Japanese rally car have a rich history in motorsport.
Manufacturers like Subaru and Mitsubishi have produced iconic rally cars, such as the Subaru Impreza WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
These cars are known for their all-wheel-drive systems, turbocharged engines, and rally successes.
Rally racing in Japan is popular, and the country has also hosted events like the Rally Japan. These cars have gained a global following among motorsport enthusiasts for their performance and reliability.
The Japanese battled fiercely for 1990s Group A supremacy. Subaru won three straight manufacturer’s crowns from 1995-1997 with the Impreza WRX thanks to rally-bred boxer engines and symmetrical all-wheel drive. Drivers Colin McRae and Tommi Mäkinen pushed the Subarus to the limit.
AE86 Rally Car hatchback enjoys a towering reputation among enthusiasts as the drift icon beloved in Initial D. But long before drifting fame, the nimble AE86 built an esteemed rally racing pedigree from the mid-1980s onward, humbling more advanced machinery. Thanks to brilliant weight distribution and handling finesse, modified AE86s became giant slayers in rally…
1992 Celica Rally car – Toyota’s third generation Celica GT-Four debuted in 1988 as a highly capable contender in the competitive Group A era of rallying. But peak success arrived with the ultimate ST185 version campaigned in the 1992 World Rally Championship, claiming Toyota’s first driver’s and manufacturer’s titles. Through evolutionary improvements to nearly every…
AE92 Rally Car is the fourth generation Toyota Sprinter Trueno coupe, also known as the AE92 outside Japan, carries performance ambitions thanks to its appearance in Initial D. But long before drift fame, privateer teams demonstrated the AE92’s surprising rally racing potential despite front-wheel drive and just a small 1.6L engine. Through significant upgrades extracting…
The Dirt Rally 2.0 cars from Codemasters allow gamers to pilot over 50 faithfully recreated cars representing rallying’s past and present. The authentic selection of vehicles delivers exciting variety and history. Let’s examine some standouts from DiRT Rally 2.0’s stellar car list spanning vintage classics to today’s sophisticated machinery. The accurate modeling and handling capture…
RWD Rally Cars – Since the rise of sophisticated all-wheel drive systems in rally racing during the 1980s, conventional rear-wheel drive cars have faced an uphill battle to keep pace with their traction-maximizing rivals. But well-driven RWD models like the Toyota Celica GT-Four, Ford Escort Cosworth, and even the Subaru BRZ have upheld honor for…
The 22B Rally Car 1999 Impreza STI marked a performance pinnacle for the turbo Subaru lineup at the end of an era. Timed with Subaru’s withdrawal from Group A rallying, the 22B coupe distilled the marque’s hard-won rally learnings and homologation DNA into an instant collectible – only 400 were ever built. Let’s examine why…
The 1980s Rally cars category produced the most powerful and technologically advanced rally cars the motorsport world had ever seen. Manufacturers took advantage of loose restrictions to develop short-run homologation specials with cutting-edge engineering and over 600 horsepower. Group B attracted large factory efforts until speeds grew too dangerous, ending the era abruptly. But Group…
EVO X Rally car, the muscular Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X sought to uphold the Evo lineage’s reputation for rally-bred performance. While roadgoing Evo X models impress on the tarmac, the specially built Evo X rally car proved Mitsubishi saved the best for competition use only in the WRC and other major events. Let’s examine how…