Even if you are not a keen car enthusiast, you have probably heard of the term “homologation special.” Most of the world’s racing championships only allow racing cars they base on regular production models. So, manufacturers often produce special limited runs of their vehicles to get an advantage on the race tracks. They equip them with unusual features, wild aero kits, and specially tuned engines, transforming them into thoroughbred race cars. The homologation specials are always interesting models since they are different than their more mundane cousins. They feature components or specially designed racing parts you couldn’t get any other way.
Lancia 037 Stradale
To homologate the car for the infamous Group B rally series in 1982, Lancia needed to produce at least 200 road-going examples. So, they presented the 037 Stradale later that year. The street-legal car was almost as extreme as the racing model. The Stradale featured a lightweight plastic body. Depending on the tune, it had a mid-mounted 2.0 or 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine producing up to 280 HP. The Stradale has the same stiff suspension, Spartan interior, racing seats, plastic windows, and a close-ratio gearbox.
Ford Mustang 428 Cobra Jet
The legendary 428 Cobra Jet was introduced in 1968, and Ford immediately put it in the Mustang. The Mustang 428 CJ was a mid-year introduction mainly intended for drag racing, so it was sold in modest numbers. But the real drag racing special was 50 Wimbledon white Fastbacks with a 428 CJ engine, lightweight, close-ratio 4-speed transmission, and heavy-duty suspension designed and produced simply to satisfy the NHRA rules.
Ferrari 288 GTO
Ferrari noticed Porsche’s success in rally racing and wanted a piece of the action. However, Enzo didn’t have a proper car. So, they developed a turbocharged monster in the form of the 288 GTO, starting the homologation process to participate in racing. However, the FIA canceled the class just before the 288 GTO could participate, making this car obsolete. However, it is still an essential piece of Ferrari history.
Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird
The most interesting period of NASCAR was in the late ’60s when NASCAR rules allowed modifications to cars to make them more aerodynamic. They only built these two cars for one year, offering the Dodge in 1969 and the Plymouth in 1970. Despite looking almost identical, the Daytona and Superbird have just two things in common: the front nose cone and headlight covers. They designed both cars using a wind tunnel, adding a big wing on the back to achieve a high downforce at high speeds in the NASCAR races.
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 COPO
Back in the late ’60s, Chevrolet was under the General Motors racing ban. This meant that no official Chevrolet product could race, so Chevrolet couldn’t participate in any racing activity. However, nobody stopped Chevrolet from helping other racing teams through their “back door” programs, where they developed special engines and components. They installed 69 ZL-1s in those C.O.P.O Camaros, selling them to drag racing teams. The Camaro ZL-1 was the same on the outside as a regular 1969 Camaro. But it was so fast it was barely street-legal.
Subaru Impreza 22B STI
As you probably know, the Subaru Impreza built its reputation on rally stages all over the world. They have built numerous rally specials over the years. But among all those cars, there is one immensely important homologation special: the 22B STI. They produced it in the late ’90s in just 424 examples. And it is the Holy Grail of the Japanese car industry. Under the hood, Subaru installed all the racing technology it could. And that included a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine with a conservative rating of 280 HP.
Dauer 962 Le Mans
If you ever wondered what it would be like to drive a Le Mans racing car, the answer is in the form of the crazy Dauer 962 Le Mans. This supercar is a race car with some trunk space and license plates. Porsche wasn’t directly involved with Le Mans racing in those days, but it supported small teams and companies who used their cars. And Dauer was one of those racing outfits that received help from the factory. However, the rules demanded they build a street version, so Dauer made 12 street 962 LMs to sell to the general public.
Ford RS200
Back in the mid-80s, motorsports were all about rallying and the famous and terrifyingly dangerous Group B. Group B was a part of the World Rally Championship, which featured factory prototypes that were loosely based on production cars with insane turbocharged engines and all-wheel-drive systems. The cars were crazy fast and dangerous, yet much loved by fans all over the world. And one of them was the insane Ford RS200. Ford introduced it in 1984 as a mid-engine, turbocharged, sports car. It featured a lightweight body construction, a 2.1-liter engine with 250 HP, and two seats.
