Carlos Sainz constructs his perfect rally car (2024)

Two-time WRC champion Carlos Sainz has a problem. He’s driven so many rally cars, in a career spanning more than 30 years across different technical regulations, and won with nearly all of them. So how do you choose your favourites? It's like having to decide between spaghetti or pizza.

So: this is how he’s going to solve the dilemma. Carlos has selected his favourite bits of several of the cars he’s driven in order to create his hypothetical perfect rally weapon. Think of it as pizza with spaghetti on top. Or as the rallying equivalent of Frankenstein’s monster. Whichever way you look at it, the result sounds truly awesome. Is anyone up for raiding the spare parts and making one?

Suspension: Peugeot 3008 DKR

“With the modern Dakar car, you can really go anywhere; the suspension work we have done with the Peugeot is absolutely incredible. Of course, we have a very big wheel travel, which helps, but the suspension technology itself means that it’s possible to get over every obstacle even with just two-wheel drive.”

Differentials: Citroen Xsara WRC

“Although this car dates back to the early 2000s, it was actually at the height of the technological age of the WRC, when active differentials all round were allowed. Later on, the rules went back to mechanical differentials and other driver aids like ABS were also banned. But the Xsara was the ultimate expression of technical freedom, which even now the sport has never gone back to.”

Engine: Ford RS200 Group B

“Engine performance is of course related very much to the restrictor and the rest of the car. In the Spanish Championship in the 1980s I drove the Ford RS200 Group B and the power was awesome, but also the power-to-weight ratio was very high, so it felt really fast. But it was a very different style of driving, as there was no anti-lag system on the turbo. So it was much more brutal than it is now.”

Handling: Volkswagen Polo R WRC

“The cars have made a huge evolution in terms of handling; I did a lot of the development of the first Polo R WRC. That's the most modern World Rally Car that I've driven, so it’s normal that the handling was the most advanced. This was a great car, it just went where you wanted it to.”

Colour scheme: Lancia Delta Integrale

“Actually this isn’t a logical choice, because normally I would say that the best-looking cars are the ones that you win with, and I never won in the Lancia! But it was a good-looking car for sure. Design is something that I’m interested in; it’s great when manufacturers go for something that looks aggressive. The new generation of world rally cars this year look fantastic.”

Comfort: Toyota Corolla WRC

“You don’t drive a rally car to feel comfortable! But I’ve always had a good feeling and felt comfortable in all the Toyotas I've driven: there was a very professional attitude to the whole team and I won the championship twice with them. The Corolla was the first to introduce the joystick gearshift, which was an important technical innovation.”

Fun: Peugeot 208 T16

“I always have fun in a rally car, and the last one I drove was the Peugeot 208 T16 for RedBull TV on the Fafe stage in Portugal recently, so this was a lot of fun. It was the first time I’d been in a car with my former co-driver Luis Moya for more than two years and a legendary stage, so it was great to relive some old memories. And we made a nice film as well! At some point, I’d like to try a 2017 World Rally Car; with more power I definitely think the sport is going in the right direction these days.”