Assetto Corsa Rally boasts a wealth of vehicles from the history of the rallying world. From the pre-World Championship Group 2 machines to the modern Rally2 machines and a bit of everything in between, you’re spoiled for choice in the latest addition to the Assetto Corsa franchise, and the list is only going to grow from here.
World Rally Car
The World Rally Car formula first appeared in 1997 as a 2-litre cost-effective ruleset after the burgeoning costs of Group A. It saw the advent of new trick technologies and saw legends such as Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, and Richard Burns take on new stars such as Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg, and, of course, Sébastien Loeb.
Citroën Xsara WRC
One of the most dominant cars in WRC history at the hands of Sébastien Loeb, Citroën’s Xsara WRC started off life as the giant-killing F2 Kit Car that beat its four-wheel-drive rivals to win twice in a row in 1999. The front-wheel-drive machine became the last two-wheel-drive event winner with consecutive wins in Catalunya and Corsica, starting a strong tarmac pedigree that came to define the French marque’s run in the WRC.
The Xsara slowly built up to full-time competition from more humble part-time beginnings, with victories as early as 2001 with Jesús Puras before Loeb’s three titles in a row between 2004 and 2006 – the third despite Loeb missing the end of the season with a broken arm. A uniquely dominating drive came in Corsica in 2005, where Loeb won every single stage.
The 2-litre I4 engine chucks out just over 300hp, delivered efficiently to a four-wheel-drive system that boasts three differentials that can be as competitive on loose and sealed surfaces alike. It still picked up podiums as late as 2009 at the hands of 2003 World Rally Champion Petter Solberg, and featured in the final season of 2-litre regulations with touring car ace Yvan Muller on his home Alsace Rally – which you can also enjoy in Assetto Corsa Rally.
Rally2
Rally2 is not the top of the FIA’s rallying pyramid, but it is by far the most competitive class. Using similar 1.6L engines to the top Rally1 class without the trick aerodynamics and complex mechanical parts, it often sees close title battles at national and international levels. The European Rally Championship, for example, recently had a 2-year run without a repeat winner as Poland’s Mikołaj Marczyk won the title without winning a single event.
Hyundai i20N Rally2
Hyundai’s Rally2 machine is arguably one of the hottest of hot hatches on the market. Whilst it is yet to win the world championship for Rally2 machines, with one-time WRC event winner Hayden Paddon behind the wheel, it managed to win the European Rally Championship in both 2023 and 2024. This helped make Paddon the first consecutive champion in the Rally2 era, in a series that went 4 years without a driver winning consecutive events.
Rally2 machines produce roughly 300hp from a 1.6-litre engine, with Hyundai’s i20N doing so from an I4 engine that is similar to the ones you can find in the top class of rallying. This goes to a 5-speed gearbox, with many of the parts on the i20N Rally2 being shared between both the tarmac and gravel specifications as a means of reducing costs.
Rally4
Rally4, previously known as R2 before the shakeup of the rallying pyramid, is the top class of two-wheel-drive rallying at an international level. These small and lightweight cars can often outperform their more powerful Rally3 rivals in the right hands.
Peugeot 208 Rally4
Peugeot’s 208 Rally4 car is a front-runner in modern two-wheel-drive rallying. Rally4 is the top class of front-wheel-drive cars on the rallying pyramid, with the 208 powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged I3 engine. It packs plenty of punch, with just over 200hp going to the front wheels at the peak of the power curve.
The 208 Rally4 is famous for being the most recent two-wheel-drive car to score points in a WRC event, with second-generation Japanese talent Hiroki Arai taking the car to 10th place in 2023’s season-ending Rally Japan against the more-powerful Rally2 and Rally1 Hybrid machinery on offer from the likes of Hyundai. It might not have the same power or cornering as the higher rungs of the rallying pyramid, but it can still be a formidable machine in the right hands.
Group A
After the tragic and sudden demise of Group B in the late 80s, Group A became the top level of rallying. Production-derived race cars made legends out of new brands such as Mitsubishi and Subaru, whilst rallying icons such as Lancia and Toyota persevered and got a head start on this new generation.
Lancia Delta HF integrale EVO
The cover star for Assetto Corsa Rally, it’s hard to find many other pieces of rallying royalty that evoke as strong a sentiment from rally fans as a Martini-liveried Lancia Delta.
The HF integrale EVO was the final update to the car that defined the early Group A era of the WRC, winning the Manufacturers’ title with legendary names such as Juha Kankkunen, Didier Auriol, and Andrea Aghini taking wins on the way – Lancia’s sixth consecutive triumph in the category. It was a run that saw Lancia also win 4 Drivers’ titles in various generations of Delta, before they withdrew full works backing at the end of the season.
Boasting 300hp and a 6-speed gearbox, the Delta traded titles and drivers with Toyota’s equally iconic Celica GT-Four before the arrival of Subaru and Mitsubishi in the mid-1990s. This legendary Italy vs. Japan rivalry has been immortalised over the years in many different forms, perhaps the most iconic being SEGA Rally Championship.
