Whether you’re a fan of rallying or not, you have to accept that it is one of the most challenging motorsports in the world. It requires a unique set of skills and a certain mindset to finish a rally without crashing anywhere. On the other hand, it also requires a decent car that can surpass impossible feats on snow, gravels, and any territory. That’s precisely why rallying has been a great place always to test out new technologies.
Until 1980 it was thought that four-wheel drive technology belongs only in agricultural vehicles, like the Land Rover, until the Quattro proved the world otherwise. While rally races have featured some of the most excellent cars, at the same time, there have been some unimaginably boring cars that you’d never think of, which have been competing and sometimes even succeeding in rally racing. On that note, we present to you ten mainstream cars that have rally heritage.
10 Subaru Impreza
Okay, hold on, the Impreza might not be the ultimate boring car on this list. In fact, it’s a great car. But at the same time, it’ an obscure car, one preferred by families, and one you’d never really think can win any races. Nonetheless, the Impreza has been one of the most successful cars in the World Rally Championship. It won six championship titles and 46 races. What used to be a usual family car, now is a rally legend.
Everything started in 1989 when the Subaru World Rally Team was born. A couple of years later, the Impreza 555 made history, winning almost every race until its successor, the Impreza WRC97, which is visually stunning, finally won the Monte Carlo rally race. And it wouldn’t be the last race they won, just one of many.
9 Peugeot 205
Back in the 80s, the Peugeot 205 was declared as Car of the Year, but today it's too outdated and only relevant to the niche community of car lovers. Although Pininfarina designed the Cabriolet version, the general styling is made by Gerard Welter. Nonetheless, the styling of the 205 was echoed in almost every Peugeot model that followed it.
But people forget that once upon a time, the 205 participated in rally championships, and it wasn’t even that bad. Especially the 205 T16, a title-winning car of the 80s that was light as a feather and had around 424 horsepower.
8 Ford Escort
It might have been a best-selling car during the 80s, but, otherwise, there is nothing a boring, plain mainstream Ford that should be worthy of your attention. Until you hear about the RS Cosworth rally version, which competed between 1993 and 1998, but also was available as a road car.
The main selling point of this car was the whale-tail spoiler and the famous Cosworth engine that kicked out 224 horsepower. And unfortunately, while the Escort holds a special place in rally racing enthusiasts’ hearts, it’s almost entirely forgotten by the automotive industry.
7 Skoda Octavia
We’re not kidding - the mainstream Czech automobile manufacturer has rally heritage indeed. The Skoda Octavia WRC participated in the World Rally Championship from 1993 to 2003. The Octavia WRC indeed was a great car that could drive on different surfaces and in extreme weather conditions.
Even today, the Octavia WRC is considered as one of the most expensive and fastest Skodas. While during their eight years of experience, only 27 models were produced, on Skoda’s 100th anniversary, they created another 100 Octavia WRCs as a tribute to their legendary model.
6 Ford Focus
Whoever thinks Ford cars are boring and there’s nothing unusual about them, clearly doesn’t have any idea about their rally history. The Ford Focus RS WRC is explicitly a car explicitly built for Ford’s World Rally Team and is based on the Ford Focus hatchback.
Like most contemporary rally cars, the Focus is heavily modified from the production version. The vehicle features a four-wheel drive and uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Until 2009 the Ford Focus won 44 World Rally Championships until it was replaced with the Ford Fiesta RS WRC after 2010.
5 Volvo PV444/544
The Volvo PV series of two-door models consisted of the PV444 and PV544. When they were first introduced in 1947, these cars were considered reliable, although the design was outdated. The first series PV444 didn’t take part in any rallies, but the PV544, which had the famous B18 Volvo engine, competed in the American SCCA class and also won the Safari Rally in 1965. Unfortunately, the only way to see one nowadays is at the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden. However, the car is permanently owned by the Singh family, two members of which were the rally drivers who won.
4 Citroën C4
Can you imagine that the compact, famous and mainstream Citroën C4 has a rich history of motor racing, or, more explicitly, rallying? The WRC C4 version specifically built for the Championship replaced the earlier rally Xsara WRC model and managed to take the drivers’ title almost every year. Especially on asphalt events, they won 13 rounds of the World Rally Championship, a record at the time. Unfortunately, after the 2019 WRC season, Citroën decided to leave the competition after 21 years.
3 Renault 5
The French manufacturer Renault had a performance hatchback in the 1980s, which was explicitly built for rallying, but they also had a street version. In 1990, Renault Turbo won the Hot Hatch of the Year award from WhatCar, which isn’t surprising, considering its jaw-dropping performance, fantastic handling, and excellent grip.
The Renault 5 Turbo featured a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine that kicked out 118 horsepower. But that’s not all. The significant part about the Turbo is its history. In 1981, it won the Monte Carlo Rally on its first entry ever in the World Rally Championship. They’ve said it once, don’t underrate the French.
2 Toyota Yaris
Japanese won’t miss out on the rally party, of course. But we thought they’d at least feature a more exciting model. Unfortunately, it had to be the Yaris, which is one of the most hated Toyota models. No wonder, have you seen how ugly it is?
Nevertheless, we’re not here to talk about its appearance, but rather its motorsport heritage. The Yaris WRC was designed specifically for the World Rally Championship, and it’s also the first Toyota car to ever compete in the WRC. The 2021 model is a hot topic for the moment, so let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint.
1 Hyundai i20
The Hyundai i20 has a WRC version that competed in the 2014 World Rally Championship. After being absent for more than ten years, Hyundai returned with a model that wasn’t that bad. It had three victories: the Rallye Deutschland, the Rally Argentina, and the Rally Italia Sardegna.
All of the i20 WRC cars are modified in Frankfurt, Germany, and mostly driven by the fantastic Thierry Neuville, whom they have to thank for the wins. In 2017, the i20 was replaced with the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, which won another 12 titles, including one in 2020.