The best rally cars have left their mark on Portuguese roads. Discover the models that are part of the history of a rally that has been considered the best in the world five times.
The event, organized by the Automóvel Club de Portugal, featured fantastic cars that fueled the passion for rallying, with the Toyota Yaris and Lancia Delta being the most successful with five wins! Then there was the mythical Fiat 131 Abarth and the impressive Subaru Impreza with four victories, followed by the Audi Quattro, VW Polo R WRC, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV, Citroën C4 WRC and Toyota Celica GT Four with three victories. It should be noted that these cars represent very different seasons and regulations (Group 4, Group B, Group A, WRC and Rally1).
The Rally of Portugal was dominated by European brands, but from 1990 the Japanese entered the WRC in force and the story began to change. Toyota returned to rallying with the Yaris WRC/Rally1 and has won the last five editions of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal with Sébastien Ogier in 2024, Kalle Rovanperä in 2022 and 2023, Elfyn Evans in 2021 and Ott Tänak in 2019. This Japanese thoroughbred is built to win, with an optimized chassis and a very aggressive aerodynamic kit. It is equipped with a 1.6 turbo four-cylinder engine with 380 hp or 500 hp in the hybrid version (this system was abandoned in 2025), four-wheel drive and a five-speed mechanical gearbox.
The Lancia Delta made history in the late 1980s and early 1990s by winning six World Championship titles (between 1987 and 1992) - the only model to achieve this feat. In Portugal it won five times! Markku Alen won in 1987 with the HF 4WD version, powered by a 260 hp 2.0 turbo engine. Then came the 335 hp Integrale, which dominated the Portuguese race with Massimo Biasion from 1988 to 1990 and Juha Kankkunen in 1992. All other cars seemed obsolete in the face of the Deltona's firepower.
Next came the mythical Fiat 131 Abarth and the impressive Subaru Impreza, with four victories in different seasons. The 131 Abarth won by Markku Alen (1977, 1978 and 1981) and Walter Rohrl (1980) is the only car to win every time it participated. It had a 2.0 four-cylinder engine with between 225 and 245 bhp, rear-wheel drive and a five-speed manual gearbox. It made a name for itself on roads all over the world and brought Fiat three world titles.
Rally fans won't forget the imposing Subaru Impreza WRC that won the Portuguese event with Carlos Sainz in 1995, Colin McRae in 1998 and Richards Burns in 2000. Daniel Carlsson won in 2005, but the race didn't count towards the WRC that year. It was equipped with a 2.0 turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engine with over 300 hp, four-wheel drive with an innovative active differential system and a five-speed manual gearbox; a six-speed sequential gearbox was introduced in 2000. Drivers juggled the Impreza, bringing Subaru three world titles, but it was the association with Colin McRae that made the car mythical.
The Audi Quattro S1 and S2 have won three times in Portugal. Michele Mouton won in 1982 - the first and only woman to dethrone the men - and Hannu Mikkola in 1983 and 1984. This revolutionary, technologically advanced car completely changed rallying with its permanent four-wheel drive. Audi presented several versions of the Quattro, but the car that won in Portugal was equipped with a five-cylinder 2.1 turbo engine producing 360 hp, a five-speed manual gearbox and an aluminum and Kevlar body. The car was initially homologated in Group 4, but in 1983 it was upgraded to Group B with an output of 380 hp. The roar of the engine, the blistering acceleration and the cornering efficiency - it felt like driving on rails - were impressive. Wherever it went, it left behind clouds of dust, jets of dirt and black streaks on the asphalt. It became one of the most iconic cars in the WRC.