Assetto Corsa Rally trailer showcases Audi Quattro, Peugeot 206 WRC and VW Polo R5

Volkswagen Polo GTI R5

Launched in 2017, the VW Polo GTI R5 made its international rallying debut in the hands of former WRC champion Petter Solberg on Rally Catalunya. The effervescent Norwegian had to settle for third place, however, with stablemate Éric Camilli giving the car a debut win on asphalt.

The car is apparently adorned in its striking launch livery in AC Rally, and should slot into competition with the incumbent Hyundai i20 and Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 machines. It will be interesting to see whether developer Supernova Games Studios decides to create a separate R5 category in future.

Peugeot 206 WRC

The car that took Marcus Grönholm to two world titles was unmistakably previewed, with the Peugeot 206 WRC’s distinctive bonnet vents giving the game away.

The French manufacturer fielded the 206 WRC from 1999 until 2003, scoring three consecutive Manufacturers’ crowns in the process. Team bosses likely wished they’d continued with it into 2004, given how disastrous its successor, the 307 CC-based 307 WRC, was.

Audi Quattro Group 4

Although rally fans may have been happier to see (and hear) a Group B Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2 in AC Rally, the Group 4 variant is the very genesis of the Ingolstadt marque’s rallying supremacy.

The Quattro changed the game in the WRC when it debuted in 1981, introducing a competitive all-wheel-drive alternative to the ‘rear-steers’ from Ford, Opel, Lancia and Fiat. Initially campaigned by Hannu Mikkola and Michèle Mouton, the car was considered overweight and somewhat unreliable, but it still delivered three wins. 

The following season, Audi was the Manufacturers’ champion. Mikkola followed that up with the Drivers’ championship in 1983, and from 1984 onwards, four-wheel-drive dominated the WRC.

Featured image courtesy of McKlein Database/DirtFish