Electric Technology Car News: Which one do you choose? Those classic WRC racing cars and civilian versions are not too harsh

This year's Geneva Motor Show was a star-studded event for many manufacturers. Toyota showed us the high-performance version of the Toyota YARiS GRMN at the Geneva Motor Show. It is reported that Toyota is studying to upgrade its official racing department Gazoo Racing into a sub-brand specializing in the development of high-performance cars to enhance its brand image.

As one of the three major world automobile events, WRC seems to be the least famous compared to F1 and Dakar. However, compared to the aloofness of F1 and the wildness of Dakar, WRC seems to be closer to people's lives. Because WRC stipulates that the vehicles participating in the competition must be mass-produced vehicles (although only the shell is left after modification), you can easily buy the prototypes of these racing cars. Today, we will take stock of the classic racing cars in WRC and their civilian versions.

WRX STI

The WRX STI racing car is actually quite old. The Subaru team's winning streak was in the 1990s. Its tit-for-tat with the Mitsubishi team, as well as the glorious legends brought by champion drivers such as Tommi MAKINEN and Colin McRAE, are all bright spots in the memory of a generation.

As the civilian version of the championship racing car, the Subaru WRX-STI is equipped with the same horizontally opposed engine as the racing version. The 2.5T engine has a maximum power of 305 horsepower, a 6-speed manual transmission, and a full-time four-wheel drive system. It can beat European hot hatches in most road conditions. Its old rival, the Mitsubishi EVO, is in a worrying state.

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO

A powerful engine and a reliable four-wheel drive system are essential for rally racing, and the Lancer EVO has both. Its early 4G63 engine and later 4B11 engine are both powerful, and it is not an exaggeration to call them a generation of magic machines. Mitsubishi's achievements in four-wheel drive systems are needless to say. Compared with Subaru's championship numbers, Mitsubishi only had one championship in the 1990s, but it was won by the great Tommi MAKINEN. In fact, from 1996 to 1999, Tommi MAKINEN was the driver's champion, and in 3 different teams.

Although it was not very successful in the racing field, Mitsubishi has gained a high reputation in mass-produced models. In 1992, Mitsubishi designed the Lancer Evolution, Mitsubishi's flagship four-wheel drive sports sedan, based on the Lancer. This model has now developed to its tenth generation.

C4

If the previous two cars are memories and feelings for new car fans, then Citroën and their driver Loeb are living legends. After Solberg won the last championship for Subaru in 2003, from 2004 to 2012, there was only one WRC driver champion, Sebastien Loeb of the Citroën team, who also achieved the feat of 9 consecutive championships and is the well-deserved first person in WRC.

As a civilian version of the Citroën C4, it has not created the glory of the previous two models. It is a relatively ordinary compact family car. Of course, the C4 with racing pedigree still has unique skills in chassis tuning, and it can provide a good driving experience even when the power is not very strong.

Fox

If we were to say who was the strongest competitor during the period when Loeb and Citroën dominated the WRC, it would definitely be the Ford team, because they won the team championship in 2006 and 2007 (of course the driver's championship belonged to Loeb). At that time, the car they used was the FOCUS WRC. The civilian version of this car sold very well in China and can almost be regarded as the enlightenment of Chinese consumers to sports cars.

Among the civilian versions of the Focus currently on sale, the Focus RS is the most powerful version, with a 2.3T engine that can produce a maximum output of 350 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. Of course, the cheaper Focus ST is also a powerful steel cannon, and in terms of driving pleasure, it is enough to satisfy many people.

Suzuki Swift

Suzuki has always been known as an expert in small car manufacturing, and its products have excellent performance in power and handling, which is also due to its experience in various competitions. In 1986, Suzuki Motor decided to establish the Suzuki Motorsport Department, which is responsible for the research and development and preparation of various competitive vehicles.

After the establishment of Suzuki's sports department, it gradually designed various car competitions, but the Swift did not participate in the top WRC events, but in the JWRC events, which were slightly lower than the WRC. In 2002, Suzuki started to participate in the JWRC (Youth Rally Championship) with the Ignis Super 1600, and achieved excellent results, and won the Driver's Annual Championship twice. In 2008, it was promoted to the WRC level, but the participating vehicle was not the Swift, but the higher-level Suzuki SX4.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.