Ford Escort Cosworth – The Dominant 1990s Rally Icon Introduction to the Escort Cosworth The Ford Escort Cosworth is an iconic high-performance version of the standard Ford Escort compact car. Originally produced from 1992-1996, the Escort Cosworth was conceived specifically for rally racing and was known for its impressive power, handling, and rally success in…
Lancia Delta – The Championship Rally Hatchback The Lancia Delta garnered fame and success through the 1980s as both a dominant force in the World Rally Championship competition and a mass-produced performance hatchback for the street. Introduced in 1979, the Delta heroically upheld Lancia’s racing legacy by securing six constructors’ titles. Yet it also popularized…
Fiat X1/9 – The Affordable Mid-Engine Roadster The Fiat X1/9 delivered a unique combination of nimble mid-engine handling and affordability when it debuted in 1972. Styled by Bertone and engineered by Fiat, the petite X1/9 roadster introduced a new platform combining a mid-mounted powertrain with a lightweight body. Costing under $3,000 new, it brought the…
Take a walk through the Porsche museum in Stuttgart and one iconic silhouette visually screams from the walls – the menacing 935 emblazoned in the Martini & Rossi racing livery. Developed for FIA Group 5 sports car competition in 1976, this ultimate 911 racing derivative combined turbocharged flat-six power with endurance racing durability. Through continual…
In automotive history, few vehicles hold rally racing pedigree matching the revolutionary Lancia Delta Integrale. Beginning life as a typically humble family hatchback, this Italian icon rapidly evolved into a fire-breathing asphalt assassin through homologation specials bristling with boosted power and advanced differentials specifically for humbling rival rally stages worldwide. By the time mass production…
Lancia Stratos – Rally Supremacy Through Passion Over Reason Among rallying enthusiasts and motorsport historians, few vehicles capture the imagination as profoundly as the Lancia Stratos HF rally car. Originally conceived as an eye-catching styling exercise for 1970 Turin Motor Show crowds rather than seriously challenging WRC circuits, this radical Italian fascinating blended sensuous Bertone-penned…
The Ford RS200: Rapid Rally Hero Turned ’80s Icon Among motorsports cars that transitioned for production-based homologation duties in the 1970s through the 80s, few proved more brutally effective—or primed for infamy—than Ford’s staggering RS200. Developed to spearhead Ford’s Group B rally effort against all-star competitors ranging from Audi’s indecently quick Sport Quattro to the…
Mk2 Ford Focus RS – Bringing Rally Speed to the Street When the Mk2 Ford Focus RS thundered onto the scene in 2009, it shook competitors to the core by translating full-bore rally aggression into a practical hatchback form. Evolving the genre-busting 2004 Focus RS formula, Ford selected the freshly facelifted Focus as a donor…