When Engineers Weren’t Being Supervised: 12 Mad Versions of Boring cars – Grudge Races

Ever seen a Renault Clio hit 150 miles an hour, or a grey rep’s saloon outrun a Ferrari? This is the story of eleven perfectly ordinary cars — superminis, family hatchbacks, executive saloons and one very fast estate — that were fitted with engines they had absolutely no business carrying.

We dig through the parts bins of the automotive world to find the maniac editions: the shopping cars turned mid-engined monsters, the fleet-manager specials turned rally legends, and the sleepers that quietly terrified everyone who knew what they were. Along the way you’ll get the numbers that matter — power figures, weights, production runs and the racing rules that forced these machines into existence — plus why homologation, Group B and the Japanese gentleman’s agreement on horsepower shaped an entire era of road cars.

Key moments:
Renault Clio V6: a French hatchback with its rear seats replaced by a 3-litre V6
Vauxhall Lotus Carlton: a twin-turbo rep’s saloon so fast politicians reportedly wanted it banned
Volvo 850 T-5R: the yellow estate that turned school-run transport into a touring car hero

We also cover the Renault 5 Turbo, Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, Peugeot 205 GTI, Volkswagen Golf R32 and the Ford Focus RS — tracing the line from Monte Carlo rally winners to DTM grudge matches at the Nürburgring.

If you’ve ever wondered how a car built for the boulangerie ended up frightening journalists, this one’s for you.

MotorEssence covers the stories, engineering and history behind the world’s most interesting cars.

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