Sideways Is The Way: RWD Rally Cars In Action In The Woods


Sideways Is The Way: RWD Rally Cars In Action In The Woods

The Audi Quattro was the ultimate spoilsport. Prior to, rally cars were mostly rear-wheel driven because you could boot the back end around on throttle alone and utilize both ends of the car as a steering component. Through the 1970s, that was the way. Even after the Audi proved itself the rightful heir to the throne, Lancia’s 037 Rally made one last valiant swipe at the title, but afterwards, if you weren’t driving all four wheels, you just weren’t winning. It would be wrong to say that rally racing hasn’t been exciting since. Group B footage, 1990s Group A coverage and even the current WRC cars can be hair-raising and violent. But RWD rally cars shared a technical draw that currently is owned by professional drifters: the art of controlling an uncontrolled car. Once all four wheels are loose from the bounds of traction, the automobile is uncontrolled. Yet, through skillful manipulation, a rally driver makes driving at 11/10ths look like a Sunday drive, gentle and easy.

“Gentle and easy”…who knew that we’d use those words to describe a properly-driven rally car?


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