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.