Timewarp rally legend heads for auction

A remarkable 1986 Group B MG Metro 6R4 with just seven miles on the odometer is going under the hammer at the Silverstone Classic event (July 26-28).

Silverstone Auctions is giving bidders the opportunity to snap up this car – the closest you will probably ever get to owning a virtually new and unregistered MG Metro 6R4 (it was 189 of only 200 made).

Group B rallying sadly came to a premature end on the December 31, 1986, due to a number of fatalities – the most notable being Henri Toivonen. Yet some truly remarkable rally cars were created, one of which was the four-wheel drive Metro 6R4.

Originally bought by an enthusiast, direct from the Austin Rover Group Ltd on December 5, 1986, the car was transported to his home in Oxfordshire where he kept it tucked away for many years in its delivery state, coated in factory wax.

In 1996 the original owner contacted Kevin Wheatcroft at the Donington Museum where the car was offered on a long-term basis to be exhibited. The 6R4 then spent the next seven years at the museum before it was sold in 2002 to the current vendor when the mileage was just five miles.

The current vendor has cared for the car over the last 17 years and the additional two miles have come about from running the car and drivetrain on stands.

This MG Metro 6R4 is effectively an “out-of-the-box”, brand new car and could possibly be prepared for rallies or rallycross, but with this incredible story and such minimal miles, this could be the only one in the world in this condition and therefore who knows where its future value may lie.