Group A was introduced by the FIA in 1982 to replace the outgoing Group 2 as "modified touring cars", while Group N replaced Group 1 as "standard touring cars". To qualify for FIA approval, 2,500 identical models had to be built in 12 consecutive months. Before 1993, the initial production requirement was 5,000. The homologation period lasts for every subsequent year of production and seven years after the year that less than 10% (250 units) are produced in one year and the model is considered out of production by the FIA. Evolutions of the series production model are permitted with an ET (Evolution of the type) extension applied.
Not all manufacturers who built such models sold them all; some stripped the majority to rebuild them as stock models or used them to allow teams to use modified parts. One example was Volvo with the 240 Turbo in 1985, an evolution of a model first homologated in 1982. After Volvo produced 500 such models, they stripped 477 cars of their competition equipment and sold them as standard 240 turbo roadcars. Following FISA's failed attempt at finding an Evolution car in any European country, Volvo were forced to reveal the names of all 500 evo owners to be permitted to compete.
Due to the smaller car markets of Australia and New Zealand, a deal was struck between FISA and the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS) so that Australian manufacturers only had to produce 1,000 base models of the cars they wished to homologate for racing, though the racing models still had to comply with the additional 500 Evolution number. Holden was the only Australian car manufacturer to homologate cars for racing in Group A, using various V8-powered Holden Commodores. Evolution models first came from Peter Brock's HDT Special Vehicles and later from the Tom Walkinshaw-owned Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), set up in 1987 to replace the HDT.
For touring car competition, homologated vehicles included the BMW 635 CSi and M3, Jaguar XJS, various turbo Ford Sierras, the V8 Ford Mustang, the turbo Volvo 240T, Rover Vitesse, various V8 Holden Commodores, various turbo Nissan Skylines including the 4WD twin-turbo GT-R, Mitsubishi Starion Turbo, Alfa Romeo 75 turbo and GTV6, various Toyota Corollas, and the Toyota Supra Turbo A.
In the European Touring Car Championship, Group A consisted of three divisions: Division 3 for cars over 2500cc, Division 2 for engine sizes of 1600–2500cc, and Division 1 for cars under 1600cc. Tyre width was dependent on the car's engine size.
The FIA promulgated Group A touring car regulations until at least 1993. The German Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) switched to a 2.5L Class 1 formula in 1993. In Japan in 1994 the Japanese Touring Car Championship followed suit and switched classes like most other countries that had adopted the British Touring Car Championship-derived Supertouring regulations. Many redundant Nissan Skyline GT-Rs found a new home in the JGTC (Japanese GT Championship) with modified aerodynamic devices.
CAMS originally announced in mid-1983 that Australia would adopt Group A from 1 January 1985 to replace the locally developed Group C rules in place since 1973. The category was officially termed Group 3A Touring Cars from 1988. From 1993, CAMS replaced the existing Group A-based category with a new formula also designated Group 3A Touring Cars, initially open to five-litre V8-powered cars and two-litre cars, which later became known as V8 Supercars and Super Touring Cars respectively.
Hillclimb competitions still use Group A as a touring car class across Europe, while in Australia Group A is now a historic class, though only actual cars raced from 1985 to 1992 with log books are allowed to compete.
Under Group A in the World Rally Championship, cars were modified road cars based on turbocharged, four-wheel-drive versions of small cars such as the Lancia Delta Integrale, Ford Escort RS Cosworth, Toyota Celica GT-Four, Nissan Pulsar GTI-R, Subaru Impreza WRX, Mazda 323 GT-R, and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The cars were modified for greater power and torque and fitted with suspension and tyres suited to specific rally conditions — asphalt, gravel, dirt, and snow or ice-covered roads.
By 1990, Group A cars exceeded the performance of the defunct Group B cars on many events, because although they had far less power they had better handling and traction, and were also much safer.
Cars from multiple groups could contest the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers until 1997, when the specific World Rally Car formula was introduced as the only option. The last car to use the old Group A homologation requirement in the WRC Manufacturers' Championship was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI. Group A cars could continue to enter WRC rallies until 2018 and can still enter the FIA's regional rally championships.
European Touring Car Championship 1982–1988
British Touring Car Championship 1983–1990
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1984–1992
New Zealand Touring Car Championship 1984–1992
Nissan-Mobil 500 Series 1985–1993
AMSCAR Series 1985–1992
Australian Manufacturers' Championship 1985–1991
Australian Touring Car Championship 1985–1992
All Japan Touring Car Championship 1985–1993
Australian Endurance Championship 1985–1986, 1990–1991
Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship 1986–1987
South Pacific Touring Car Championship 1986
World Rally Championship 1987–1996
World Touring Car Championship 1987
Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship 1988
Campeonato de España de Turismos 1991–1993
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.