| Rally cars race on different courses from other | | | | their basic design and specifications they are not far |
| motor sports: rather than racing on a specially | | | | removed from their street model counterparts. |
| created circuit, as for example with most Formula 1 | | | | Rallying has a long and distinguished history, stretching |
| races, rallies take place on public roads, from | | | | back all the way to the nineteenth century. The first |
| surfaced roads to rough dirt tracks or mountain | | | | rally to be so called was the Monte Carlo Rally of |
| roads. | | | | 1911, and rallying soon took off as a sport. The next |
| The second main difference between rallying and | | | | few decades saw the great city-to-city races of |
| most other forms of motor sport is that instead of | | | | Europe, such as the Mille Miglia in Italy, involving |
| competing directly in head-to-head races round | | | | competitors from Britain, France, Germany and Italy |
| circuits, rally cars compete indirectly over timed | | | | in particular. Longer races included New York to Paris |
| stages, setting off at regular intervals in an attempt | | | | and even, in 1907, Peking to Paris! |
| to record the fastest time. Rallies consist of a | | | | After the war, as rally cars became more powerful |
| number of stages and the team with the fastest | | | | and reliable, rally races spread around the world, and |
| time at the end of the final stage win. | | | | modern rallies such as the Acropolis Rally and Finland's |
| The final major difference between rally cars and the | | | | Rally of the 1000 Lakes were established. Today the |
| cars used in most other forms of professional motor | | | | annual World Rally Championship takes in 16 races |
| sports is that the rally cars in which drivers race are | | | | around the globe, from Scandinavia to New Zealand, |
| very close in design to production cars that the public | | | | and drivers from all over the world compete for the |
| drive in everyday life - indeed, rally cars are licensed | | | | title, with the most successful in recent years coming |
| to drive on normal roads out-of-competition, though | | | | from Finland and France. Rally cars are an important |
| of course that is very uncommon. Of course, rally | | | | sideline for major manufacturers such as Citroen, |
| cars are adapted to take account of the conditions | | | | Peugeot and Subaru, whose advertising for their |
| under which they have to perform, which can vary | | | | latest models often trades heavily on the successes |
| from snow and ice to choking heat and sand, but in | | | | of their rally cars. |