Rallying is one of the oldest forms of motorsport. Its origins go back to the 1894 Paris-Rouen off-road car races and the 1911 Monte Carlo Rally. This fact makes the sport at least 40 years older than Formula 1. Even though the latter is more popular, the emotions that one can experience when watching a rally race live are indescribable.

RELATED: 10 Mainstream Cars You Didn't Know Had Rally Heritage

Since most rally machines are based on streetcar models, people get really interested in how they will perform on a muddy track, even though the resemblance between the two vehicles is barely noticeable. Not all the rally cars listed here are the fastest or most successful, but they have found a way to leave their mark.

10 Peugeot 205 T16

Peugeot 205 T16
via Motor1

The small car shocked the entire rally world. With a massive rear wing, all-wheel-drive system, and a 4-cylinder engine, it could develop 550 horsepower with ease. This mid-ship-engined World Rally Championship beast belonged to Group B.

Peugeot 205 T16
via Top Gear

The T16 machine gained victory in 1985 and 1986. It could have continued to dominate in the WRC if not for the banning of the Group B cars. Even after this, the vehicle remained in motorsport and participated in the Paris-Dakar races until the late 1980s.

9  Audi Sport Quattro S1

Audi Sport Quattro S1 Front
via ArtStation

The Quattro S1 has an all-wheel-drive system and a shortened chassis for better drivability and better control on slippery surfaces. The car also pushes 600 horsepower and has a six-speed semi-automatic transmission system.

Audi Sport Quattro S1 Side
via RallySales

Such a car in the 1980s was revolutionary. Even though it failed to win the WRC in its debut season due to inconsistent results, some competitors decided to rebuild their rally cars in a similar way.

8 Lancia Stratos HF

Lancia Stratos HF Front
via Autogespot

The Lancia Stratos was the last iconic rear-wheel-drive car before the beginning of the all-wheel-drive rally era. With the stunning Bertone design and the Ferrari Dino V6 engine, the car managed to win three WRCs in a row.

RELATED: What Made The Lancia Stratos One Of The Most Dominant Rally Cars In History

Lancia Stratos HF Back
via Autogespot

The Italian beauty does not only have outstanding performance but is pretty rare since only around 500 Stratos cars were made. Also, it is the first vehicle that has been created especially for rallying, and only after that came out with a street version.

7 Citroën C4

Citroen C4 WRC
via Concept Carz

This vehicle was developed by the Citroën team to compete in the World Rally Championship series. It perfectly replaced the Xsara on the track. The basis of this car was an ordinary hatchback.

Citroen C4 WRC
via Top Speed

The Citroën C4 WRC is a modern legend. The greatest rally racer of all time, Sebastien Loeb, has sealed a crushing victory with this car from 2007 to 2010 and has won 13 asphalt rounds of the rally championship.

6 Ford Focus RS

Ford Focus RS WRC
via RaceDepartment

This machine was built especially for the Ford World Rally Team and has brought 44 victories. It is based on a 2-liter production hatchback and produces 300 bhp and 406 lb/ft of torque.

Ford Focus RS WRC
via Eurosport

The beast was created as a replacement for the Ford Escort WRC, and it fulfilled this mission in 1999. The first one to drive the car was Colin McRae in the Monte Carlo Rally. But because of an illegal water pump, the vehicle got disqualified.

5 Renault Alpine A110

Renault Alpine A110 Side
via Autoclassics

This machine was introduced in 1963. The Alpine A110 had a fiberglass body, steel chassis and has equipped with a Renault engine. For a couple of years, the car's main competitors were the Porsche 911 and the Mini Cooper.

Renault Alpine A110 Back
via Drive

This iconic vehicle was driven to victory by Ove Andersson in the Monte Carlo Rally. The Renault Alpine A110 also is the first French rally car to gain a WRC title. Soon after, the manufacturer stopped the car's production.

4 Porsche RGT 911

porsche 911 rgt
via Total 911

The Porsche 911 is a rally car prepared to the highest standards and according to the RGT regulations. The Tuthill Porsche rally workshop can create one of these for anyone based on either the 997 or 991 GT3.

RELATED: Ranking The 10 Fastest Porsches Ever Made

Porsche 911 RGT Front
via Total 911

This groundbreaking car is no joke. In 2014, this 320 horsepower beast showed its power and became the first Porsche to finish a WRC event in 28 years.

3 Fiat Abarth 131

Fiat Abarth 131
via Classic Driver

The Fiat Abarth 131 can be considered an Italian copy of the Ford Escort MK2. Its specifications allowed the car to win the World Rally Championship three times - in 1977, 1978, and 1980.

Fiat Abarth 131
via Motor1

The legendary rally car version comes with 300 horsepower under the hood. There are also 400 street Fiat Abarth models, equipped with similar aggressive features, but producing 140 hp to improve reliability.

2  Toyota Celica ST205 GT-Four

Toyota Celica GT-Four Front
via Motorsport Auctions

After winning three WRCs in 1993, 1994, and 1999, the St205 earned the title of the first ultra-successful Japanese rally car model. With an advanced all-wheel-drive system and high reliability, the vehicle became near to unbeatable.

Toyota Celica GT-Four
via Driven

But later on, the Celica was disqualified because of serious technical violations, and the results of that season were annulled. However, in the early 1990s, the manufacturer also created street versions of the car model, which remain rally beasts even now.

1 MG Metro 6R4

MG Metro 6R4 Front
via DirtFish

The rally career of the 1985 MG Metro 6R4 was quite short-lived. It is a beast, but it failed to turn its success into regular victories. The reason for both its success and failure was the 3.0-liter V6 engine, which was capable of producing up to 410 horsepower when it actually ran.

MG Metro 6R4 Back
via Motor1

By the time the engine problem got fixed, the rally class for which the car was designed ceased to exist. The MG Metro 6R4 was one of the fastest cars of that time. Eventually, its turbocharged V6 engine made its way into the Jaguar XJ220 supercar.

NEXT: 10 Coolest Cars That Have Dominated The Dakar Rally