Road legal rally car

Road legal rally car

Author
Discussion

howcanshe

Original Poster:

189 posts

177 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Why does no one do this?

Sure you can get scoobs and evos, but why cant a focus for example be converted into a rally spec car? Obviously the exhaust would have to be quieter and meet emmisions but surely there must be more reasons

Jayho

2,028 posts

171 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
because it would swallow up children playing on the street... And probably the fact that you dont require a car specced up to that for our streets... Evo's and Impreza's are already detuned and arent exactly the same as their rally going models. + They've usually got really short gearing ratio IIRC, therefore makes it economic madness to have one as a daily runner!

davepoth

29,395 posts

200 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
All rally cars are, by definition, road legal cars. They have to be to be able to drive between special stages.

As to why you don't often see Focus rally replicas, it's mainly down to the lack of AWD on the production cars.

Jayho

2,028 posts

171 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
davepoth said:
All rally cars are, by definition, road legal cars. They have to be to be able to drive between special stages.

As to why you don't often see Focus rally replicas, it's mainly down to the lack of AWD on the production cars.
Reminds me... aren't rally cars suppose to adhere to the speed limit and legal road laws during certain stages? AKA if a council decided to to plop a speed camera on a special stage and teh rally car was going over the said speed limit of the road would = speeding?

Rollcage

11,327 posts

193 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
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Jayho said:
Reminds me... aren't rally cars suppose to adhere to the speed limit and legal road laws during certain stages? AKA if a council decided to to plop a speed camera on a special stage and teh rally car was going over the said speed limit of the road would = speeding?
Special stages are not held on Public roads on mainland Britain IIRC.

wackojacko

8,581 posts

191 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
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Most actual rally cars cannot be locked either hehe friends father has a MK2 ex Irish tarmac rally car........ you can't lock it hehe doesn't even have a set of keys just a cut off switch.....

anonymous-user

55 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Tbh, if you've ever tried to drive a full international spec wrc car in the uk, in any traffic at all, you'd know that's enough to disuade anyone that it might be a good idea !!

retrorider

1,339 posts

202 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
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Rollcage said:
Special stages are not held on Public roads on mainland Britain IIRC.
Jim Clark Rally in Scotland is mainland Britain...

EDLT

15,421 posts

207 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
retrorider said:
Rollcage said:
Special stages are not held on Public roads on mainland Britain IIRC.
Jim Clark Rally in Scotland is mainland Britain...
The WRC stages are held on private land though. Doesn't the Jim Clark rally need an act of parliament every year to remove the speed limit temporarily?

paulmoonraker

2,850 posts

164 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
If your after a road going rally car then an 05 sti or an Evo 9 will do. They are hard enough wink

The key point is 'road going'... If you had a true WRC setup it would be terrible on UK roads.

paulmoonraker

2,850 posts

164 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Oh yeah, and also, the MPG is eye watering with the tamed versions of these cars, let alone the WRC version!

Sam_68

9,939 posts

246 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Max_Torque said:
Tbh, if you've ever tried to drive a full international spec wrc car in the uk, in any traffic at all, you'd know that's enough to disuade anyone that it might be a good idea !!
^^^ This.

The whole idea of driving a 'proper' race or rally car on the road is only appealing until you try it.

Rollcage

11,327 posts

193 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Sam_68 said:
^^^ This.

The whole idea of driving a 'proper' race or rally car on the road is only appealing until you try it.
Chris Harris seemed to enjoy McRae's Subaru......

Or888t

1,686 posts

174 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
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Also isent all the power right at the very top of the rev range?

CraigyMc

16,490 posts

237 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Or888t said:
Also isent all the power right at the very top of the rev range?
no.

Sam_68

9,939 posts

246 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Rollcage said:
Chris Harris seemed to enjoy McRae's Subaru......
Chris Harris is a motoring journalist, whose job is to sell the maximum number of magazines to spotty teenagers and daydreaming wannabes.

Ask him to use a Metro 6R4 for a couple of months commuting and general road use and see how positive he is about the experience.

gog440

9,247 posts

191 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Max_Torque said:
Tbh, if you've ever tried to drive a full international spec wrc car in the uk, in any traffic at all, you'd know that's enough to disuade anyone that it might be a good idea !!
And the fuel economy would kill you, If i remember correctly the special fuel that was used by the wrc cars is about £15-£20 per litre (if I am wrong it is likely to be an under estimate)
Also every rally car I have driven has no soundproofing, a straight cut gearbox, you can hear every pop and bang, every pot hole, piece of gravel etc, impossible to speak to your passenger without an intercom.
Also they are a bh to maneouvre and in traffic as they are normally have a paddle clutch which is either in or out.

anonymous-user

55 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Rollcage said:
Sam_68 said:
^^^ This.

The whole idea of driving a 'proper' race or rally car on the road is only appealing until you try it.
Chris Harris seemed to enjoy McRae's Subaru......
I'm sure my 900kg, high boost turbo'd sequential dog boxed, rally car would also be a complete hoot on the empty welsh road that Chris drove the S7 along, but on normal roads, with normal cars, er, no thanks !

Arthur Jackson

2,111 posts

231 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
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A friend of mine took me out on the road in his 6R4. It was incredibly fast. 60 in less than 3. But it was SO noisy and bumpy too. Oh and hot!

kiteless

11,742 posts

205 months

Saturday 2nd April 2011
quotequote all
Sam_68 said:
Chris Harris is a motoring journalist, whose job is to sell the maximum number of magazines to spotty teenagers and daydreaming wannabes.
Really?

You really believe that Harris (and, for that matter, Meaden / Barker / Frankel / Sutcliffe / Kacher et al) write such prose to pander to teenagers and wannabes? If so, I must say that's a massive disservice to both writer and reader and assumes that all drivers who don't worship at the altar of worthiness that is What Car are either inexperienced or banal social climbers on the subject of cars.

IMHO, of course smile