There are plenty of famous rally cars. Classic cars like the Audi Quattro S1 and the Lancia 037 are well-known rally cars and are very collectible as a result. These cars are famous for their speed and agility and have a legendary status among enthusiasts. However, there are a number of cars that may come as being surprising rally cars.
Cars such as the Mercedes-Benz 450SL and the Porsche Cayman GT4 Rally are pretty awesome, but not many know about their history in rally. This list explores the cars which were used in rallying and are ones we rarely think of when talking about rally cars.
10 VW Golf Rallye
The VW Golf Rallye was launched in 1989 and was a special homologated edition of the VW Golf for Group A rallying. The car was limited edition, so only a certain number were made. This edition had a supercharged engine and featured enhanced power and refined suspension.
Reaching approximately 134 mph at top speed, the Rallye was a great little rally car. The vehicle featured stronger brakes to deal with the bumped-up power, it was even faster than the MkII GTi. By modern standards, the vehicle may not be the fastest, but the Rallye was one of the best hot-hatches that one could drive in when released.
9 Ferrari 308
Initially being released as a sports car in 1975, the Ferrari 308 also had multiple rally variants. The vehicle was featured in rally Group 4 and Group B. The version produced for the Group B rally was packed with 450 bhp. Yes, a factory Ferarri rally car.
The car was so successful that Autocar notes that the Ferrari 308 GTB changed the motorsport forever. The car was so light that a roll cage was required to keep the car structurally sound. The Group B rally version of the 308 was popular, and it's a pity Ferrari never ventured into rally again. A GTC4-Lusso might be a good way to go.
8 Lada Riva
Based on the Lada 2105, the Lada VFTS was the Soviet Union's idea of a rally vehicle. Entered into the crazy Group B rally, the standard VFTS could reach between 130 and 150 bhp. Making the car as light as possible was a key element of this car. An upgraded version was pretty decent too, the Turbo version that could output 270-300 bhp.
Sadly, the Lada didn't race for long. This is probably why many would be shocked to hear that Lada made this a rally car. Still, the car did decently in Eastern European championships, and countries copied the design because it was so good. Also, the car is popular in some Eastern European countries still to this day, meaning that (despite there being only 30 ever made), enthusiasts can go check out some of them in replica form.
7 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow
The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow itself was released originally in 1965, and Ray Richards (a Silver Shadow owner) organized a rally version of the car to be made and used in the 1970 World Cup Rally. Rolls Royce was not exactly enamored with the modifications and didn't really support the car at all.
A one-off vehicle, the car did drive well and was made fairly reliable for rally racing. Eventually, the rear suspension was fully compromised and meant that the vehicle couldn't race for the rallying competition past Brazil. The modifications on this car were a pretty awesome feat, but sadly it just wasn't meant to last.
6 Citroen DS
Citroen manufactured the DS from 1955. The DS itself was already immensely popular and has a great cult following today. The rally version of the DS won the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally and in 1966. The car even went on to race in the 1974 London-Sahara Munich Rally, in which it managed to win.
The Citroen DS was a great car all on its own, one of the most iconic and advanced cars ever to come out of France. Part of the reason the DS was so good was because of the advanced hydropneumatic suspension that meant the DS could soak up the roughness of a rally stage with ease.
5 Mazda 323 GTX
Introduced in 1985, the Mazda 323 offered a GTX version for rallying. The rally version of the 323 had 250bhp and was very lightweight. The car was fairly successful in rallying too and spawned a second generation of the GTX in 1989.
The first generation of the GTX was definitely the best, with Mazda achieving two overall rally wins in this car. The car was AWD and featured combined turbo-engines, making its performance really out of this world on a loose rally stage. The car is quite rare nowadays but is definitely a lot of fun.
4 Peugeot 205 Rallye
The Peugeot 205 was stripped down in 1988 to make a lightweight rally car. The vehicle was no-frills and even sacrificing the glove box lid. It handles great thanks to the lack of weight and is really enjoyed by drivers and enthusiasts because of how engaging it is to drive.
The Rallye had the 1.3-liter engine, reaching 102 bhp. Enthusiasts are often looking for this version of the car, but all versions of the Rallye are very rare nowadays. The car is truly amazing and used excelled in the sub-1,300 cc rally series.
3 Toyota Corolla WRC
The Toyota Corolla was also launched as a Toyota Corolla WRC designed to race in the World Rally Championship. Equipped with a 3S-GTE engine that was modified along with 299 bhp, it was easy to see why the car won four rally championships.
The Corolla WRC is derived from the Corolla E110, but the WRC was modified to change the distribution of weight in the vehicle through moving engine parts around alongside a high amount of suspension travel. The car was pretty awesome and managed to comply with new rallying regulations in the late 1990s.
2 Suzuki Ignis Sport
The rally version of the Ignis is a fairly rare car launched by Suzuki. The Suzuki brand introduced the Ignis Sport in 2003, which was heavily was based on performance. Despite not being the fastest car, Suzuki made this car a brilliant handler and it drives impressively.
With the car being so light, this really enhances the capability of the Ignis in racing. Some of the build quality is quite cheap, however, affecting the quality of the driver's seat. Yet, comfort is not the overall key part of a rally car. Despite not initially easily being recognized as a rally car, the Ignis Sport is a great rally vehicle.
1 Porsche 959 Rally
Interestingly, the Porsche 959 supercar was initially released as a Group B rally car. Yet the brand decided to launch the 959 as a legal road sports car. For the 1985 Dakar rally, Porsche made use of the 959's twin-turbocharged engine to gain overall victory (but also one car also sadly caught fire).
Despite a limited run, and not actually entering into the Group B rallying, the Porsche 959 wanted to rally this near 200-mph tech-filled supercar. The Porsche received multiple technical advancements during its run and even went toe to toe with the legendary Ferrari F40. Not bad for a rally car.