Pushing Limits: 6 cars that were put out of their comfort zone #BlogPost

Have you ever felt that you were out of your comfort zone? Somewhere you didn’t really want to be?
Well… These cars felt exactly the same.
From cars that were mainly bought by people who lived in palaces to everyday use family vans.
Here’s 6 cars that were put out of their comfort zone.

Jules: Rolls Royce Corniche with and identity crisis

-Sir, where would you like to go?
-Uhm… Take me to the Paris Dakar rally.

This Rolls Royce Corniche with authorised factory support wasn’t really a Rolls…
But how you ask? Well, this car entered the 1981 Paris Dakar rally as the result of a drunken dinner bet. It was powered by a Chevy V8 engine and it had Toyota Land Cruiser axles. Weighting 1400kg it was considerably lighter than a “normal” Corniche, mainly thanks to its polyester body and tubular chassis.
With Christian Dior’s latest fragrance adorning the bodywork, the car affectionately became known as ‘Jules’.

Uhm, Wait... Smart Fortwo?

The smart Fortwo isn’t really famous for it’s perfomance on the road (or in the dirt), but there is nothing that can stop it from taking part on the Dakar Rally.

Well… Maybe there is: Money! Or better: Not having enough money!
The Feber team completely modified this Smart Fortwo for the 2013 Rally Dakar, expecting it to have no problems. Unfortunately, taking part in such thing is very expensive, which made the Feber team and their 90 horsepower Smart Fortwo quit the project.

Shame.

It actually looks pretty cool

Aston Martin DB5

A surprising entry into the Peking to Paris was the Aston Martin DB5, prepared in the mid-90s by specialist R.S. Williams. Modifications included full suspension and brake upgrades, three spare tyres and an internal safe. It entered twice, in 1997 and 2010, impressively finishing both times.

This Aston’s full rally preparations are:

• Engine modified to perform on 70 octane fuel
• Mechanical upgrades including suspension, brakes, hubs, wheels and tyres
• Two spare wheels contained in boot
• Increased ground clearance and rough terrain protection
• Full roll cage, 4-point safety harnesses and race seats
• Long-distance twin tank fuel system
• Roof rack and box
• Increased security and internal safe
• Full spares package

Toyota Prius GT300

It’s the World’s fastest Toyota Prius… Born out of Toyota’s promise to deliver a demonstration of its status as a world leader in the field of hybrid technology, it’s the second petrol-electric racer the company has launched.

The GT300 was designed to compete in Japan’s Super GT series against cars like the Audi R8 and the Porsche 911. A really ambitious project.
The bodywork is custom-made in carbon fibre and the engine that powers it is 295-horsepower gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain consisting of a de-tuned 3.4-liter V8 engine sourced from Toyota’s LMP1 program and the Prius’ original Hybrid Synergy Drive unit.

Citroen DS and ID 19

The Citroen DS seems like the exact opposite of a rally car: it was big, heavy, slow and unreliable.
Citroen, however, ignored all of the DS signature marks and made it a rally car that actually proved to be quite competitive since it’s first outing in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1956 to it’s last victory in 1975.

During this time, the DS excelled on poor terrain, beating much more powerful competition and helped citroen prove that the vehicle was robust and reliable.

During it’s life time the DS featured names like Toivonen, Bianchi, Coltelloni and Terramorsi.

Lada Granta

Russia’s Lada is best-known for building millions of Fiat 124 clones and the timeless Niva, a rugged off-roader once described by the company as a “Renault 5 on a Land Rover chassis,” so seeing the name pop up in Touring Car racing is a little peculiar.

Lada’s first major effort in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) came in 2009 but it was far from successful. The company went back to the drawing board and it competed in every race of the 2013 season with three heavily-modified examples of the Granta, a no-frills econobox sold largely in Russia.

Surprisingly, Lada managed to take second place in the 2013 manufacturer’s championship with 601 points, finishing behind the Honda team that earned 1,017 points.