Muscle cars on dirt

AMC names 25 memorable muscle racers that plied their trade on the special (dirt) stage.

Rallying is a spectacle unlike anything else in world motorsport. But as impressive as today’s incredible turbo all-wheel-drive rally missiles are, the fact is they’re just not as exciting to watch as a good old fashioned rear-drive muscle car thundering and opposite-locking its way through the forests. It is a sad but true fact, however, that old-school muscle cars don’t win rallies these days: if you want to win, you must have the latest whiz-bang all-wheel-drive turbo. But if you just want to have a lot of fun in the forests, and impress the rally spectators, then get yourself something like one of these 25 rock-throwing dirt beasts. And before our inbox gets flooded by aggrieved speedway fans, we’d like to declare that for this top 25 we’ve drawn a line in the sand, or should we say dirt, by limiting it to rally-type competition. We may well look at the muscle masters of the clayways another time.

Evan Green World Cup Rally Leyland P76

In 1974 Evan Green took on the World Cup Rally in a Leyland P76. Green chose the seemingly unlikely 3.5-litre V8 sedan for its size, lightness and performance, and early in the 17,000km rally it looked a potential threat. They finished 13th but would have done better if not for a failed front strut. Along the way Green set fastest time on the Sicilian stage that used the old Targo Florio sports car road race course – prompting a proud-aspunch Leyland Australia to release a special P76 ‘Targa Florio’ edition.