Rally cars: classes, models, top speed, engine power, ranking of the best

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

Rally racing is one of the most extreme and interesting types of motorsport. It requires full concentration from pilots while overcoming treacherous turns and bypassing the next participant. But even the most trained and experienced athletes are unlikely to succeed without a good rally car.

We'll just talk about them today. There are a lot of similar vehicles at the World Rally Championships, where each participant tries to make his car a powerful, reliable and high-speed tool for defeating rivals.

So, we present to your attention a list of the best rally cars in the history of this sport. Let's consider the main technical characteristics of the cars, their merits in the big arena, and also mention the pilots who drove them.

Classification

To begin with, let's define the classes of rally cars and how they differ from each other. And then we will go directly to the models themselves and their remarkable characteristics.

Rally car classification:

• Group N. These are conveyor products thatwere issued in a circulation of at least 2500 copies. In this case, it is allowed to modify the body, change shock absorbers and adjust the exhaust system, both physical and software. Everything else is forbidden to touch.
• Group A. A more radical preparation of a rally car is already allowed here, which significantly distinguishes the car from production models. This is a sports suspension modified with a gearbox, small changes in engine characteristics (piston stroke, cylinder diameter). But in general terms, the design of the machine must match the original assembly line model.
• WRC (World Rally Car). Here are already purely professional models of rally cars with the most liberal requirements. Maximum changes in the technical and visual parts of the machines are available. It is not necessary for a sports car to be a production car. You can mount a sports engine, radically change the suspension and experiment with body dynamics as you like, as well as canopies. The main thing is that the sports car fits into the category of passenger cars.

The above groups, in turn, are divided into other subgroups (N3, A7, Kit Car, etc.). The latter classify each car by engine size and power, minimum weight and other parameters. But the big picture should be clear.

The ranking of the best rally cars is as follows:

1. Audi Quattro.
2. Porsche 911 (Project 50).
3. Citroen C4 WRC.
4. Peugeot 205 T16.
5. Lancia Stratos HF.
6. Ford Escort 1600 RS.

Consider the participantsmore.

Ford Escort 1600 RS

This is one of the best rally cars that competed in the 60s and 70s of the last century. The model is a special development of Ford for participation in such races. The brand at the same time brought out another car - the GT70, but it was the Escort 1600 RS that won the most victories.

There are several modifications of this car, differing from each other in engine size: 1, 6/1, 85/2, 0/2, 3 liters. The machine has a front engine and rear wheel drive. This rally car won the legendary 1970 World Cup of Rally. The race started in London and ended in Mexico City. The cup lasted from April 19 to May 27, where the total length of the tracks was almost 26 thousand kilometers. The maximum speed of the car in the initial modification (group N) is about 183 km/h.

Piloted sports car Hannu Mikkola, and thanks to him and his perseverance, this car took the cup with a decent lead over rivals.

Lancia Stratos HF

This car is the first sports car designed specifically for participation in the WRC. In 1974, 75, 76 pilots Sandro Munari and Bjorn Waldegard won the championship titles. The winning streak may have continued, but Fiat began to promote another car - the Fiat 131 Abarth, which could not hold the baton in 1977.

The power of the Lancia engine in the basic version was limited to 280 horsepower, but with the addition of a turbinegrew to 560 liters. With. This car reached speeds of up to 230 km/h.

Peugeot 205 T16

Another legend of rally sports from the venerable Peugeot. The car first entered the track at the Tour de Corse in 1984. Due to a considerable number of shortcomings and design errors, the first pancake went lumpy. But already in the next season, the car showed itself in all its glory and began to win first places.

The car received a turbocharged 1.8-liter engine with a capacity of 350 hp. With. and a top speed of 205 km/h. One of the main "chips" that helped the French win is the ideal location of the unit. With the central positioning of the engine, the car excels in exceptional handling.

Two consecutive years in 1985 and 1986 Pilots Juha Kankkunen and Timo Salonen took cups on this Peugeot sports car.

Citroen C4 WRC

The car was released in 2004 and since 2007 has become the champion three times in a row. One of the best pilots of our time, Sebastian Loeb, was responsible for driving the car. The car impresses not only with its exterior, but also with extremely well-balanced technical characteristics.

The car received a 320 horsepower turbocharged engine that quietly maintained speeds in the region of 200 km / h, as well as an advanced 6-speed sequential gearbox. Later, the car was put on the conveyor, while not forgetting to slow down the agility. Series C4is sold to this day, and very successfully.

Porsche 911 (Project 50)

Despite its rather specific branding status, the 911 Porsche managed to take part in the rally as well, and quite productively. The car became the champion in 1966 at the G3 rally, in 1967 - G1, in 1968 - first place in the European Championship and in 1971 - in the international arena (ICM). Such success would be the envy of any car.

Judging by the feedback of the pilots, and these were Sobeslav Zasada, Günter Klass and Vic Elfrod, well-known at that time, the car was extremely difficult to drive. The engine was located at the rear, with a corresponding drive, a rigid suspension - all this was a real test of the professionalism of the drivers.

The two-liter engine accelerated the car to 220 km/h. But speed was technically necessary for Porsche. The fact is that the car's systems had only air cooling and overheated quite quickly on difficult sections of the road, and only speed saved from overheating.

Audi Quattro

This is the first all-wheel drive super fast rally car. The 1982 model reached speeds of up to 250 km / h. It was with the Audi Quattro that the era of all-wheel drive rally cars began. For five years of participation in the WRC championships, the car brought the athletes 23 victories. And not every brand can boast of such achievements.

The first versions of cars had a relatively small engine power - about 300 liters. With. But after the release of the S2 modification on 591l. With. the car turned into a real racing monster and began to conquer sports peaks. The car, as they say, tore and metal on the track, but frequent breakdowns made it the bearer of the “all or nothing” philosophy.

It is noteworthy that Michelle Mounton won the World Rally Championship Cup in the Audi Quattro. She also became the first female winner in this sport.