From 28 February to 21 April, you can visit Autoworld for the exhibition ‘Rally Legends – From Dust To Glory’. This exhibition offers a fascinating insight into the World Rally Championship, with a unique collection of cars that have won the WRC.
Special attention will be paid to Thierry Neuville, the Belgian rally legend and WRC champion. No fewer than three cars that took him to the top of the world championship will be on display during the exhibition.
Alpine GR4 1800
We start with the beautiful Alpine-Renault A110. This factory Alpine GR 4 1800 from 1973 is one of the most sought-after models. The model shown here achieved no fewer than seven victories in 1973. During the famous Monte Carlo Rally, the opening race of this new championship, it immediately finished second.
This ex-factory Berlinette 1800 is one of 17 cars entered by Jean Rédéle and Jacques Cheinisse in the very first World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1973.
Lancia Stratos HF Gr. 4 “Alitalia”
The Stratos was developed specifically for rallying. It was designed by Reparto Corse Lancia and has a centrally mounted Ferrari ‘Dino’ V6 engine. The bodywork was designed by Bertone.
In the mid-1970s, approximately 26 of the planned 500 were produced as official factory cars. In 1974, the Stratos HF was homologated for Group 4. With a total of 97 races won and three consecutive world titles, the Stratos left an indelible mark on the world of rallying. The model on display here won several races, including the 1976 Rally of Portugal, and finished second in the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally.
Lancia Rally 037 evolution II
The Lancia Rally, better known as the Lancia Abarth 037, is a rally car that competed in the Group B segment of the World Rally Championship between 1982 and 1985. The car is based on the Lancia Monte Carlo and was the first official Group B car.
The car you see here is a replica of the Evolution II that won the Tour de Corse in 1984 with Markku Alén and Ilkka Kivimäki.
Audi Quattro RE-01 (S1)
This 1985 Audi Quattro RE-01 is undoubtedly another phenomenal car. The Quattro A1 made its debut at the opening of the WRC season in 1983 with the Monte Carlo Rally. It later won the Rally Sweden and the Rally Portugal, driven by Hannu Mikkola. Driven by Stig Blomqvist, Mikkola and Walter Röhrl, the A2 evolution won a total of eight World Rally Championships.
The car presented here was introduced at the end of 1985 as an update of the Audi Sport Quattro S1. It would be the last Group B car produced by Audi, as the factory team withdrew from the championship after the 1986 Rally of Portugal.
Peugeot 205 T16 Evo1
Another icon that is hard to ignore when talking about rallying in the 1980s. The car was developed on the initiative of Jean Todt, Peugeot’s competition director at the time. The 205 fell under the Group B category of the rally regulations. This car had little in common with the production version. For example, it was built with a tubular frame chassis and had a centrally located four-cylinder turbo engine.
In 1984, the 205 T16 was entered in the World Rally Championship and won the title two years in a row. This was in 1985 and 1986, with 7 and 6 victories in 11 races respectively. Afterwards, the car was used as a test car for track reconnaissance.
Toyota Celica GT Four ST205
The early days of the WRC were dominated by European manufacturers, but that changed in 1988. Toyota made its WRC debut with the Celica GT-Four ST165. The ST165 was followed by the ST185, which won the WRC drivers’ championship in 1992. In 1993 and 1994, they won both the WRC Manufacturers‘ and Drivers’ Championships.
The ST205 above arrived at the end of 1994 and became the official rally car in 1995, with one WRC victory before being disqualified for an illegal turbo limiter.
Subaru Impreza WRX-STI 555
Subaru is a brand that is etched in the memory of many. The car above was produced from 1994 to 1996. It was prepared by Prodrive and driven by Colin McRae, Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen, among others. Colin McRae, Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen. The Impreza made its debut in the 1993 Rally Finland and went on to win a total of six world titles in rallying: three manufacturers‘ titles and three drivers’ titles.
Citroën DS3 WRC
With this 2012 Citroën DS3 WRC, we suddenly find ourselves among the more contemporary WRC cars. In the same year, Thierry Neuville made his WRC debut with this DS3 WRC. The car was prepared by Citroën Racing Technologies, enabling Thierry to compete with the best drivers in the world.
He participated in a programme of nine rallies and finished in seventh place. This allowed Thierry to gain much-needed experience at the highest level of rallying. Between 2003 and 2012, Citroën had already racked up an impressive list of titles with drivers such as Sébastien Loeb, who won nine titles with the Xsara, C4 and DS3 WRC.
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
In 2013, Thierry Neuville joined the Qatar World Rally Team and got behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RS WRS prepared by M-Sport. Despite not having the same resources as the official factory teams, Thierry managed to compete in all 13 rounds and scored 176 points in the championship. This earned him second place in the drivers’ championship behind Sébastien Ogier.
Hyundai i20 N Rally 1
We conclude with this Hyundai i20 N Rally 1, which, as its name suggests, is a rally car from the Rally 1 category. The car has been produced by Hyundai Motorsport since 2022. In the 2024 season, Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe won the drivers’ championship with six podium finishes, including two victories.
Their teammate Ott Tänak finished second. 2024 was the last year for hybrid cars in the WRC. From this year onwards, we will return to cars equipped exclusively with combustion engines. We can only applaud this decision!
