The appearance of World Rally Championship (WRC) cars will change as of 2017; they will grow wider and longer, as well as more powerful. All cars will have more focus on aerodynamics, gaining 55mm in width and longer front / rear overhangs.
The official release announcing this also informs us of the boost in power these cars are going to get – from 300 hp up to 360 hp courtesy of larger turbos on their 1.6-liter engines. Weight is also set to drop by 25 kg / 55 lbs and this should all come together and produce some more aggressive cars.
These new cars will look more distant from their road-going counterparts compared to current ones. With wider body kits and aero bits they will definitely be a nod to the mad days of rallying, when Group B cars gathered literal waves of spectators as they soared past.
If you’re wondering what motivation behind the change of direction was, the FIA’s technical director, Bernard Nicolt explained the three main objectives.
“Make the car spectacular, be mindful of costs, and maintain, if not increase safety.” He adds that “The cars will be striking, there is no doubt about that, and there are small but always significant improvements in relation to safety.”
The sole sketch they published is posted below and shows what these future cars might look like.
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