Top 11 Rides to Convert into Rally Cars

Rally racing has been around since the early 1900s, and has a strong following. If you are looking to join the scene, here are a few cars that would convert nicely into rally cars.

Ford Focus WRC

This car was based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-liter hatchback by Ford and M-Sport. The car has endured many ups and downs in its long rallying tradition. Today, the Ford team operates a vehicle that aesthetically resembles the RS Mk II from 2009. The racing car could eke up to 300-bhp and 550 Nm of torque.

Alpine-Renault A110 1600

This is one of the most celebrated rally cars in history; the car won several International Championships during the 70s, in addition to its first WRC in 1973. The car, run on a 1.6 liter engine made of 100% aluminum, was able to reach top speeds of 130 mph.

Volvo PV444/544

Manufactured by Volvo between 1947 and 1966, the 1.8 liter with a 3 or 4 speed transmission ride featured a sophisticated suspension system that provided great handling. This Swedish-made car was famously driven by Gunnar Anderson who won several championships, including 3 European Rally Championships.

Porsche 911

This car won the 1966, 1967 G3 Championships, the 1963 European Rally Championships, and the 1971 International Championship for Manufacturers. The drivers who have made this car famous, include Gunter Klass and Sobieslaw Zasada. The vehicle is available today in convertible, coupe and roof-retractable coupe styles.

Citroen C4 WRC

This car was built by Citroen Racing based on the Citroen C4 road racer that was later replaced by Citroen Xsara WRC. The lead driver for the Citroen Word Rally Team was Sebastian Loeb who drove it at the 2007 World Rally Championship. The car runs on a 2.0 liter engine with 310 hp and 560 Nm of torque.

Ford Escort Mk.I RS

This rally car was popular with many racing drivers in the 60s and 70s. The car gained a lot of respect as World Racing Champion in 1970 and at the 16,000-mile London to Mexico Race. The most prominent drivers of this vehicle included Ari Vatanen and Hannu Mikola who drove a modified Ford Escort Mk. RS with 1850cc engine.

Lancia Stratos HF

Lancia Stratos HF by the Italian car manufacturer, Lancia successfully won the WRC from 1974 to 1976. This unique vehicle provided 280 horsepower on a normal tuning and 560 horsepower on a ramped up turbo assist.

Peugeot 205 T16

The 200 hp road version of this car was half as powerful as the T16 rally car. Popular drivers of this car include Timo Salonen and Juha Kankunenwho won the 1985 and 1986 World Rally Championships respectively. The car has also won the grueling Paris Dakar Rally twice.

Audi Quattro

The Audi Quattro rally and road car are all manufactured by Audi of Germany, which today is a division of Volkswagen Group. The car made its first debut as a pace car in 1981 by outrunning the actual race winner. The first Audi Quattro started with 300 hp engine which evolved into a 591 horse power engine.

Lancia 037

This car has only won one Manufacture’s World Rally Championship. The Lancia manufactured car competed in the early 1980s at the FIA World Rally Championship Group B category. It ran on a 2.0 liter supercharged engine that provided 300 hp; top rally drivers of Lancia 037 include Miki Biasion and Henri Toivonen.