Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019: Best of the Rally stage

Rally fans are spoiled for choice at Goodwood, with cars in action on the rally stage and hillclimb course

Autocar

7 July 2019

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Rally stars in action

The stars of rallying have two chances to shine at Goodwood, running on the main hillclimb and a bespoke rally stage. As ever, a huge variety of machinery spanning the history of the sport was in action at the festival. Here are some of the finest rally machines.
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Lancia Stratos

One of the most distinctive rally car designs of all time, the wedge-shaped Lancia Stratos looks its absolute best in classic Alitalia livery. The Italian machine won three consecutive World Rally Championship manufacturer’s titles between 1974 and 1976.
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Ford Escort Mk1

Another rallying classic, the rear-wheel-drive Ford Escort Mk1 is loved by rallying fans for spectacular sideways slides, and the evocative note of the classic Cosworth engine.
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Toyota Celica GT-Four

The Toyota Celica was a rally winner across three distinct generations. This ST165 was the first generation, which took 13 WRC event wins, with Carlos Sainz winning the 1990 championship.
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MG Metro 6R4

The early end of rallying Group B era after a fatal accident in 1986 meant the MG Metro 6R4 (standing for six-cylinder rally car with four-wheel-drive) never really showed its full potential in the World Rally Championship. But the mighty four-wheel-drive machine, developed by the Williams F1 team, remains a design classic.
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Subaru Impreza WRC

To any rallying fan, the blue and yellow colours of this car are instantly recognisable, used across several generations of Subaru Impreza. This is the type of Impreza WRC Richard Burns used to win the 2001 World Rally Championship title.
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Audi Quattro

This isn’t just any Audi Quattro, but one with a hillclimb history: this machine was used on the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, as shown by the massive front and rear wings.
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Ford Fiesta WRC

Current World Rally Championship star Elfyn Evans put on a spectacular display in his Ford Fiesta WRC, smoking the tyres to the delights of the fans on the hillclimb course.
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Land Rover Defender

The versatile Defender has showcased its off-road prowess on the rally stages, and continued to be used by the Armed Forces rally team. The team regularly compete on national rallies in Britain, and are always a popular sight on Goodwood’s rally stage.
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Subaru Legacy

Before the Impreza, Subaru established its rallying pedigree with the Legacy. The Prodrive-built Group A machine competed in world championship events between 1990 and 1993, with Colin McRae securing Subaru’s first win using a Legacy in New Zealand in 1993.
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Ford Focus WRC

Rallying was a key part of Ford’s launch campaign for the first-generation Focus, with star driver Colin McRae snapped up to drive the WRC version of the family hatch. McRae made the machine a winner in its first season, and such was its impact that co-driver Nicky Grist was a guest of honour at the launch of the fourth generation Focus last year.
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Citroen C3 WRC

The rally stage hosted some of the big names of the current World Rally Championship, with Citroen bringing star drivers Sebastien Ogier and Espekka Lappi (pictured) to drive its C3 WRC on the Goodwood gravel.
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Porsche 911

The 911 might not seem an ideal rally weapon, but various versions of the sports car have enjoyed plenty of success on the stages over the years. The 911 continues to be a common sight in historic rallying.
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Audi Quattro

The Quattro helped usher in a revolution in rallying, proving the potential of four-wheel-drive for off-road motorsport. The mighty machine was a key part of the epic Group B era.
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Ford Escort Mk2

The Escort Mk2 was introduced in 1975, and took 20 World Rally Championship victories, including five wins on the RAC Rally. It also won the 1979 WRC manufacturer’s title, with Bjorn Waldegard also winning the inaugural driver’s championship that season.
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Saab 99

Fittingly for a car built by a Swedish company, the rallying versions of Saab’s 99 were at their best on snowy and icy Scandinavian events. Stig Blomqvist took the machine’s only World Rally Championship event wins, taking victory on the Swedish Rally in 1977 and 1979.
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Alpine A110

The original version of the Alpine A110 was a hit on the rally stages, with Renault-Alpine’s works squad claiming the inaugural World Rally Championship manufacturer’s title in 1973. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Renault eventually decides to develop a rallying version of the modern incarnation of the A110…
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Lancia Delta S4

This was perhaps the peak machine from rallying’s Group B era. The Lancia Delta S4 packed a mid-mounted engine capable of around 500bhp into a lightweight shell. It claimed five WRC event wins from 12 starts.

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