Unusual rally cars

Cool thread I stumbled upon on another forum.

http://www.specialstage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43295

And, coincidentally, the featured "Reader's Ride" was a M/B 450SLC rally car, just a minute ago.

And I thought the C3 Vette at the first NEFR I worked (then the Maine Forest Rally) was pretty wacky. Especially when it rolled on day 1, then ran again on day 2...

That C3 is sweet action!

There's a rally SN95 mustang in the reader's rides somewhere...

The Cadillac De Ville on the first page just looks right on a rally stage. The three dead bodies in the trunk will even help in low traction situations.

There was a Jeep Comanche racing at the 2010 NEFR. It even had a set of air horns that would play "Dixie" like the General Lee!

That C3 is the reason I don't feel bad about driving mine on dirt/gravel here in Vermont!

Let's see, back in the day there were some unusual ones:

I co-drove a Chevy Corvair Turbo that scored two top 10's at Big Bend Bash when it was an SCCA National Pro ('79 and '81); there were at least five other Corvairs that ran stage rallies back then as well. A guy in southern California ran a big DS Citroen at La Journada and Rim of the World, used to freak folks out when he'd adjust his ride height before each stage. Satch Carlson used to run a Sonett called the Piggue of Plastique. A few folks ran desert racer Jeep funny cars in California. Danny the Cop from Alaska ran an RX-2 with an over-the-roof exhaust the size of a stovepipe. Mike Gibeault ran a rotary-powered 510 back when that was legal and was very fast in this seriously ratty looking car (interesting story there as well). Eric Ford drove a Kelmark GT kit car for a while, essentially a Porsche-powered Baja car with a Ferrari-like body.

I assume we won't call Rod Millen's 4WD RX7 wierd, just fast.

Back in the good 'ol days of the '70s it was run what you brung - if it had license plates and met the safety standards, you could run. We were thinking seriously abourt a mid-engined V8 Corvair until the rules outlawed them.

I love RX7 rally cars, they look so sick.

http://www.roadsportusa.com/photopage.html

I crewed for 2 out of these three cars.. 1 normal.. 1 not so normal... The Fiat X 1/9 was wrecked when I joined the team, but not normal as well.

The dodge shadow was the coolest, because it was a factory built car, but still really odd for a factory backed car...

Ron's got some neato stuff.

Found this video in the thread linked in the first post.

This is the best looking Fiero ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdEqD4JTpgI&feature=player_profilepage#t=277s

Also, this is the best possible outcome of the melding of an F150 and a Mustang:

Thanks for the link to the thread, EvanB. That was good readin.

EvanB wrote: Cool thread I stumbled upon on another forum.

Does this mean you'll be doing more RallyCross this season?

Ah yes, Team Hazard Rally. That Comanche was awesome. Here's another one for you:

Jim McClelland's MR2.

cghstang wrote:

EvanB wrote: Cool thread I stumbled upon on another forum.

Does this mean you'll be doing more RallyCross this season?

I'm planning on it. I just bought a VR6 Jetta for $300 that I'm thinking about using.

In reply to EvanB: Excellent. $300 Jetta sounds perfect.

The one that always blew my mind was the 959. Even the Rolls rally car doesn't surprise me as much as that. I'd sooner expect Lambo to do a Rally Countach than the 959 become one.

In reply to BigD:

Just so you know, the 959 was made to be a rally car. They won the Paris Dakar rally at least once.

I'll take two please.

I always loved the MG 6R4

The 308 Group B tarmac special made me happy too!

Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote: In reply to BigD: Just so you know, the 959 was made to be a rally car. They won the Paris Dakar rally at least once.

Right, hence mind being blown :)

Sprongel raced this I think a few years back to get TV/photo time for sponsors?

Remember the original concept car that became the 959 called the "Gruppe B"? I remember seeing it years ago when it was on the show circuit. So it wasn't so much that the 959 was turned into a rally car as it fulfilled its destiny.

As for the Lamborghini Rally Countach...

Oh, and I know there are enough BaT readers here that this has caught someone's eye already. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180650526856+&viewitem=