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An amazing Group B rally car collection heads to auction

Kicking off in 1982, the Group B era spawned some of the most fearsome rally cars of all time. The technologically advanced pioneers of all-wheel drive and turbocharging defined a time when automakers had carte blanche to build machines with unrestricted power, without the burden of homologating a large number of road cars to qualify. The results were sometimes deadly, leading the FIA to ban the class after 1986. Now, a collection of seven Group B monsters is headed across the block in Paris as part of the Artcurial auction, held in partnership with France's famed Retromobile show. The show has been delayed to June, however. There's a 1985 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, one of 20 Evo II models that helped the company achieve two championships in Group B's short run. This particular example was driven by world champion Timo Salonen at the 1986 Swedish Rally, where it finished seventh due to an oil filter seal failure. Bruno Saby subsequently drove it at the 1986 Tour de Corse and Peugeot entered it at the 1986 Acropolis Rally as well. It's still registered to Peugeot Talbot Sport and represents a French technological achievement, according to Artcurial, comparable to the Concorde or TGV train. Representing Italy are a pair of Lancias in the iconic Martini livery. The Lancia 037 helped Bel Paese clinch its only Group B victory in 1983, after a hard-fought rivalry with Audi. It's one of the few Group B cars that weren't AWD, achieving its success the old-fashioned way, through lightness and superb handling. A second Lancia, a 1986 Delta S4, was the culmination of the Italian firm's later Group B efforts and one of Saby's favorites. While Group B was no more in 1987, the S4 was the predecessor to the Delta Integrale that would dominate WRC from 1987 through 1992. While the collection also includes greats like a Ford RS200, Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, and MG Metro 6R4, the centerpiece is the Audi Quattro Sport S1. The ultimate Group B machine, it introduced all-wheel-drive and turbocharging to the sport. It also employed the wildest use of wings and air dams to generate downforce. Tunable up to 590 horsepower, it could rocket to 60 mph in about three seconds. The car offered for sale came straight from Ingolstadt, a 1988 model built for the Race of Champions of ex-Group B cars. The collection was amassed in the late 80s and early 90s, not long after Group B's dissolution.

2014 Peugeot 308 is a dandy Focus fighter from France

It's easy to focus all the attention on the Peugeot 308 R Concept, thanks to its two-tone paint job and 270-horsepower engine. For the more average European, though, we have the standard Peugeot 308. The cleanly styled, five-door is Peugeot's bread-and-butter offering, competing against the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and other C-segment cars.
Being a small hatch for the European market, the 308's engine lineup shouldn't be a shock. Besides the typical range of tiny (by American standards) gas and diesel engines, the 308 range will play host to a new, 1.2-liter, three-cylinder gas engine. Representing an emerging trend of ultra-small-displacement, turbocharged gas engines, Peugeot's two offerings, pack 110 and 130 horsepower, respectively. The engines are lighter, and naturally, more efficient than a four-cylinder with similar power, while boasting 45 percent more torque.
We've got a full lineup of live images of the new 308 from the Frankfurt show, along with a huge gallery of images and a video direct from Peugeot and a press release from the 308's initial debut back in May, down below.

Peugeot reveals new 308 SW ahead of Geneva debut

Wagons may have been replaced largely by the ubiquitous crossover here in the States, but in Europe, estates big and small are still in high demand. And to meet that demand, Peugeot has revealed its new 308 SW, a vehicle similar in size and mission to our Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen.
Based on the latest 308 hatchback, the new sporty wagon more space than the previous 308 SW that debuted back in 2008, yet thanks to PSA's EMP2 architecture, it also weighs a solid (and coincidentally, symbolic) 308 pounds less than the outgoing model.
The new 308 SW is set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March,before going on sale across Europe in the spring. Peugeot hasn't revealed engine specs, but we can expect a range of four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines to be offered depending on the local market.