The Giulia TZ is a focused, lightweight racing coupé built to exploit Alfa’s existing engine and suspension in a new structural format. Its value lies in how it redefined what ‘lightweight’ meant for a front-engined RWD car in 1963—not through novelty, but through discipline.
The S13 Silvia is a compact, rear-wheel-drive coupe introduced by Nissan Design in May 1988. It continues Nissan’s long-running Silvia series — a line of small sports cars built on the compact, rear-drive S platform. Its design prioritises driver feedback, predictable rear-axle behaviour, and mechanical simplicity over comfort or modern electronics. It overlaps the outgoing S12 and sets the template for drifting-focused chassis tuning in Japan’s domestic market.
The Sauber C9 is a 1987 Group C prototype. It replaced the C8. It was a development of the C8, retaining its aluminium monocoque but making it stiffer. Six chassis were built. Early engines were prepared by Heini Mader as a cover for Mercedes’ involvement. Later engines came from Untertürkheim under Hermann Hiereth. The engine was semi-stressed and ran a dry sump. Weight reduction came from a new crankshaft, KKK turbochargers, and a liner-less block.
The AE86 is a small, front-engine/rear-wheel-drive compact car derived from the fifth-generation Corolla (E80) range. It was the final Corolla model produced with rear-wheel drive. Its light weight, affordability, modifiability, and balanced front-engine/rear-drive layout made it distinctive amid an industry shift away from RWD. It featured a high-revving (7800 rpm) twin-cam engine in some markets, optionally elsewhere. It achieved early and enduring international prominence in drifting due to its inherent qualities. It was central to the manga and anime series Initial D (1995–2013) as the protagonist's drift and tofu delivery car. In 2015, Road & Track described it as 'a cult icon, inextricably interwoven with the earliest days of drifting.' It inspired the Toyota 86 (2012–present), a 2+2 sports car co-developed with Subaru.
The Audi Quattro (1980) is a front-engine, four-wheel-drive coupé developed by Jörg Bensinger. First shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show. It was both a road car and the first rally car to use four-wheel drive under newly permitted competition rules. Its name comes from the Italian word for 'four'. Production ran until 1991. The original model is known as the Ur-Quattro.
The Renault 5 Turbo is a homologation special that reimagines the Renault 5 supermini as a mid-engined rally car. Built from 1980 to 1984, it features a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, a 1,397 cc turbocharged Cléon-Fonte inline-four, and 4,987 total units produced. Though badged as a Renault 5, its mechanicals are radically different. It was launched at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1980 and sold in street-legal form to meet homologation requirements.
The 1993 Subaru Impreza redefined compact all-wheel drive by combining a low-slung boxer engine with rally-ready traction. It succeeded the Leone, launched with EJ-series engines, and became the foundation for WRX and STI legend.
The 1994 Subaru WRX is the first-generation production expression of Subaru’s 1992 World Rally Championship effort. It is a turbocharged, all-wheel drive compact saloon built on the Impreza GC platform. Its blue-and-gold livery stems from a Singaporean cigarette sponsorship. It established all-wheel drive as a performance asset in the US compact segment—starting with its 2001 US launch—and forced rivals to follow.
The Celica GT-Four is a rally-homologated liftback with full-time AWD and a turbocharged 3S-GTE engine. Built at Tahara. Prepared for rally in Cologne. Three generations shared the same foundational drivetrain. It is Toyota’s first performance AWD system.
The Bugatti Type 57 is a grand tourer designed entirely by Jean Bugatti and built from 1934 to 1940. A total of 710 were made. It debuted as a supercharged model at the 1936 Paris Salon.
The 1969 Skyline GT-R is the original expression of Nissan’s racing-first philosophy—mechanical, purpose-built, and inseparable from its Skyline roots.