BMW M3 GTR
However, in the highly competitive world of motorsport, BMW needed a more efficient weapon against those Porsches and Ferraris in the IMSA championship of the early 2000s. So, BMW decided to create one of the craziest homologation specials ever: the M3 GTR. The M3 GTR came with 493 HP, full racing equipment, and an aero package. Interestingly, BMW built ten cars but never sold them to the public.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
Despite being in production for just two short years, the Aerocoupe is one of the most interesting ’80s muscle cars. It was a regular Monte Carlo SS, but with a few design tweaks, they homologated for NASCAR races. Chevrolet presented the Aerocoupe option in 1986, featuring a panorama-style back window with a back spoiler. The new rear glass provided a fastback profile, which vastly improved the aerodynamics on the NASCAR superspeedway tracks.
Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
Mitsubishi was always a big name in tough off-road racing, winning numerous races. However, in 1997, the company decided to introduce the Pajero Evolution, a special off-road-prepared version of the three-door Pajero SUV that was ready for racing. The Pajero Evo got a new suspension, a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 276 HP, and Recaro seats. Some models even got a fully white paint job ready for the sponsor’s decals and stickers. The production lasted until 1999, and they built over 2,500 of them.
Ford Mustang Boss 429
The mythical Mustang Boss 429 is a proper homologation of a unique legend. Ford conceived it in 1969 as a pure racing engine intended for use in the NASCAR championship. The Boss 429 featured a different engine architecture than the rest of Ford’s big blocks. First, it was much broader and had semi-Hemi combustion chambers. That helped it achieve higher revs and get better flow inside the head to produce more power and torque. The factory was rated at 375 HP, and this unit produced over 500 HP in reality and much more in race trim.
Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS
The name originated from the famous Carrera Panamericana Mexican road race, which Porsche won in the mid-50s. The factory wanted to commemorate this success by naming the new performance version they intended for homologation. It was easily the lightest and fastest 911 up to date and a perfect racing car to conquer the world’s racing scene. Porsche needed 500 examples, but since the car was so good, they built 1,580 copies. All of them are highly sought-after collector cars today with extremely high price tags.
Dodge Viper GT2 Road/Race Version
To continue participating in the FIA GT Championship series, Dodge needed to produce a limited run of GT2-spec road cars. So, in 1996, they released the Viper GT2 as a special homologation model. It featured a big rear spoiler and white paint with blue racing stripes. It also came with a 460 HP engine, which was just a slightly upgraded standard unit. Also, the Viper GT2 was lighter than the standard model since it featured less interior equipment and racing details.
Mercedes CLK GTR
According to the rules, Mercedes had to build at least 25 road-going versions before it was free to race, so AMG produced 20 coupes and six roadsters, all with race-prepared 612 hp V12 engine in the back. The cost of the new CLK GTR was over 1.5 million dollars, which provided the title of the world’s most expensive passenger car in 1998. Unfortunately, CLK GTR was unsuccessful in racing, and soon the racing class was canceled, and the car became obsolete, but it’s a highly valued collector’s item.
Dodge Dart 413 Max Wedge
The early ’60s marked Dodge’s entry to the drag racing scene with several models, the first of which was the brutally fast Dart 413 Max Wedge. The 1962 Dart was a mid-size family model offered with choices of six-cylinder and V8 engines and a long list of optional extras. It was a high-volume car with no racing pretensions until somebody shoehorned a big 413 Wedge engine with high compression and up to 420 HP. Equipped with a limited-slip differential, several rear-end ratios, heavy-duty suspension, and a lightweight body with a stripped interior, the Dodge Dart 413 was a true muscle car bred for the dragstrips.
Ford Mustang Cobra R
Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) department was responsible for some of the fastest muscle cars of the last 25 years. In 1995, they presented another Cobra R. This was produced in 250 examples and sold only to individuals with a racing license or private teams. Under the hood was a tuned 5.8-liter V8 engine, which delivered 300 hp and 356 lb-ft of torque. Even though this kind of power is not pretty impressive today, it was a hefty number for 1995, and since the Cobra R was a relatively light car, the performance was excellent.