Will’s crank stroke is reduced to give 2.3 litres, this gives him a four litre capacity with the 1.7 conversion factor for turbo engines. The capacity governs the 6R4’s weight and thus acceleration, running in the 1100kg 4-litre class.

Of all the cars to carry the MG octagon, one of the most dramatic has to be the 6R4 rally car. It was to be the car that would bring back World Championship rally honours back to British Leyland, whose future had been revitalised by the Metro and certainly it had the potential to be supremely competitive. Yet, like the R-type racing car in the 1930s – which would have elevated MG to the technological heights – it remains a tantalising ‘if only’ car, its career ended before it ever really proved its potential.