Rally fans are in for a treat this year as two MG Metro 6R4 replicas are set to contest the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship. Resplendent in the old works Computervision colour scheme the car of Whitworth’s Phil Ibbotson has contested the championship for the last three years and has always been popular with spectators.
"We get plenty of people asking questions about the car, I think the colours give people a sense of nostalgia for the Group B days", said Ibbotson.
"The 6R4 was my favourite car from that era of rallying so when I decided to build my own off-roader I chose to make it look like the works Metros."
"Although it looks like a 6R4 from the outside underneath the body panels it’s completely different. The car is based around a Gordon Monaghan built space frame and we’ve got a 3.0 litre BMW M3 engine and six-speed sequential gearbox running through a transfer box, with BMW 7-series diffs completing the transmission.”
“Myself and navigator Will Jefferson thoroughly enjoyed last year’s championship and we’re looking forward to competing again.”
Joining Phil this year will be Ivan Dudley and David Rendle in their 6R4 which has recently been completed. Their car also has a BMW engine but it is the 3.2 litre version of the M3 power unit.“Ivan has always built his cars and has competed in safaris, hill rallys and, most recently, in the French Tout Terrain championship”, said Rendle.
“The car has a full space frame and power goes through a Quaife 5 speed box and self-made transfer box. We’ve got inboard Hi-Spec brakes and Fox shocks for the suspension.”
“2010 will be an installation season for us, we’ve been away from racing for a while due to the car being built and we need to get into the groove again and allow time for the car to settle down and to iron out any problems.”
“Our aim is to try and finish all the events and get in the top ten. Having watched a few events last year we know we are sure to enjoy the racing this year.”
Both cars will compete on all six rounds of the BCCC kicking off with round one near Ashby de la Zouch on the weekend of 17/18th April.
