Typically when people think of performance motorsport, where every gear ratio, every spring and every part matters, the mind is almost imminently drawn towards the upper echelons of series such as Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR or the World Endurance Championship.
However, one motorsport discipline that can often see the most diverse and unusual cars make it to the starting line is the World Rally Championship, in part because it takes more than raw track speed to succeed on exceptionally difficult and unconventional terrain.
That has led to some unbelievable breakout successes, such as the Lancia Stratos, the Peugeot 205 T16 and the war between the Subaru Impreza WRC and the Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution.
On the other hand, not every unconventional car was a success, and here are some of the most ill-fated rally cars to make it to the start line.
Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato
There is a cycle of sorts when it comes to the WRC, where larger and more powerful cars rule before being conquered by much smaller, more nimble machines, but few rally cars were ever as small as the Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato.
Initially a tiny Japanese kei car, the Cuore was fitted with a tiny 64-horsepower engine that was turbocharged and tuned for rallying. Whilst not terrible in the forest, the slow speed and light frame of the cars made them largely unsuitable off-road, and Daihatsu only lasted three years in the sport.
Ford RS200
Known as the car that destroyed the famous Group B rally series, the RS200 was designed exclusively for racing, with its 1.8-litre turbocharged engine mounted in the middle of the car, with four-wheel drive and unbelievably striking looks.
Unfortunately, it was at the centre of one of rallying’s single greatest tragedies, when an errant car killed three spectators after it lost control. This would be the catalyst for the end of Group B entirely, and this tarnished the already shaky reputation of the RS200.