Rallying is one of the most challenging automotive sports disciplines. The reason is, not only requires the ability to drive the racers, but also the toughness and speed of the car.
Vehicle reliability has always been an important and decisive factor in all racing events, including the World Rally Championship (WRC), the most prestigious rally event in the world.
Naturally, if a rally car is required to be tough because unlike other racing disciplines, races generally do not take place on circuits, but on public roads whose terrain is of course made difficult.
Rally cars, in this case the WRC, must be able to pass the most difficult routes that can be found in motorsport events. From asphalt roads, gravel, muddy, to snowy paths are on the menu.
For that, a special vehicle is needed to go through it. Performance and speed are vital elements. But the power of the year is no less important. The problem is the car will cover hundreds of kilometers in days.
From its inauguration season in 1973 until the recently completed 2021 edition – with Sebastien Ogier coming out as champion – the WRC competition has been filled with the best rally cars.
1) Lancia Delta (1987-1993)
- Total Wins: 46
- Constructor Title: 6
- Rally Title: 4
For rally lovers, the Lancia is a special car. Not only the owner of the record for the highest number of wins, but also as the most unique rally car ever to appear in the WRC.
"Queen of The Rally" posted a total of 46 wins in seven seasons, taking six straight factory titles and four rally titles to Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion. Lancia Delta dropped in Group A after Group B was banned. The initial version introduced was the Delta HF 4WD. Then Delta Integrale 8v and heading Integrale 16v.
The final model that entered the WRC was the Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione in 1992. After the 1994 season, the Italian manufacturer resigned and never again took part in rally events.
2) Subaru Impreza (1992-2008)
- Total Wins: 46
- Constructor Title: 3
- Rally Degree: 3
The Subaru Impreza has been considered a synonym for rallying since 1992. This car has great history and achievements in the WRC premier class. The success story began 28 years ago with the Subaru Legacy RS, which was an outstanding rally car but without a title. It wasn't until 1994 that they showed spurs with the Impreza 555.
After a year of domination, it started with the title won by Colin McRae. The 1995 season Subaru also won the manufacturer's title, an achievement that was able to be maintained the following year. Then the WRC version came in 1997 and again won the manufacturing title for the third time. Seasons 2001 and 2003, Subaru led Richard Burns and Petter Solberg to become champions.
The Japanese manufacturer decided to leave the competition after WRC 2008 with a total of 46 wins and six titles.
3) Ford Focus RS WRC (1999-2010)
- Total Wins: 44
- Constructor Title: 2
- Rally Title:-
The Ford Focus RS WRC made its WRC debut in 1999. This is the second car of the United States (US) manufacturer in the WRC-spec era after the Ford Escort WRC two years earlier.
The Focus RS WRC took the first win of its debut season with legendary racer Colin McRae. The combination of the 1995 WRC world champion with Focus lasted until 2002. McRae had nine wins, but Ford failed to win the title. The new title came in 2006 when Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen won eight rallies.
The two rally drivers helped Ford win the manufacturer's title from Citroen with the Focus RS WRC. They again led the team to defend the title at WRC 2007.
Despite failing to bring the rally drivers to the top, Ford had 44 wins with the Focus RS WRC until 2010, placing them in the third position of the car with the most wins.
4) Volkswagen Polo R WRC (2013-2016)
- Total Wins: 43
- Constructor Title: 4
- Rally Title: 4
Volkswagen (VW) Polo R WRC is a car that took the shortest time to achieve success compared to legendary names. In four seasons Polo R WRC won 43 victories. An achievement that certainly cannot be separated from the contribution of Sebastien Ogier. The French racer was very dominant in that period.
Together with the Volkswagen Motorsport Team, Ogier brought the Polo R WRC into the ranks of the legendary car in the rally event with a double title that was won for four consecutive seasons. In its debut season, the Polo R WRC won 10 of the 13 events. Then 12 of the 13 rallies in 2014 and 2015. An additional nine wins were recorded at the 2016 WRC.
It was the final season for the Polo R WRC after Volkswagen Motorsport surprisingly decided to withdraw from the most prestigious rally event.
5) Toyota Celica (1988-1996)
- Total Wins: 37
- Constructor Title: 2
- Rally Title: 4
Besides the Lancia Delta, the Toyota Celica is an icon in the WRC. The two cars were fierce rivals in 1988-1993. With the Celica GT-Four, Toyota won a total of six titles. The first success came in 1990 when Carlos Sainz claimed the title. But after Lancia resigned in 1993, the dominance belonged to the Celica GT-Four.
The car led Toyota to win three rally titles from 1992 to 1994 in the name of Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol. As well as constructor titles in 1993 and 1994. Celica became an important car in the history of WRC because it was able to break the dominance of European manufacturers and led Toyota as the first Japanese manufacturer to win the WRC.
Three evolutions of the Celica GT-Four and Turbo 4WD were recorded until Toyota decided to replace this iconic car with the Corolla WRC in the 1997 season.
