Rallying is one of the greatest motorsports in the world, loved and watched by fans all over the globe. Unlike most other motorsports, rallying happens in real-world conditions, some of which look undrivable at first. Whether it be in the dusty Cypriot mountains, harsh frozen tundras of Norway, wet Welsh forests, or scorching African deserts, rallying pushes cars and drivers to extreme limits and punishes them in ways no other motorsport can.
Like other top motorsports, rallying has homologation rules that require manufacturers to build a certain number of road-legal versions of rally cars to prove that they're safe enough to compete. This list explores ten of the greatest rally homologation specials ever made.
10 Ford RS200
Let's start with one of the greatest Ford RS cars ever made — the RS200. Introduced in 1984, the RS200 was developed during the crazy Group B days that gave us some of the wildest rally cars.
The RS200 was equipped with a 1.8-liter Cosworth-tuned turbocharged four-cylinder engine generating up to 400 horses in rally versions and 250 hp in road cars, paired with an advanced suspension system and a four-wheel-drive system. Unfortunately, the RS200 forced the FIA to end Group B after several terrible accidents.
9 Lancia Stratos
The Stratos essentially changed how rally cars were developed. Lancia built the rally car first, then built 200 units with the required components to make them road-legal. Before that, rally cars were based on road cars.
The Stratos was impressive in many ways. For one, it had a gorgeous design conceived by the renowned Marcello Gandini. It was also powerful, thanks to a Ferrari-built Dino V6 engine producing 185 hp in road cars. The Stratos was very successful, winning several World Rally Championships in the '70s.
8 Toyota Celica GT-Four
The Celica doesn't get a lot of respect within automotive circles, even though it was produced for over three decades. Toyota built multiple versions of the Celica, and the GT-Four is arguably the best.
Produced from 1986 to 1999, the GT-Four is a high-performance Celica version built to compete in the World Rally Championship. Toyota built three generations of the Celica GT-Four, and the third-generation version is our favorite. Equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine sending 239 hp to all wheels, the third-generation Celica GT-Four is a joy to drive.
7 Porsche 959
Porsche is not the kind of automaker gearheads would expect to participate in rallying, as it's mostly known for building some of the best German sports cars. However, with the introduction of relaxed Group B regulations in the '80s, Porsche decided to build the ultimate rally car, resulting in the 959.
Although the 959 never actually got to compete, it was fantastic. Powered by a 2.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six cranking out 444 hp, the 959 had a top speed of 198 mph, allowing it to break the production car speed record.
6 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
The Dakar Rally is arguably the most gruesome motorsports event. To win this insane competition, a vehicle has to be pretty special and well-equipped to handle the toughest terrains at speed, which is exactly what the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution was. The Pajero Evolution is the most successful Dakar Rally car ever, having won 12 titles.
In 1997, Mitsubishi built the road-legal version of the Pajero Evolution to meet homologation requirements for the Dakar Rally's T2 class. Approximately 2,500 examples were built, all of which are highly sought-after collectibles.
5 Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro turned the rallying world on its head when it debuted in 1980. The 'Quattro' in the name is derived from the Italian word for four, which represents that the vehicle uses a four-wheel-drive layout.
The Quattro was the first car to take advantage of the new relaxed Group B rules that allowed the use of a four-wheel-drive layout. Thanks to this system, the Quattro dominated the rallying scene for much of the '80s.
4 Lancia Delta
Lancia is rarely mentioned these days within automotive circles, but it was one of the most successful European automakers in the 20th century. One of Lancia's greatest models is the Delta.
The first-generation Delta was a high-achiever in the rallying world, scoring 46 WRC victories in its racing career. There were several versions of the Delta built during its 20-year production run, and our favorite is the HF Integrale.
3 Peugeot 205 T16
In the early '80s, Peugeot wanted to participate in the newly-introduced Group B rally class. The French marque took the two-door version of the 205 hatchback, added various modifications to turn it into an absolute beast, and produced 200 road-going examples to homologate it.
The 205 T16 was a monster on the track, winning an impressive 50% of all events it entered. The road-legal 205 T16 didn't have a 400-hp engine like the race car, but it's still one of the most fun-to-drive hot hatches ever made.
2 Ford Escort RS1800
When the second-generation Ford Escort debuted in the mid-70s, the RS division rolled up its sleeves and developed the awesome Escort RS1800. The RS1800 was developed specifically for rallying and had all sorts of modifications to improve performance and toughness.
The RS1800's body was heavily strengthened and could be differentiated from the base Escort by its wide wheel arch extensions. Under the RS1800's hood lived a 2.0-liter Cosworth-tuned engine producing 250 hp, paired with a strengthened transmission and five-linked suspension.
1 BMW M3 (E30)
The first M3 is an icon of the auto industry. Its combination of great design, advanced engineering, and power made it one of the best compact luxury sedans of the day. Another reason why the M3 E30 has such a huge cult following is its success in motorsports.
The E30 M3 participated in many forms of motorsports, including touring car racing and rallying. The M3 wasn't as good as the four-wheel-drive rally cars on loose surfaces, but it was a beast on asphalt.