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Top 10 iconic limited edition road cars
Volkswagen's new Polo R WRC is the latest in a long line of rallying-inspired limited edition road cars that manufacturers have produced over the years. Here are 10 of the best known.
It may not be strictly speaking a limited edition, but the Porsche Carrera name comes from one of the German company’s most famous rally triumphs. Porsche swept up a number of class wins on the Carrera Panamericana from 1950-1954: an epic road race across Mexico.
2: Ford Escort Mexico
This was one of the original limited editions: a MkI Ford Escort manufactured between 1970 and 1975, to celebrate Ford’s victory in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, with Hannu Mikkola. It’s now a hugely sought-after collectors’ item.
3: Toyota Celica Carlos Sainz
The Sainz-spec Toyota was launched in 1992 as a tribute to the Spanish world champion, who won both his 1990 and 1992 drivers’ titles with the Cologne-based team. The Sainz edition GT-Four had a body kit, a bigger turbo, and other motorsport-specific enhancements over the standard model.
4: Subaru Impreza Series McRae
Only 200 of these were made in 1995: Colin McRae’s FIA World Rally Championship-winning season. Based on the standard Impreza but fettled by factory team Prodrive, the cars were all finished in Mica Blue - the same colour as the rally cars - and also benefitted from a rally-inspired interior.
5: Subaru Impreza RB5
Another limited-edition Impreza: but this time 444 of them were made in 1999 and they were grey, celebrating the return of Richard Burns to the team with competition number 5. The car benefited from Prodrive performance enhancements - with car 001 given to Richard Burns himself.
6: Peugeot 206 GT
The Peugeot 206 GT was actually born out of necessity rather than a particular marketing campaign. In order to comply with FIA minimum length regulations, Peugeot had to extend the bumpers of the 206 WRC - and so in order to do this legally, the French manufacturer had to homologate a series of road cars to exactly the same dimensions. In the end 4000 were built, powered by a two-litre engine that put out a comparatively modest 137bhp.
7: Mitsubishi Lancer Tommi Makinen edition
Tommi had to wait until he had won four consecutive championships before Mitsubishi gave him his own car in 2000 - but when they did, it looked like it had just escaped from the stages. Based on the Lancer Evo 6, the supercar-slaying Makinen limited edition developed a brutal 276 horsepower and carried a full Ralliart livery, which certainly made it stand out.
8: Renault Clio Ragnotti
The Ragnotti Clio was actually launched long after the French master’s prime, in 2002, but it’s a sign of Jean Ragnotti’s enduring legacy within a company he made his own. The Ragnotti edition was based on the two-litre Clio Sport, minus 80 kilograms of excess weight and plus some new suspension. Just 300 were made for the French market only.
9: Citroen C4 by Loeb (pictured)
It had to happen - and by 2009 it finally did. However, this was mostly a cosmetic package, devoid of any major performance upgrades. You did however get Sebastien’s signature on your door and some natty red stitching inside.
10: Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo
Last year Skoda launched a limited-edition Fabia to celebrate 100 years of Rallye Monte-Carlo - with the outlandish looks of the vRS but a more modest 1.6-litre diesel unit under the bonnet that offers class-leading economy. It’s a surprisingly enticing package: the best of both worlds.
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