8. Reliant Robin Rally Car
Yeah, let’s get that silly one out of the way first. Despite what a certain popular car-themed TV show might have you believe, the Reliant Robin isn’t a rollover accident waiting to happen. That doesn’t mean it would make an even remotely good rally car, and even the artists behind this rendering agree. We can easily see that single front wheel getting pummeled on the rocky stages of Greece, or getting hopelessly stuck on a minor off-course deviation in the snows at Sweden.
7. Tesla Model X Rally Car
Speaking of Rally Sweden, remember back in February when your camera battery died just as Paddon crested the hill like 10 feet away for your viewing spot? Batteries don’t like the cold, which makes this rendering of a Tesla Model X on a very snowy stage even more cringe-worthy. Actually, it looks rather cool, and with all that electric power smooshed into the ground by 2.5 tons of SUV and batteries, it would probably have good traction. We wouldn’t want to try a Scandinavian Flic with it, however.
6. McLaren Senna Rally Car
Now we’re cooking with gas. The Senna is already bred to be a dominating, street-legal race car, so why not give it a bit of ground clearance and a cool livery and have at it on the dirt? Admittedly it would be a serious handful trying to corral nearly 800 horsepower (597 kilowatts) going to all four wheels, except the Senna isn’t all-wheel drive...only the back tires provide thrust. Driving a WRC-spec Senna on an actual rally stage might be the very definition of insane, but color us interested.
5. Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Rally Car
Rally cars seldom hit triple-digit speeds, so the crazy-technical active aero components on the Nürburgring-smashing Aventador SVJ probably wouldn’t be quite as effective. For that matter, all the dirt and mud could gum up the electronic systems, and even with some extra ground clearance that body kit doesn’t look like it would survive a minor crest, never mind a straight 150 over jump. Still, the livery on this car with its angry bull on the hood is among the best in this series.
4. Koenigsegg Regera Rally Car
There’s something about seeing a Regera airborne with a silly amount of wheel gap that just pushes all the right buttons for us. Yes, it’s terrifically impractical for a rally car – it’s actually quite long which doesn’t lend well to maneuverability on tight stages, and we aren’t sure how effective one gear would be at slinging the hybrid hypercar from corner to corner. Then again, it does have 1,500 horsepower (1,119 kilowatts) to help it along, which is also enough to literally dig your own grave mid-stage once you realize it simply can’t be controlled on anything other than sticky tarmac.
3. Ferrari Portofino
Of all the cars in this group, the Portofino could be the most realistic rally option of them all. For starters, it’s not unfamiliar ground for the Italian automaker, though admittedly the all-wheel-drive FF could be a better starting point. The Portofino is rather small, however, and the front-mount engine at least doesn’t produce an obscene amount of power. With a rally-spec suspension and a good set of gravel tires, a Portofino could actually an epic rally machine. Are you listening, Ferrari?
2. Ford GT40 Rally Car
Note that the title here doesn’t say Ford GT. It specifically says GT40, and the render doesn’t feature a new car or even the revived 2005 model. This is an old school GT40, and we love everything about this – from the Gulf livery to a mid-mount V8 engine cranking the rear tires in a desperate bid for grip. This could be our favorite retro rally machine, matching up against Lancia legends like the Stratos and 037. It wouldn’t hold a candle to modern AWD rally cars, but ask us if we care.
1. Bugatti Divo Rally Car
You knew this was coming, right? You had to know the number one car on this list would be the flat-out coolest Bugatti hypercar to come out since the EB110. Yes, it has far too much power to ever hope for traction on a dirt rally stage. And though the Divo is lighter than its Chiron brother, it’s still hopelessly heavy to tame rough surfaces without incurring serious damage. That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy looking at this render any less, with its tires clawing the gravel and the '70’s era Hella light clusters contrasting with the Divo’s edgy 2018 headlights. Everything about it is wrong, but for us that makes it oh-so-right.
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