It had been great while it lasted. The 1992 FIA Sportscar World Championship was proof that you only need two cars to make a motor race, although strictly speaking there were as many as four or five front-running cars per meeting; those rounds that weren’t cancelled. Political machinations had served to neuter the series before the season even began. It was a sad end for anyone who saw Group C in its pomp, a wonderful era of racing that left an indelible impression.

Arriving in 1982, this was a category that breathed new life into an arena of motor sport that, like a dead horse, had been flogged once too often during the previous half-a-decade. Grids during the Group 6 period waned as makes departed, and the few that lingered racked up hollow victories over ragtag privateers.

FISA responded with a series based, if only initially, on fuel efficiency. This acted as a stabilising force and attracted former F1 stars, young hotshots looking to make a name, competent journeymen and local heroes. Oh, and manufacturers. In North America the movement gained similar momentum, although typically they did things their own way. FISA’s hopes of fashioning a link with the IMSA failed to reach fruition after IMSA’s committee rejected the fuel-based rules. Instead it introduced an equivalency formula – Grand Touring Prototypes – based on engine size and weight. It too flourished, with IndyCar and even NASCAR stars dipping in for a go.