In the world of motorsports, rally racing ranks as one of the toughest competitions that a driver can race in. Held in various countries around the world, it's courses or stages have proved to be some of the toughest challenges that teams need massive preparation to participate, much more to win at.
A rally race requires the not just the fastest, but the toughest cars in order to be fielded as unlike F1 or NASCAR where racers go around a paved track, rally stages can be held in snow-capped mountain ranges, desert dunes, forested roads or mud-soaked country roads.
In its long history, there have been surprising entries where unexpected types of cars have taken part in this racing challenge. As most rally cars are purpose-built racing machines, the cars we will see in this article are sports cars that are primarily road-going vehicles and yet, have actually done pretty well in this motorsport.
10 Nissan 240SX
Well respected in the drifting circuit for its handling, balance, and good power to weight ratio. The Nissan 240SX was made to slide around tracks at high speed. Out of the paved track, the same attributes serve the 240SX well in the much larger rally courses.
9 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato
Based on looks alone, this Lamborghini Huracan derived Sterrato is a rally monster. With a screaming 630HP engine powering this gravel eating Lambo, there would be few obstacles in rally stages that could get in the way of this super rally car.
8 Ferrari 360 Modena Rally Spec
The successor to the revered F355, the Ferrari 360 Modena was an improvement in almost every way - weight, power, suspension, and it's improved F1 derived transmission made the Modena a faster, more agile car. Taking the stock Modena and modding it into a rally-spec version, the team that owned this Ferrari made for an exotic and very capable rally racer.
7 Lotus Exige
While not as powerful as the thoroughbred rally racers, the lightweight Exige made for an excellent challenger to the more established models that dominate the rally circuit. Already blessed with an impressive power to weight ratio, the beefed-up V6 Turbo engine made this small sprinter into an even faster machine.
6 Porsche 911 Gt3
Speed and acceleration is a necessity for cars that race in a timed event like rallying, two things that this Porsche 911 GT3 has spades courtesy of its flat-6 engine producing 520HP, the 911 GT3 is capable of a blistering 0-60 time of 3 seconds and a top speed of 193Mph.
5 Jaguar F Type
A relatively new car in the Jaguar line up, the F Type was met with many positive reviews when it came out as it's new and fun design reinvigorated the stale image of the Jaguar brand. Used as a rally car, the F Type is a quick and agile racer as its 566Hp engine would have more than enough power to fling this light and agile convertible in either mud or sand.
4 BMW E30 M3
The E30 M3 is the car that pioneered the sport/performance sedan category by taking a humdrum family car into an exciting pocket rocket. Already a champion in the touring car arena, the same formula that makes the E30 M3 great for DTM or BTCC was able to conquer the rally circuit as well, winning several major international events.
3 Porsche 959
The record holder for being the fastest street-legal production car when it was introduced, the Porsche 959 was initially designed and produced by Porsche to be their Group B racer. Winning several championships including the Paris-Dakar rally, the 959 in its rally or street-legal versions have consistently ranked among the best cars during the 1980s
2 Ferrari 308
Fielded by several rally teams to compete in the Group 4 class, the use of the Ferrari 308 as a gravel and snow racer was actually supported by the manufacturer as they believed its V8 engine would be a great showcase of how good their cars were. With only 11 units of the rally-spec 308 built, this Ferrari is now a rare and sought after collector car.
1 Aston Martin Vantage
With an exhaust note often described as the best in any car, this rally version of the extremely cool Aston Martin Vantage would be awesome to see and hear as it rips through the various rally stages. Tuned for even better aerodynamics by the addition of bumper canards, front lip, and a rear spoiler, this is a seriously slick racer.