Group 4 (motorsport)

Group 4 referred to regulations for sportscars and grand touring (GT) cars used in racing and rallying, as regulated by the FIA. The group was introduced in 1954 and was replaced by Group B for the 1982 season.

Prior to 1966, the FIA's Group 4 classification applied to Sports Cars which were in compliance with FIA Appendix C regulations. It also included recognised Series Touring Cars, Improved Touring Cars and Grand Touring Cars which had been modified beyond the respective Group 1, Group 2 or Group 3 regulations under which they had been homologated.

Beginning with 1966, an overhaul of FIA categories saw Group 4 Sports Cars redefined such that they were now subject to a minimum production requirement of 50 units in 12 consecutive months and had to be fitted with all equipment necessary for use on public roads. A 5000cc engine capacity limit was applied for 1968 and the minimum production requirement was reduced to 25 units for the 1969 season.

For 1969, Appendix J of the FIA International Sporting Code defined groups for Touring cars, Grand Touring cars and Sports cars as follows: (numbers between brackets are required minimum production in 12 consecutive months).

For 1970, the limited production sports car category was renamed from Group 4 to Group 5 and, in the same year, Group 4 became the class for special grand touring cars with minimum production of 500 in 12 consecutive months

For 1971, the relevant FIA classifications were as follows:

In 1976, the Group 4 production requirement was reduced to 400 in 24 months.

In 1966 and 1967, the Group 4 Sports Cars were mostly sold to and entered by privateers to play a supporting role to the Group 6 prototypes. While factory-entered prototypes like the 7.0L Ford GT40 Mk.II and Mk.IV raced for outright victories, the 4.7L GT40 Mk I entries were competing for Group 4 class wins. Indeed, competitors in the two categories were competing for two different championships, with similar looking cars, the Group 6 cars for the International Championship for Sports-Prototypes and the Group 4 cars for the International Championship for Sports Cars.