DOA: DAIHATSU CHARADE 926R

This mid-engined miniature hero was another rally-ready special lost with the cancellation of Group B

- RICHARD PORTER

FOR A PAGE COVERING CARS THAT CAME F close to production only to be culled at the prototype stage, the Group B rally years are fertile ground, and here we are again with another obscurity from that amazing era of homologation specials.

Despite the Japanese name above the door, the story of this car is also rooted in Italy and Innocenti, the Milanese company that made BMC Minis under licence, was bought by British Leyland in 1972, and in 1974 introduced its own Mini, using the same old underparts but dressed in a crisp Bertone-styled body. This was such a convincing update that BL considered selling it through its own channels, only abandoning this plan because the Italian remix had less interior space than the British original and Longbridge marketing people couldn't stomach such a retrograde step.