Best Homologation Cars by Decade

Some weeks ago, we published an article on homologation cars. In short, FIA’s competition rules used to tie production and racing cars to some extent. Automakers that wanted to race in specific categories had to sell some of their racing cars to people without changes. The goal was to encourage them to improve their production cars as much as possible. That practice has given the public many interesting examples.

This time, we are going to focus precisely on those interesting examples. The following list features three cars released in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Those were the decades when homologation cars were the most popular. However, since we enjoy this topic so much, we went ahead and added a bonus example. It appeared and competed in other circumstances, but had the same spirit. We hope you like the reading!

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Homologation cars of the 1990s

Subaru Impreza 22B STI

Subaru did not need to build this car for rally homologation. The maker wanted to celebrate both its 40th anniversary and the third consecutive victory at FIA’s World Rally Championship. The result came as this stunning coupé with wide flares, large rear spoiler, and the unique paint scheme with blue body and gold wheels. It had such positive reception that Subaru applied it as the standard for future STI models.

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR

Back in 1996, recent changes in FIA regulations encouraged Mercedes-Benz to compete with Porsche and Ferrari. The new race car was only slightly based on the CLK that had just gone on sale; the GTR was lower and longer and had a mid-mounted V12 engine. Besides, its body was entirely made of carbon fiber and used several aerodynamic accessories. An upgraded version appeared two years later with the LM name.

Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution

Why would homologation cars be limited to coupés and hatchbacks? The only road-legal version of the rally-oriented Pajero was sold for three years and featured typical modifications. Wide body kit, upgraded engine and suspension, skid plates and mudflaps, and a hood scoop were all there. This model was only available in the three-door body, and featured a unique pair of fin-like spoilers on top of the trunk lid.

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Homologation cars of the 1980s

BMW M3

Based on the E30 3 Series, the original M3 received muscular shapes and smoother surfaces to reach 0.33 of drag coefficient. Such changes made it highly competitive even against cars with larger engines and/or turbochargers. BMW improved it over the years through “Evolution” editions and ended up developing a true champion. Further generations focused on the streets, but made sure to retain the competitive soul.

Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth

The initial Sierra RS came in 1986 to help rebuild Ford’s competitiveness in racing. While it had countless upgrades compared to the regular car, the company wanted more. The RS500 was an evolution converted by Aston Martin Tickford: it received several engine improvements, including larger turbo and intercooler, and a double-deck rear spoiler. All units were produced with left-hand drive (LHD) and offered in the UK.

Peugeot 205 Turbo 16

Coachbuilder Heuliez was hired to heavily modify the 205. While the final appearance still looked like the regular 205, there were almost no panels in common. The powertrain, as you can imagine, was even more exclusive: it features mid-engine layout with turbocharger, 16 valves, and AWD. Using the nickname T16, the car became a strong racing contender to Audi, Ford and Lancia, which were the references back then.

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Homologation cars of the 1970s

Renault 5 Turbo

The French company developed it in the late 1970s to fight the Lancia Stratos in rally racing. Besides the widebody construction, the 5 Turbo stood out for its flashy colors, mid-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, completely unrelated to the regular car. Once homologation requirements were met, Renault made a Turbo 2 version with similar performance and simplified trim to keep enjoying its success for six years.

Fiat Abarth 131 Rally

Fiat shipped partially assembled two-door 131 sedan bodies to Bertone, which added the bespoke body panels including the typical wide body kit, and finished paint and trim. Then, the cars would go to another Fiat location to receive the special powertrain tuned by Abarth. With this cooperation, these companies manufactured 400 units for the streets and homologated the Abarth 131 Rally car for WRC competitions.

Lancia Stratos HF

It is said that Bertone developed the Stratos Zero concept himself and used it to persuade Lancia to form a partnership with his design studio. The street-legal Stratos is credited as the first homologation car and borrowed several parts from other cars in the Fiat group. The V6 engine came from the Ferrari 246 Dino, and trim parts came from Fiat cars. The model had an impressive career at rally racing through six years.

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Bonus: Dodge Charger Daytona

The wedge-shaped front end and the huge stabilizer wing on the rear are only two examples of changes; the Charger became so much more aerodynamic that it dominated NASCAR racing in the early 1970s. In fact, such performance made the competition change its rules shortly afterwards to ban it along with the corporate cousin Plymouth Superbird. The street-legal units were transformed by a third-party company.

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Tech specs

Model	Year	Units	Engine	Power	Torque
Subaru Impreza 22B STI	1998	424	2.2L I4	276 hp	268 lb-ft
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR	1998	26	6.9L V12	604 hp	572 lb-ft
Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution	1997	2500	3.5L V6	280 hp	239 lb-ft
Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth	1987	500	2.0L I4	224 hp	204 lb-ft
BMW M3	1986	5,000	2.3L I4	192 hp	169 lb-ft
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16	1984	200	1.8L I4	197 hp	188 lb-ft
Renault 5 Turbo	1980	4,987	1.4L I4	158 hp	163 lb-ft
Fiat Abarth 131 Rally	1976	400	2.0L I4	138 hp	127 lb-ft
Lancia Stratos HF	1973	492	2.4L V6	190 hp	166 lb-ft
Dodge Charger Daytona	1969	503	7.2L V8	375 hp	480 lb-ft