Beasts with humble beginings

Rally cars are notoriously powerful speed machines with the ability to go as blisteringly fast around corners as they are able to accelerate in a straight line. More often than not, these insane beasts are based off mundane production cars or entry level sports cars, and that just makes them more mental. This week, we list a few of the beasts which had humble beginnings, but were transformed into something else entirely for the sake of motorsport.

Renault 5 Turbo

Another Group B icon, the5 applied the same formula as the Metro 6R4 using a turbo 4 cylinder instead of a V6, and later on inspired the utterly mental Clio V6 road car. Youtube videos of it wreaking havoc.

Toyota Celica GT-Four

The ST205 GT-Four may haveenjoyed less success than the previous modelin the World Rally Championship, but the homologated road going version was a lot more popular than the ST185.

Nissan Pulsar GTI-R

Group A saw the debut and subsequent failure of what could have been one of the brightest stars (pulsars?) of WRC. That hood scoop alone should guarantee a spot on this list, but damn, seriously cool, albeit underappreciated car.

Volvo 242 Turbo Coupe

While primarily enjoying success as a touring car, the 242 was also raced in Group A. While not very successful due to lack of factory support, it's the banger rally car of choice for thousands.

MG Metro 6R4

An icon of the short-lived but iconic Group B rally series, the 6R4 was based off a terrible city car from MG, but the rally version had a mid-mounted 3 liter V6 encased in a seam-welded chassis.
 

Ford Sierra Cosworth Rs500

Like the Volvo 242, the RWD Sierra was more suited to touring car racing, but on the road, the RS500 was one of the best European Fords ever sold, and helped Ford establish a stronger foothold in Europe.

Peugeot 205 Turbo 16

Declared Car Magazine's “Car of the Decade” for the 90's, the 205 is an amazing little economy car. In Turbo 16 form, it was a manic terrier foaming at the mouth to start sprinting after the mailman.