THE legendary Group B rally cars of the 1980s are the latest attraction to the Gold Cup at Oulton Park on Sunday and Monday (Au-gust 27-28).

The Group B machines boast almost twice the power of today's WRC contenders and were originally banned for being too fast.

Five former World Championship winning cars will be in action for the special demonstration runs on Oulton Park's rally stage, including Carlos Sainz's 1992 Toyota Celica and Didier Auriol's 1990 Martini Lancia Delta Integrale as well as Malcolm Wilson's Austin Rover Metro 6R4.

But by far the biggest draw will be the ex Michelle Mouton 1985 Pike's Peak record-holder - the Audi Quattro Sport S1. With a 0-60mph of close to three seconds, the sheer power of this car is staggering.

But it is the British-built Metro 6R4 which is one of the best-remembered cars of 80's rallying.

Much of the early 80s was spent developing the car and engine - a specially-designed and built four-cam, 24-valve, normally aspirated three-litre V6, which gave a power output of 410bhp.

On the launch of the car, Autocar magazine strapped their timing gear to the International (410bhp) version of the 6R4 and produced some simply awesome acceleration figures: 0-30 in 1.2s; 0-60 in 3.2s; and 0-100 in 8.2s.

But the 6R4 never really had the chance to shine.

Henri Toivonen was involved in a fatal collision, when his Lancia went over a cliff in the Tour de Corse in 1986. His co-driver, Sergio Cresto was also killed.

The FISA immediately ruled that Group B rally cars were too fast and dangerous to drive, and banned them from competition.

But the Gold Cup is giving these cars the chance to take centre stage once more. Spectators will also be treated to race and sports cars from the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) including a line-up of outrageous Grand Prix cars from the 1970s. Another massive draw will be the appearance of a genuine 700bhp Minardi Formula One car.

* For ticket details call 0870 9509000 or visit www.oultonpark.co.uk.