WRC builds — choose a make

Rally specification is a study in compromise. The car needs ground clearance for gravel and grip for tarmac, so the suspension sits higher than a circuit car and the arches are cut to clear a narrower, deeper tyre. Mud flaps, a sump guard and a roof vent are mandatory, not optional. The livery carries the sponsor blocks that made the golden era recognisable, and the number panel sits where the rules put it. The trick in a good rally render is proportion: too much wing and it becomes a circuit car with stickers, too little and it stops looking like it could finish a stage.