Group B
Group B is best remembered as pure unadulterated chaos. Manufacturers put big budgets and even bigger engines in cars that were essentially prototype race cars, with plucky rear-wheel-drive underdogs against the four-wheel-drive behemoths.
Lancia Rally 037 EVO 2
The last 2-wheel-drive car to win a top-level World Rally Championship title, Lancia’s 037 was a rear-wheel-drive Group B monster that had to compete against new-fangled four-wheel-drive technology pioneered by Audi and their legendary Quattros.
With roughly 320hp all going to the rear wheels, the 037 was still competitive as late as the final season of Group B in 1986, where it got a podium on the Safari Rally with Markku Alén as the four-wheel-drive Delta S4 was deemed too fragile to survive the marathon event. It is perhaps best remembered for the 1983 title that it claimed, immortalised in documentary form thanks to Jeremy Clarkson’s loving tribute on The Grand Tour and in film thanks to 2024’s Road to Glory: Audi vs. Lancia starring Daniel Brühl.
Group 4
Before Group B and Group A, there was Group 4. Lightweight and nimble machines, usually rear-wheel-drive at the time, they were famous for their powerslides in the early days of the World Rally Championship.
FIAT 131 Abarth
Twice a winner of the WRC’s Manufacturer’s title, and likewise the Driver’s honours (although 1978’s feat was called the FIA Cup for Drivers), FIAT’s late-Group 4 machine picked up 20 wins between 1976 and 1981. This included a first win for a woman in the WRC with Michèle Mouton’s Tour de France Automobile triumph in the 1978 Cup for Drivers.
The 131 Abarth is one of few cars to have had 3 iconic liveries – the Alitalia livery featuring in Assetto Corsa Rally. It was also an example of the extremes some teams went to get a competitive advantage, with some FIAT 131 Abarths seeing the co-driver positioned in the middle of the car for better weight distribution! With roughly 230hp going to the rear wheels from a 2-litre engine, it traded championships with the equally famous Ford Escort Mk2 until Audi’s Quattro started the four-wheel-drive revolution in the 1980s.
FIAT 124 Sport Abarth Rally 16V
A rally car as old as the World Rally Championship itself, the FIAT 124 Sport Abarth Rally 16V competed in the inaugural WRC back in 1973. FIAT finished second behind the Alpine-Renault A110 that season, but the 124 managed to win Rajd Polski – the Polish event famous for only having 3 finishers, with Achim Warmbold’s 124 winning by over 2 hours!
With 215hp going to the rear wheels, the Abarth-tuned 124 Sport was able to be capable and competitive until the arrival of the 131 later in the decade. It was able to win handily in the European Rally Championship in 1972, though it was later overtaken by FIAT Group’s stablemates in Lancia.
Lancia Stratos
The mid-engined V6-powered legend of the WRC hardly needs an introduction, especially decked out in its equally iconic Alitalia livery. It bridged the gap between FIAT’s two Group 4 machines of the 124 and 131, sweeping WRC titles between 1974 and 1976.
The Stratos is equally famous for the fact that its V6 was actually developed by Ferrari. Legend goes that Enzo himself only signed off on it because it was for a rally car, not wanting the Stratos to beat his Scuderia in circuit competition. The Stratos was able to win rallies as late as 1981, with Bernard Darniche picking up the Tour de Corse that year in a season defined by the meteoric arrival of the Audi Quattro.
Group 2
Before Group 4, there was Group 2. A shared formula with touring cars of the time, Group 2 cars were typically very lightweight front-wheel-drive cars with smaller engines than the bigger Group 4 cars.
Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior
Much like you will find with its comrades in Group 4, Group B, and Group A, the Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior is a versatile car that bridges several different racing categories from rallying to touring cars. And it does this with a 1.3L engine pumping out around 165hp.
As can be the case with Group 2 rallying, the front-wheel-drive GTA 1300 Junior is incredibly lightweight at only 760kg. This means that it is quite nimble and doesn’t struggle much with understeer despite being built in the days before power steering became commonplace.
Mini Cooper S
How can a rally game include classic cars and not include a Group 2 Mini? From The Italian Job to Monte Carlo mastery, this icon of the automotive sector is also a rallying legend in its own right.
The Group 2 Mini would win essentially anything it could get its hands on. It won the Monte Carlo Rally 3 times in 4 years, only stopped by disqualification in 1966, and capable drivers such as Pat Moss, Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Mäkinen and Rauno Aaltonen helped it to European Rally Championship honours in the days before the WRC as well as many national series honours. And that’s without talking about the tin-top honours it had in Touring Cars!
The Mini’s 1.3L engine often produced slightly less power than its rivals at 115hp, but it being so small and weighing only 620kg meant that it was nimble enough to outmanoeuvre its bigger and beefier opposition.
