Rally machines have their own particular noises…usually that of either a highly-strung four-banger that is reaching to the far end of what a tachometer can usually cover, or the machine-gun fire noises coming from the anti-lag setups that newer machines run. Either way, a rally racer’s soundtrack is full of nothing but purpose: fast acceleration, strong deceleration, and the occasional scraping noises that follow a hard landing. Rally is where otherwise boring cars suddenly become superheroes: nobody would give a rat’s unwashed backside about a Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Escort or a Peugeot 206 if it wasn’t for the car’s place in rally racing. As an American, I learned about rally cars via Speedvision and racing games. After talking with European gearheads, I’ve found myself playing serious catch-up about what these machines are and what they can do. And that last part is key: if you’ve never seen European roadways for yourself, you don’t know just how narrow some of these main streets really are. There is a reason guys like Ari Vatanen and Colin McRae are held in such high standards…they were masters of car control. They could fly down a narrow roadway lined to the brim with spectators who left their self-preservation instincts next to the emergency brake in their cars, and somehow manage to, for the most part, not turn a sporting event into a horror show.
The legends have retired, or have slowed down, but the machines have not. That little Escort still dances like a feather on the wind, the Lancia 037 still emits it’s banshee wail, and as for the Ford Sierra Cosworth…well, let’s just say that relative traits are present and accounted for. Click play below to check out the footage from Rally Legend 2017 in San Marino:
