There was another thread recently asking about the make/model of challenge entries. Inspired me to go dig up my last thread with a listing of challenge entries as of 2016. Also, took a little time to update through 2019, so without further ado:
- I can guarantee it is not perfectly accurate
- The list is based on the number of entries, not the absolute number of cars that have been to an event. If a car was run more than one year(or twice at the same event), it will be counted for each entry.
- An asterisk indicates this make/model won an event.
- A plus sign means the vehicle was in the "Race" class in 2001
- I skipped the cars in 2015 that ran in exhibition as part of the challenge anniversary.
Interesting trivia:
- Until 2019, there had never been a Jaguar or a Hyundai in the challenge (but there was a Kia in 2004)
- Mazda has a massive lead as far as manufacturers go at 146. Ford is 2nd at 84(or 88 if you consider the Lotus Cortina and the Suprang as Fords). Honda is 3rd at 80, and only fell from 2nd in recent years, and Hondas are becoming less common. Nissan/Datsun is climbing up the ranks to 4th with 71.
- For a Big 3 Comparison, depending on how you count brands that have been passed around, Ford (Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Merkur) has the most entries, at 110. FCA (Alfa, Chrysler, Dodge, Eagle, Fiat, Jeep, Plymouth) is a close 2nd at 109, and GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Geo, GMC, Oldsmobile, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn) is a not so far back 3rd with 99.
- If you count Civics(36) and CRXs(39) as the same model, they are tied for 1st in the number of entries with...the Mazda Miata(big surprise) with 62 NA and 13 NB entries.
- No make/model has competed in every challenge. There was a Civic/CRX in every challenge through 2014, but none in 2015. The longest streak, though, belongs to Mustangs - from the beginning all the way up through 2017.
- As DSMs go, the Eagle Talon is the most popular by far with 14 entries (13 1st gen and 1 2nd gen). The Plymouth Laser has been entered 4 times, and the Mitsubishi Eclipse only 3.
- If you are looking for a Challenge "first" to check off, no AWD car has won the Challenge yet. No Toyotas have won, either.
Most to least entries:
Year/Gen Make Model Total
1st Gen Mazda Miata** 62
Fox Ford Mustang* 37
1st Gen Mazda RX-7 35
E30 BMW 325* 22
2nd Gen Honda CRX* 21
1st Gen Toyota MR2 20
1st Gen Honda CRX* 17
2nd Gen Mazda RX-7** 15
4th Gen Honda Civic 14
1st Gen Dodge Neon 13
1st Gen Eagle Talon 13
2nd Gen Mazda Miata 13
Porsche 944 12
VW Rabbit 12
5th Gen Honda Civic 11
Merkur XR4ti 11
S13 Nissan 240SX 11
Z31 Nissan 300ZX 11
Yugo Yugo 11
Dodge Omni 10
MG Midget* 10
Triumph Spitfire 10
SN95 Ford Mustang 9
Pontiac Fiero 9
C4 Chevrolet Corvette* 8
Mazda 323 GTX 8
Nissan 240Z* 8
1st Gen VW Scirocco 8
2nd Gen VW Scirocco 8
Dodge Charger 7
3rd Gen Honda Civic 7
Nissan 280Z 7
Porsche 914 7
A2 VW Golf 7
Dodge Rampage 6
Dodge Shadow* 6
Fox Mercury Capri 6
Nissan 280ZX* 6
B13 Nissan Sentra SE-R 6
VW Beetle* 6
2nd gen Acura Integra 5
Alfa Romeo Spider 5
E30 BMW 318 5
4th Gen Chevrolet Camaro 5
Chevrolet S10 5
