Random Best Rally Cars Ever Put Togeth (19 items)

• 

  (#1) Lancia Stratos

  • Lancia

  If you're seeing the Stratos at anything but first place on this list, it may be officially time to give up on humanity. Not just the most beautiful rally car ever produced (no argument), the purpose-built Stratos used a mid-mounted Ferrari Dino V-6 engine and an hilariously short wheelbase to dominate the WRC from 1974 to 1976. The Stratos was a complete game-changer in its own time, and a suicide speed machine that remains a legend to this day. 
• 

  (#2) MINI Cooper

  • MINI, British Motor Corporation

  In the 1960s, the Mini competed with all the spirit and fortitude of a Spitfire against the likes of Ford and Renault. That made rally courses of the 1960s a battle between front-wheel-drive, rear-drive, and rear-engine. The Mini's ability to pull itself through turns that other cars would spectacularly (but slowly) drift around made this underdog a serious bull pup on tighter stages. It won Monte Carlo three years in a row from 1964 to 1967. 
• 

  (#3) Suzuki Pikes Peak Escudo

  Escudo: the video game cheater car to end all video game cheater cars. Hilariously overpowered with its 981-horsepower V-6 engine, the Suzuki's gloriously be-winged Escudo brought years of insane laughter to Gran Turismo enthusiasts everywhere. If you learned to drive by bouncing from barrier to barrier at 290 mph, then the Escudo is still your dream car. Also, it competed at the real Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Or something. 
• 

  (#4) Peugot 205 T16

  Probably the king of all Group B hatchback psychopaths, the T16 was a mid-engine, all-wheel drive that hammered all 450 horsepower to the ground for several seasons in the 1980s. It's probably fair to credit this car with the rise of the hot hatch in Europe, serving as it did as inspiration for teenage hooligans everywhere. 
• 

  (#5) Fiat 131 Abarth

  It might not look like much today, especially since this was one of the cars that the Quattro made obsolete, but the Fiat 131 was one of the last great rear-drive rally cars. It ruled rallying from 1977 to 1980, until Audi forced a complete re-think of rally car design. 
• 

  (#6) Ford Focus

  • Ford

  It might not have quite the legendary status as the Escort Cosworth or RS200, but Ford's rally car has proven an absolute beast. Not only is it fast, but the Escort is tough as nails; these cars have been known to flip end-over-end, roll through ditches, and suffer catastrophic damage - and still finish the race. It's also noteworthy for being Colin McRae's last ride... shame he wasn't in a Focus instead of a helicopter when he crashed, or Colin might still be with us today. RIP. 
• 

  (#7) Mitsubishi Montero/Pajero

  Wait... a Mitsubishi Montero? That thing soccer moms have been driving for the last 20 years? Yes, indeed. Mitsubishi owned the Paris-Dakar rally for so long in the 2000s, it seemed nobody could ever topple the Montero from its place at the top. And in truth, nobody did. It was only when Mitsubishi went broke and had to pull factory support for racing that VW could sneak in and capture titles with the Touareg. Mitsu might have lost the rat race, but its Montero remains king of the desert rats. 
• 

  (#8) Audi Quattro S1

  Meet the grandfather of all Group B rally cars, and probably the prototype for all to come. The Quattro wasn't an especially successful car in WRC, but it did completely rewrite the rule book with its use of all-wheel drive. Put it this way: the Quattro S1 pretty much made the Stratos (as well as every other rally car) obsolete overnight... and that's saying something. 
• 

  (#9) Lancer Evolution

  If you don't recognize this car, you weren't alive in the 1990s. Combining the greatness of Japanese turbocharging with Finnish driving talent, Tommi Makkinen and Mitsubishi owned rally racing from 1996 to 1999. This happened to coincide with the rise of the Gran Turismo video game series, which is where most of us met the Evo for the first time. 
• 

  (#10) Ford Escort RS1600

  The Escort RS1600 might best be thought of as Europe's Shelby GT500. Granted, the two competed in different types of racing, in different markets and classes. But both reigned supreme in the mid-to-late 1960s, and made Ford performance a fixture in their respective markets. You might recognize this Escort from its appearance in the Fast and Furious 6. 
  
