Best rally car of all time

Well out of curiosity i will ask why? as if you examine the statistics the Xsara shapes up quite well to the Stratos with equal amount of constructors championships,and in terms of overall championships Citroen is second to Lancia but with a superior amount of drivers championships.Indeed if you count Peugeot,s constructors championships in with Citroens as a PSA group amount of championships they actually beat Lancia.
Based on your dismissal of the Xsara with its strong and enduring WRC showings then i guess you must also dismiss the Subaru Impreza.
With regard Loebs utter dominance of the drivers championship well his record speaks for itself and he has had some stiff competition but best driver with the best team is always going to win.

So what is the "point of it all" if not to win drivers and constructors championships which Citroen have admirably achieved as indeed have Lancia.

I’ll give you an explanation.
Too many people here seem to be just thinking of rallying as WRC events. Well, rallying is much more than just WRC events, and this is why no WRC or Group B car is entitled to the greatest rally car title, because, they are simply too expensive and beyond most privateers, and Group B in particular, was also too short in duration. As great as the 206T16E2 was as a rally car, it lasted just two seasons. The Citroen Xsara/C4 is undoubtably the greatest WRC car, the 206T16 probably the greatest Group B car and the Intergale the greatest of the Group A cars.
But, the Escort has to be the greatest of all time, because of it’s sheer longevity. From a club competitor winning a road rally in the 70’s in his almost standard Mexico or RS2000, to a full on Group 4 BDG from Boreham to todays reborn cars in classic rallying, the Escort is king.
Even when Group B assaulted all our senses in the 1980’s, and later on into the Group A days, if you went to any single venue stage rally in the UK or an Irish or Scandanvian rally...........you would still see upteen Escorts being used. That's 43 years as probably the worlds favourite and most used rally car, from basic club competitors to world champions.

Oh, and the worlds toughest and longest ever rally was won by........an Escort.

This isnt a poll to see what the best is results wise, but in your opinion, what do you think is the best, and why??


I am going for the stratos, as being the best purpose built rally car, and for being that difficult to tame, only Sandro Munari could tame it properly. Oh, and having that engine in it.

Over to you guys and gals

Best is difficult, as in best at what? And do you only mean WRC or National level rallying, or including indurance, Dakar, rally raid, hill rallying and the like?

The Statos is certainly great by the fact it was really the first purpose built rally car. Although I suppose you could also look at it as the beginning of the end, as ultimately it's the car that led to Grp B, and their banning and being left with the dull rally cars of today all having to conform to be almost a 1 make series.


So totally ignoring the 'best' bit I can certainly point out some of my favourites.

Lancia 037 for being the only 2 wheel drive car to beat off the mighty Audi Quattro.
Lancia S4 for being completely insane.
Lancia ECV for what it could have been if Group B hadn't been canned.
Audi Quattro simply because it changed the whole game.
Mini Cooper because it got up the nose of the Italians.