The Lancia ECV was probably the most extreme expression of the Group B Ethos.

600 HP. Carbon-Fibre and Kevlar bodied. Completely uncompromised. Deadly.

But just look at it. When a little kid dreams of a rally car, this is the image that arises.

The engine’s two turbochargers were each fed with a seperate manifold – and there was yet another manifold to suck in the air.

It had those amazing solid black wheels, too – which we dig though they probably have little functional quality other than being very light.

It never raced. Too many people had been killed during the Group B journey.

But it remains as an aesthetic reminder that extremes can be beautiful.