• 

  (#11) Renault Alpine A110

  If any car could rival the Stratos for beauty or rally prowess, it's the car that probably inspired it. The Alpine used a rear-mounted Lotus engine, similar in layout to many Porsches of the era. It competed mightily from 1961 to 1977, but was ultimately knocked off its throne by the mid-engine Lancia in 1974. 
• 

  (#12) Subaru Impreza

  • Subaru

  In the 1990s, you were either Team Makkinen Team McRae. If you were the latter, then this is the car you hoped would rush the red Mitsubishi. Subaru claimed the WRC championship from 1996 to 1997 with the Blue Scoobie and a host of rally legends including McRae and Richard Burns.
• 

  (#13) Miller/Brock HOT ROD 1968 Ford Ranchero GT

  Back in 1967, "the World's Greatest Hot Rodder" AK Miller teamed with the equally legendary Ray Brock to pilot this almost-stock 1968 Ford Ranchero GT to victory at the Mexico 1000  (the precursor to today's Baja 1000). Back then, the race was a true open-road rally, covering dirt tracks, gravel pathways, and public road down the Pacific Coast. Sponsored by Hot Rod Magazine, this American-style rally car brought the V-8 thunder with a near-stock 390, a few mild suspension mods, and minimal safety equipment.
• 

  (#14) Ferrari 288

  A Ferrari on a rally course? Oh yes... sort of. Unknown to many today, Ferrari got very serious about taking over Group B in the 1980s. Ferrari built 272 mid-engine rally cars for homologation from 1984 to 1986, and Evoluzione models (like the one pictured) showed up ready to rock with 650 Italian horses. However, when the FIA killed Group B in 1986, the 288 GTO was left without a class to enter. That might make this Ferrari the single greatest rally car to never enter a race. 
• 

  (#15) Lancia Rally 037

  The 037 was Lancia's bid to recapture rally greatness after the Stratos, and it did just that in the 1983 season. It was a bittersweet victory though, because this would be the last time a rear-drive car would win a WRC championship, and a fatal crash involving an 037 called into question the safety of Group B. The next year, Lancia replaced the 037 with its updated Delta S4, which Henri Toivonen drove into a ravine. His fiery death was the last straw for the FIA, which shut down Group B racing in 1986. 
• 

  (#16) Rhys Millen's e0 PP03

  All right, this one might technically be a violation of this list's Pikes Peak Pavement rule, but we can't not include it. First, because rally and drift legend Rhys Millen drove it to overall victory in 2015, and second because it's the fastest electric car to ever punch the clouds. With 1,367 horsepower worth of electric motors on board, the Latvian-built PP03 blitzed all comers, even those in the full-bore Unlimited class. It's not just the baddest electric car in history, Rhys's new torque monster is one of the fastest hill climbers ever.  
• 

  (#17) Ford RS200

  • Ford

  The RS200 was Ford's entry into the psychotic world of 1980s Group B rally cars. Like most of its kamikaze brethren, the RS200 was a mid-engine, all-wheel drive beast with about 450 horsepower. The RS200 had serious potential, but it didn't get quite the development time it needed before Group B shut down. Evidenced by the fact that Stig Blomqvist piloted an old RS200 "parts car" at Pikes Peak in 2001 and 2004, winning the event on his second attempt. Mark Rennison also competed with an RS200 at Pikes in 2009. Not bad for a 25-year-old car. 
• 

  (#18) Peugeot 405 Turbo-16 and ZX Rally Raid

  After Group B closed down, Peugeot turned, as many did, to the Paris-Dakar rally. Combining its 405 chassis with the 600-horsepower 205 Turbo-16 drivetrain, Peugeot bombed right through the 1989 and 1990 Paris-Dakar rally seasons. And that was after winning Pikes Peak in 1988. This car was ultimately replaced by the ZX Rally Raid, which itself racked up Dakar class championships from 1994 to 1996. 
• 

  (#19) Mercedes-Benz 280 GE

  This Mercedes won the 1983 Paris-Dakar race, and is notable mainly for the fact that it presaged the more SUV-like Dakar winners of today. Apparently, when barelling across the desert, it helps to have a bit of room in the back for spares and supplies. 

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking