Rally Gallery
All time rally greatsWhen it comes to the ultimate test of endurance and speed, nothing beats rallying. The sight and sound of a car being driven at the limit on a greasy forest track is a spectacle all car fans enjoy. With vehicles competing against the clock over different surfaces, versatility is the key. Over the years this has meant a number of great motors, many of them available as equally memorable road cars. From tiny two-cylinder Saabs to awesome 600bhp Audis, there has always been something to capture the imagination. We've lined up some of the best special stage motors from the last fifty years. Check out the selection to see if your favourite appears. |
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1. Ford Escort RS Cosworth When rival teams first saw the Cossie they almost packed up and went home. Designed from the outset as a rally weapon, it dominated on its debut, the 1993 Monte Carlo. Sadly the Blue Oval never funded the squad properly and the Escort failed to win the World Championship.
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2. Peugeot 206 WRC When Peugeot re-entered the WRC full-time in 2000 it didn't exactly go to plan. On the Monte, the first event of the year, all the 206s dropped out when they failed to fire-up at the start of the second day. However, it went on to win three world titles and made a star of driver Marcus Gronholm.
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3. BMW M3 The M3 might not strike you as the ideal rally car. But light weight build, agile rear-wheel drive handling and responsive normally aspirated motor made it rapid on asphalt events. Broke Lancia's dominance of the 1987 season when it won the tortuous, tarmac only, Tour de Corse.
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4. Lancia Stratos With its distinctive wedge profile the Stratos was a star attraction of special stages during the Seventies. It sounded like nothing else too, thanks to mid-mounted Ferrari V6. Won the World Championship in 1974, '75 and '76. Only 400 were made, so finding an original is challenging.
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5. Lancia Delta Intergrale No car has dominanted the World Rally Championship like the Lancia Delta. It hit the stages in 1987 and went on to win six consecutive manufacturer's titles - an as yet unsurpassed achievement. Started out as narrow bodied HF 4x4, then turned into the wide wheel-arched Intergrale. A good road version is still a devastatingly rapid motor.
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6. Citroen Xsara In the hands of the extremely talented Sebastien Loeb, the Xsara WRC dominated rallying for three years. From 2004 through to 2006 no other driver and car combination could get close. Still managed to beat manufacturer teams when it was run as private entry in last year's championship.
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7. Saab 96 With a tiny 841cc two-stroke motor the Saab lagged far behind rivals when it came to all-out performance. But with remarkable front-wheel drive handling, and the skilful Erik Carlsson behind the wheel, it became a giant-killer. Won the gruelling UK based RAC rally an incredible five times.
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8. Audi Quattro S1 The car that turned world rallying on its head. When it hit the stages in 1981, its turbocharged engine and four-wheel drive transmission instantly consigned the traditional competition to history. Claimed the world crown twice and awesome S1 version (above) delivered an incredible 600bhp.
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9. Porsche 911 Depite being better known for its track successes, the 911 was also a formidable competitor in the loose. With its engine slung out behind the rear wheels, the Porsche had incredible traction. Finest moment was Bjorn Waldegaard's back to back wins on the icy Monte Carlo events of 1970 and '71.
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10. Subaru Legacy This was the car that brought a young Colin McRae to the world's attention. On British soil the supremely skilful Scot left the oposition for dead - when he managed to stay on the road. He also gave Subaru it's first WRC win after his Legacy blitzed the competition on the 1993 New Zealand event.
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11. Mitsubishi Lancer The mighty Lancer helped flying Finn Tommi Makinnen to an unprecedented four world driver titles. It also spawned a succession of memorable road cars. When switch to WRC regulations arrived in 1997, Mitsubishi stuck to older Group A rules - and still continued to win.
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12. Subaru Impreza Think of a rally car and it's probably the Impreza that comes to mind. For the past 14 years its iconic blue paintwork, gold wheels and warbling flat-four motor have been an integral part of the World Championship. Colin McRae used one to win the driver's title in 1995, while Richard Burns repeated the feat in 2001.
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13. Ford Escort During the Sixties and Seventies the Escort proved to be a versatile rally machine. Great names like Hannu Mikkola, Ari Vatanen and Bjorn Waldegaard all won events and championships in the rear-wheel drive Ford. In 1972 Roger Clark used one to become the first Brit to win the RAC Rally.
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14. Lancia Delta S4 The angular looking S4 represented the peak of the crazy Group B era. Behind the driver was a 500bhp motor that used both a turbo and supercharger. Sadly, Finnish star Henri Toivennen was killed while competing in one. The following year saw the introduction of safer and slower Group A machines.
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15. Toyota Celica GT-4 In the hands of Spainard Carlos Sainz the GT-4 became the first threat to Lancia's whitewash of the Group A era. In 1993 it claimed the World Manufacturer's title, something a Japanese firm had never achieved before. It bowed out under a cloud in 1995, when it was discovered to have an illegal turbo.
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16. Peugeot 205 T16 The 205 was the first car to truly exploit the flexible Group B rules. Loosely based on Peugeot's then new supermini, it featured composite panels, an engine where the rear seat should be and four-wheel drive. A stretched and strenghened version went on to win the daunting Paris-Dakar desert race.
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