The 11 Best Racing Cars Ever
Do you love the raw heat of competition? The passion? The speed? Check out the best racing cars that made some noise in the world of auto sports.
Written by Elaine Duvet
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Are you like Tom Cruise? Do you have a need for speed and a love for the art of driving? Well, we’ve got you covered.
Best racing cars: Porsche is the name of the game
Car racing involves an intense level of passion, dedication, and artistry. While a good race car comes down to speed and noise, it’s ultimately about the driver inside the machine. And if they have what it takes to smoke the competition.
Porsche dominated the Le Mans from 1981 to 1987, and we’ll never forget the 1982 Porsche 956. The speedster got its power from a 2.65-liter turbocharged flat-six engine.
According to
Goodwood
, “It was designed to exploit ground effect and even tested the first-ever dual-clutch gearbox.” The 956 was more than ahead of its time. In fact, nine of the top 10 finishers in the 1983 Le Mans were 956 models. In 1983, Driver Stefan Bellof also solidified a Nürburgring record during qualifying.The Porsche 917/30 CAN-AM offered a 5.4-liter flat-six engine with twin turbos, winning six of eight rounds in the 1973 Canadian-American Challenge Cup.
Faster than all prototype racers in the 1978 Le Man was the Porsche 935/78 Moby Dick. The Porsche could hit a top speed of 228 mph.
The Porsche 959 Dakar was designed around the Group B race and rally regs. But according to
Top Gear
, “When that series was killed it made sense for Porsche to do something else with its hi-tech test car. The answer was Dakar.” The auto boasted a 1–2 finish in 1986.MORE: Lego and McLaren Teamed Up to Make One Heck of An F1 Car
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Audi earns our respect as one of the best racing cars
In the 2000s, Audi slowly made a name for itself at the Le Mans in various regional sports car categories. The Audi R8 sported a 3.6-liter V8 engine featuring the company’s new FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) technology. While the auto was super aerodynamic, its convenience for its team helped it rise to the top.
Audi wanted to spend as little time as possible in the pits in order to win. According to Goodwood, “Audi made almost every part on the R8 easily interchangeable, culminating in a ludicrous five-minute gearbox change that ended with the ACO – which runs Le Mans – changing the rules.”
The Audi R8 program lasted for three seasons between 2000 and 2002 and won the Le Mans every time, as well as American Le Mans Series crowns.
The Quattro is said to have revolutionized rallying. “Four years later it metamorphosed into something utterly outrageous with carbon Kevlar bodywork and over 500bhp,” Top Gear notes. The Audi Sport Quattro SWB can hit 62 mph in just 3.1 seconds.
In 1989, the Audi 90 IMSA GTO was entered in the American IMSA GTO racing series. Powered by a 2.2-liter turbocharged five-cylinder aluminum in-line engine, the Audi 90 could crank out 720 hp.
According to Top Gear, “The power is transmitted to the road via a 6-speed gearbox, in which one gear is blocked due to the IMSA regulations, and the Quattro permanent four-wheel drive.” The machine also features four 14-inch-wide tires.
Other untouchable racers
The Penske PC-23 caused quite a stir in the IndyCar world. “The basic car was a monster, winning all but four rounds of the 1994 championship and strolling to the Constructors’ Crown by nearly 100 points,” Goodwood notes. What really rattled the auto scene was the auto’s one-off performance in the Indy 500.
“Because Indy was technically run by a different governing body to the rest of the season Penske and engine-builder Ilmor built a one-off engine built around a stock-block pushrod design that produced around 150-200PS (110-147kW) more than any other on the grid,” Goodwood tells us. That’s quite the loophole.
The Lancia Stratos was the first-ever purpose-designed rally car. It also came from the mind of Bertone’s Marcello Gandini. The Stratos also featured a wide-wrap-around windshield and unique headlight styling.
The BMW E30 M3 Touring Car is one heck of an adaptable racer. The tough but mighty M3 boasts seven touring car championships, two rally championships, two Hillclimb championships, and a victory at Rally Corsica.
Last but certainly not least, the Ferrari 330 P4 is a legend in its own right. According to Top Gear, “The 1967 P4 was Enzo Ferrari’s riposte to Ford after the humiliation of the GT40’s clean sweep of the Le Mans podium the year before.” While it did win at Daytona and Monza, the Ford GT40 smoked the P4 again in France.
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