Rallying has had its fair share of flops and, as this selection goes to show, sometimes even the greats have an off day
WORDS GREG MACLEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY/MCKLEIN/GILES CHAPMAN
TOP TEN
Success in the top flight of rallying is expensive and maddeningly elusive for manufacturers, usually coming only as the planets align and the perfect combination of driver, technological advancement and favourable regulations allow the best to flourish. But for every Audi quattro, Subaru Impreza or Alpine-Renault A110, there are models that failed to impress on the stages. Some arrived too late to the party, otherwise promising machines that became the victim of rapidly changing rules. Others were pressed into action through necessity, at a technological disadvantage that was never going to be overcome. And then there are those that were just plain rubbish. Join us on a journey through 10 of the most ill-conceived and ill-fated rally cars of the past half a century.
1 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII
Domination of international rallying usually comes in waves, and following Toyota’s early ’90s reign it was Mitsubishi and Finnish star Tommi Mäkinen’s time to shine – punctuated by Colin McRae’s title in 1995. The Lancer Evo delivered the Japanese firm’s run of four titles from 1996-’99, each year bringing another version to conquer the stages. So when, in 2001, Mitsubishi was forced to move to WRC (rather than Group A) regulations, most pundits predicted that the latest Evolution VII would brush aside all-comers – but it wasn’t to be. Despite sharing its powertrain with the outgoing car, and benefiting from 300bhp, the new machine was a disaster.
Driver changes the following year didn’t improve matters, with Alister McRae’s brace at Rally Sweden the only points return of a dismal season. Things were so bad that Mitsubishi sat out the following year, but even on its return in 2004, with a car that included thousands of changes, it failed to impress and finished no better than sixth on three occasions. A solitary podium in the following season marked a sad end to Mitsubishi’s stellar career in the World Rally Championship.
Anorak fact The best Mäkinen could muster in the Evolution VII’s debut season was sixth in Australia, despite winning three times with the outgoing ‘Evo 6.5’
2 Subaru Vivio RX-RA
Tax thresholds had an impact on car design across the world, but nowhere did it steer a segment so directly as Japan’s kei class. Regulations governing capacity, power and dimensions came into force in 1949, creating a new breed of pint-sized vehicles.
By the 1990s, the class had evolved from basic, afforda
