Rallying is a motorsport discipline where competitors race against the clock in special stages on closed public roads. The World Rally Championship is the pinnacle of international rally competitions sanctioned by the FIA. Founded in 1973, it was the ultimate battleground of man and machine as they go from the grueling heat of the African desert to the snow-covered forests of Sweden.
Throughout the history of the WRC, various rule changes intended to improve the safety and spectacle of the sport gave way to the most unique and technologically advanced cars, ranging from production-based models to the wildest prototypes the world has ever seen. With such changes, the balance of power shifts from one car manufacturer to another, leading multiple brands to dominate the sport. Here are the cars that won the most rallies in the World Rally Championship.
10 Audi Quattro - 23 wins
One of the German sports cars that changed the game forever, the all-conquering Audi Quattro won the World Rally Championship by pioneering the use of all-wheel-drive on rally cars. Since its introduction, only the Lancia 037 remains as a non-all-wheel-drive rally car to win the championship.
Driven by the likes of Walter Rohrl, Stig Blomqvist, and Michele Mouton, the Quattro in all its versions won a total of 23 wins during its run and two constructors titles for Audi.
9 Peugeot 206 WRC - 24 wins
Peugeot marked their return as a constructor with the 206 WRC in 1999. They took advantage of the new World Rally Car regulations, and won the constructor's championship three years in a row from 2000 to 2002.
Marcus Grönholm won his two titles while driving the 206 WRC in 2000 and 2002. The car had a total of 24 wins from 1999 to 2003, and is the last rally car ever driven by Richard Burns, before he got diagnosed with a brain tumor prior to the start of the 2003 Wales Rally GB.
8 Citroën DS3 WRC - 26 wins
Citroën introduced the DS3 WRC as the successor to the C4 as part of the WRC rule change in 2011, downsizing from 2-liter to 1.6-liter turbo rally cars. Despite this, Citroën kept on dominating the sport, earning 26 wins as it raced from 2011 to 2016.
Sebastien Loeb won his last two championships driving the DS3 WRC en route to 9 straight drivers' titles, and gave the Citroën team two more constructors' championships titles in 2011 and 2012.
7 Toyota Celica GT-Four - 30 wins
Toyota was a force to be reckoned with in the WRC in the early 90s with one of the greatest rally cars of the Group A era; the Celica GT-Four. Toyota Team Europe won the constructors' titles in 1993 and 1994.
Throughout its ST165, ST185, and ST205 versions, the Celica GT-Four has won a total of 30 rallies, with Didier Auriol, Carlos Sainz, and Juha Kankkunen garnering a total of four drivers' championships piloting this car. It also remains the last true sports car to ever win in the WRC.
6 Citroën Xsara WRC - 32 wins
The Citroën Xsara was the car that started the French domination of the WRC. It competed as a works car from 2001 to 2006, giving the French team its constructors' titles from 2003 to 2005.
Most of its 32 wins came in the hands of Sebastien Loeb, with Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae, and Petter Solberg as the other notable drivers who have driven the Xsara throughout its participation in the WRC.
5 Citroën C4 WRC - 36 wins
Citroën's domination of the 2-liter era of the world rally car continued with the introduction of the C4 WRC in 2007. It was even more dominant than its predecessor, the Xsara. In just four years of competition, it won an astonishing 36 rallies and swept the constructors' titles from 2008 to 2010.
Its reign as the car to have in the WRC was only cut short due to the introduction of the Super 2000 regulations for 2011, as it was succeeded by the DS3 WRC.
4 Volkswagen Polo R WRC - 43 wins
The Polo R WRC was Volkswagen's first-ever top-class rally car in the history of the motorsport. It entered the sport in 2013 and immediately dominated the 1.6-liter era of world rally cars. When looking at the percentage of wins over the rallies it has entered, this car is the most dominant of all time.
43 wins in 52 rallies demonstrated the dominance of the Polo R WRC, with Sebastien Ogier winning his first four titles driving this car, and Jari-Matti Latvala helping Volkswagen Motorsport to sweep the 2013 to 2016 constructors' championships.
3 Ford Focus RS WRC- 44 wins
The Focus RS WRC competed in the World Rally Championship from 1999 to 2010. Like the Peugeot 206 WRC, this was Ford's entry to the modern World Rally Car regulations, having previously competed in the Group A era with the Escort RS Cosworth.
In the hands of the likes of Colin McRae, Markko Martin, Marcus Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen, the Focus RS WRC won 44 rallies. It may not have delivered a drivers' title, but in 2006, it earned Ford its first constructors' title since 1976.
2 Subaru Impreza WRC - 46 wins
Subaru's Impreza competed in the World Rally Championship from 1993 to 2008. The car replaced the bigger Legacy RS at the height of the Group A era, and continued on as Subaru's weapon for the modern 2-liter World Rally Car category until Subaru withdrew from the WRC at the end of 2008.
Colin McRae won his only drivers' title in 1995 driving the Group A Impreza, with Richard Burns and Petter Solberg winning the 2001 and 2003 titles in the Impreza WRC. The Subaru World Rally Team also won three constructors' titles in a row from 1995 to 1997.
1 Lancia Delta - 51 wins
The Lancia Delta chassis not only made history by being WRC's most successful rally car, but it also brought its most exciting era to an end, when the Lancia Delta S4 burst into flames in the 1986 Tour De Corse, killing its driver Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto, effectively ending the Group B era.
Lancia then used the tamer Delta HF Integrale in the new Group A regulations in 1987, clinching six straight constructors' championships from 1987 to 1992, and with Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion winning the 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1991 drivers' championships, totaling 51 wins in the process, it also made Lancia the most successful constructor in the WRC's history.