC class, only Mazda had a well proven 4×4 turbo car. With Ingvar Carlsson and Timo Salonen at the wheel, the BF 323 GT-X brought Mazda three wins in the World Rally Championship.
MRTE built five Group A cars in 1992, one of which went to Bjorn Johansson and Mazda’s Swedish rally arm who bought the team from Mazda. Mazda withdrew its factory team from WRC programme at the end of the 1992 season just as the replacement 323 GT-R completed homologation for 1993. The 323 GT-R was run by several privateer teams from 1993 onwards, its best results being a 5th place in 1993 and second place in 1994, both at Rally Sweden.
This car
It was originally built for and competed in the Mazda 323 Turbo UK Challenge back in 1987 and used for a further 6 years before having a big accident on the 2007 Granite City Rally. It was laid up a farm shed till 2018 when it was restored by the current owner as a works replica of the 1989 RAC car number 4 driven by Timo Salonen.
Since then, it has been used as opening car on the Grampian Forest Rally 2023 and 2024 when the rally was a round of the British Rally Championship.
Technical Specification
Engine: 1597cc Twin Cam
Induction system: Turbo charged, fuel injection.
Transmission: 4WD.
Power output: 170 BHP