Giocattolo Group B

For many, a dream car must move quickly. But a stable quick, like the Nissan GT-R? Ferocious quick, like a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 or modified muscle car? Or a nimble quick, like some blend of track car?

In 1986, in the era of red-coloured wiper blades and zig-zag antenna, Australian millionaire and daredevil Paul Halstead decided that his idea of quick meant a bit of all three. 

The Alfa Romeo Sprint was, in a classic sense, a car in the same class as the modern Toyota GT-86 / Subaru BRZ pair.

Light weight, good handling, and small four-cylinder engines meant it was prized by those who sought a car that gave simple, relatively inexpensive fun.

Problem: the Sprint wasn't very quick. For the power hungry, the very best engines available anywhere in 1988 — if you'd already deemed an Alfa Romeo V6 to be too expensive and still too slow — would probably boil down to a few exotic European V12s or a tuned American V8.

Australia knows V8s. And in 1988, Holden's 5.0-litre Group A V8 was a special engine. It was even more special after the legendary Tom Walkinshaw race team seriously modified them.

The trick piece was a twin throttle body inlet manifold, with a smaller and larger throttle body featuring restrictor plates. Remove the plates, and you've got 50 free horsepower, for a total of more than 300. (Hey, this is 1988 after all.)

The Giocattolo (“toy” in Italian) was beginning to take shape. Keep the weight low, power high, and size it like a short-wheelbase Audi Quattro. 

Even with rear-wheel-drive, the mid-engined design still allowed for great handling. It weighed only 1,085 kg — less than 2,400 lbs.

It could match the performance of its supercar contemporaries, the Lamborghini Countach LP500S and Porsche 911 Turbo.

Mechanically, the engine cradle, suspension, brakes, and bodywork were heavily modified to match the engine. Kevlar and carbon fibre featured as well — the hood, bulkhead, and other parts were made in this then-exotic material.