Gallery: 10 Amazingly Awesome Rally Cars We Love
01rally
The final World Rally Championship event of the 2010 season runs this weekend in Great Britain. And while we here at Autopia do love the rally cars, we have to admit that in recent years the series seems to be a little lackluster. Some fans complain about the lack of manufacturers participating (unless you're a Ford or Citroën fan), others simply are a bit tired of watching the Sébastien Loeb show. Several car makers got out with the economic downturn and have fielded teams in the new Intercontinental Rally Challenge, a development race series for young and amateur drivers with reduced costs. We're not sure why the WRC is suffering these days, and the truth is it is still exciting to watch a driver drift through the forest at 100+ mph. But we do miss the days when you could expect more than one driver to win the title, or watch many of the world's automakers test their cars on some of the most grueling stages of the world rally championship. Thanks to the interwebs though, it is possible to take a stroll down memory lane and have a look at some of the more impressive rally cars from an era when more than two manufacturers competed for the rally crown, and a time when dominating meant you won a title here or a title there, not seven in a row. __Above__: is there anything quite so awesome as a Group B Rally car? *Video: [amjays](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozntieZs8Bg)/YouTube*
02audi-quattro
Audi Quattro ------------ First introduced in 1980, the all-wheel-drive Audi Quattro endured some early development problems as engineers tried to figure out how to build a reliable drivetrain for rallying. In 1981, the Quattro secured its first win with Hannu Mikkola, and later in the season the car would win again with Michèle Moulton, the first woman to ever win a WRC race. With the all-wheel-drive system worked out, the relatively short-lived Quattro would go on to win many more races and force every manufacturer to develop an all-wheel-drive system for its own rally cars. With the advent of the [Group B rules](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_B) (or lack thereof) in 1983, Audi would develop the Quattro into the most powerful rally car ever, producing more than 600 horsepower (some say *much* more) in its ultimate version, the Sport Quattro S1. With the Quattro being a favorite of ours, we included a second video that shows some of the amazing footwork required to control the balance of a rally car, courtesy of one of the masters, Walther Röhrl. There is also some crazy in-car views showing the scattering crowds that led to the end of Group B racing. It was during the Rally of Portugal (1986) that several spectators were killed in a crash. *Video: [bertocosta7](http://www.youtube.com/user/bertocosta7)/YouTube. It may be slow to load. Your patience will be rewarded.* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbU4GZkt7ig The master, Walter Röhrl. You'll never drive as well as this guy. Never. *Video: [pedsab](http://www.youtube.com/user/pedsab)/YouTube.*
03peugeot-205-turbo-16
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 -------------------- With the Group B craziness at its peak, the engineers at Peugeot decided to see how much power they could put in the smallest possible car. The result was the 205 Turbo 16. With a transverse-mounted engine located right behind the front seats instead of under the hood, the all-wheel-drive Peugeot unseated the Audi Quattro and won both the drivers' and manufacturers' titles in 1985 and 1986. After several fatal crashes, including the Rally of Portugal where several spectators were killed, the Group B era came to an end in 1986, and so did the domination of Peugeot in the WRC. In 2000, the 205's offspring, the Peugeot 206, would put the car maker back on the rally map with three consecutive WRC titles. *Video: [bertocosta7](http://www.youtube.com/user/bertocosta7)/YouTube*
04subaru-impreza
Subaru Impreza -------------- Subaru pulled out of the WRC back in 2008, but continues to be a top choice on several other rally circuits around the world. After its introduction in 1993, at the hands of drivers such as Colin McRae, Richard Reid and Petter Solberg, the 555-sponsored Subaru went on to win multiple manufacturers' and drivers' titles. Along with the Mitsubishi Evo, it became one of the iconic rally cars of the 1990s. *Video: [Lusiman](http://www.youtube.com/user/Lusiman)/YouTube*
05mitsubishi-lancer-evolution
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution --------------------------- With Tommi Makkinen at the wheel, the Mitsubishi Evo was nearly as dominating as the Citroën. Makkinen racked up four consecutive drivers' championships starting in 1996. The success of the Evo on the snow, dirt and tarmac of the WRC undoubtedly led to its popularity for young tuners everywhere. who created a modern era of hot-rodding with the WRC-inspired car. *Video: [bellxl](http://www.youtube.com/user/bellxl)/YouTube*
06opel-ascona-400
Opel Ascona 400 --------------- In 1982, Walther Röhrl won the WRC drivers' title in a Opel Ascona. The two-door coupe was far from dominating during the season with Toyota, Renault and Audi all winning races that year. But with Röhrl's magic touch, the Ascona managed to secure enough points for the driver early in the season to build enough of a lead before Audi worked out the kinks of its new all-wheel-drive Quattro. The Open Ascona 400 was the last two-wheel drive car to win a WRC title. *Video: [dug2511](http://www.youtube.com/user/dug2511)/YouTube*
07lancia-stratos
Lancia Stratos -------------- With its distinctive wedge shape, the Lancia Stratos screams 1970s. With a Ferrari motor, the midengine car was the first ever designed from scratch to be a competitive rally car. The car won its first title in 1974, adding two more in 1975 and 1976 (a dominating performance with more than double the points of the second place Opel). Internal squabbling at parent company Fiat meant the Stratos would be sidelined as a dominating car, but in the hands of privateers it would continue to win races into the 1980s. *Video: [Autos96](http://www.youtube.com/user/autos96)/YouTube*
08lancia-delta
Lancia Delta ------------ Lancia would come back in a big way to the WRC in 1987. The Delta dominated the late 1980s when the Group B era came to an end. The small Delta went on to win six WRC titles and numerous race wins at the hands of several drivers including Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, Didier Auriol and Miki Biasion. With 51 wins, the Lancia Delta remains the most successful car in rally history. *Video: [bertocosta7](http://www.youtube.com/user/bertocosta7)/YouTube*
09ford-escort-rs16001800
Ford Escort RS1600/1800 ----------------------- Built in South Essex, England, the Ford Escort RS1600 was a successful rally car introduced in the late 1960s. The car won the 1970 London-Mexico City marathon rally, but it is perhaps most notable for being the grandfather (with a varying number of 'greats') of several decades of Escorts and arguably the most recent version, the Focus. The next generation RS1800 won a pair of drivers' titles in 1979 and 1981, and there would even be a Group B Escort, the RS200 during the legendary era of the mid-1980s rallying. *Video: [sinarchia](http://www.youtube.com/user/sinarchia)/YouTube*
10renault-alpine-a110
Renault Alpine A110 ------------------- A decade after being introduced to consumers, the Alpine 110 won the [Monte Carlo Rally](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/thisdayintech/tag/monte-carlo-rally/) in 1971. With more success in the next few years, the Alpine was bought by Renault , and would go on to forge its place in rally history by winning the first WRC title ever when the series was introduced in 1973. The sleek looking car won six rallies during the inaugural WRC season, including again at the season opener in Monte Carlo. *Video: [chocotof1](http://www.youtube.com/user/chocotof1)/YouTube*
11citroen-c4
Citroën C4 ---------- It's probably only fair to give a nod to the car that is at the center of the current monotony in the world rally championship. With Sébastien Loeb at the wheel, the Citroën C4 and its predecessor, the Xsara, have absolutely dominated the WRC since 2004. Here's a look at last year's Rally Great Britain won by ... Sébastien Loeb, of course. *Video: [citroenactive](http://www.youtube.com/user/citroenactive)/YouTube*