Dodge Daytona 5
1st gen Infiniti Q45 5
Locost Locost 5
Mitsubishi Starion 5
Opel GT 5
Plymouth Valiant 5
3rd Gen Pontiac Firebird 5
2nd Gen Toyota MR2 5
A2 VW Jetta 5
Audi 4000 4
B6 Audi A4 4
E36 BMW 325 4
BMW 2002* 4
Dodge Aries* 4
2nd gen Ford Crown Victoria 4
Geo Metro 4
Chrome Bumper MG MGB 4
Rubber Bumper MG MGB 4
Mitsubishi Mirage 4
B13 Nissan Sentra 4
B15 Nissan Sentra SE-R 4
1st Gen Plymouth Laser 4
4th Gen Pontiac Firebird 4
Saab 900 Turbo 4
Mk 3 Toyota Supra 4
3rd Gen Acura Integra 3
AMC Spirit 3
BMW 320 3
E28 BMW 5 Series 3
Nelson Bug hot rod* 3
Datsun 510 3
Unknown Ford Fiesta 3
2nd Gen Ford Probe 3
Ford Ranger 3
MN12 Ford Thunderbird SC 3
Geo Storm 3
6th gen Honda Civic 3
2001 Honda Insight* 3
3rd Gen Infiniti Q45 3
Jeep Cherokee 3
Mazda RX-8 3
1st Gen Mitsubishi Eclipse 3
1969 Plymouth Barracuda 3
Newer Plymouth Colt 3
1st Gen Plymouth Neon 3
1980 Pontiac Sunbird 3
2nd Gen Saturn SC1 3
1968 Subaru 360 Van 3
1993 Subaru Justy* 3
Subaru SVX 3
1995 Toyota Tercel 3
Triumph Stag 3
Triumph TR7 3
VW Karman Ghia 3
G-body Buick Regal 2
GMT400 Chevrolet C1500 2
2nd Gen Chevrolet Camaro 2
3rd Gen Chevrolet Camaro 2
1987 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 2
1966 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 2
1996 Chevrolet Lumina APV GTP 2
1983 Chevrolet Malibu 9C1 2
1975 Chevrolet Monza 2
2005 Chrysler 300C 2
1980 Datsun 210* 2
Fiat 118G 2
Ford Escort ZX2 2
Ford F-150 2
Ford Festiva 2
Ford Maverick 2
Ford/Lotus Cortina 2
Ford/Toyota Suprang 2
Lexus LS400 2
Unknown Mazda RX-7 2
Mercury Tracer 2
MINI Cooper S 2
Nissan 260Z 2
1987 Plymouth Sundance 2
Saab 9000 2
1999 Saab 9-3 2
2nd gen Saturn SC2 2
2nd Gen Saturn SL 2
1962 Studebaker Lark 2
2002 Subaru Outback 2
1965 Subeam Alpine 2
Suzuki Swift 2
Triumph GT6 2
Volvo 242 2
A3 VW Jetta 2
1959 Zamboni Zamboni 2
1st Gen Acura Integra 1
Unknown Acura Integra 1
2002 Acura RSX 1
1984 Alfa Romeo GTV6 1
1973 AMC AMX 1
Audi 90 Quattro 1
1987 Audi Quattro 1
1995 Audi S6 1
1960 Austin Healey Sprite+ 1
1969 BMW 2500 1
E36 BMW 318ti 1
E46 BMW 323i 1
E46 BMW 325Ci 1
E36 BMW 328i 1
E46 BMW 330i 1
E90 BMW 335i 1
1990 BMW 750il 1
BMW Isetta 1
E36 BMW M3 1
2002 BMW Z3 1
1995 Buick Roadmaster 1
1983 Cadillac Cadillac 1
2004 Cadillac CTS-V 1
Cadillac Seville SLS 1
1984 Chevrolet C10 1
Shamu Chevrolet Caprice 1
Chevrolet Corsica 1
1965 Chevrolet Corvair 1
1949 Chevrolet Coupe 1
2004 Chevrolet Impala SS 1
1999 Chevrolet Metro 1
1977 Chevrolet Nova 1
1987 Chevrolet Sprint 1
1985 Chrysler 600 1
1975 Citicar SV90 1
1990 Dodge Caravan 1
Dodge Spirit RT 1
2001 Dodge Stratus 1
2nd Gen Eagle Talon 1
1958 Fiat 500 1
1973 Fiat Spider 1
1986 Ford Escort 1
1991 Ford Escort 1
1994 Ford F-350 1
2003 Ford Focus SVT 1
1985 Ford LTD Country Squire 1
SN99/New Edge Ford Mustang 1
S550 Ford Mustang Exhibition 1
1975 Ford Pinto 1
1st Gen Ford Probe 1
Unknown Ford Probe 1
Ford Ranger+ 1
2nd Gen Ford Taurus 1
1st Gen Ford Taurus SHO 1
Unknown Ford Thunderbird 1
1979 GMC Sierra 1
1988 Honda Accord 1
Unknown Honda Civic 1
Unknown Honda CRX 1
Honda N600 1
2003 Hyundai Tiburon 1
X308 Jaguar XJR 1
X350 Jaguar XJR 1
1989 Jeep Comanche 1
Kia Rio 1
1999 Lexus GS400 1
1994 Lincoln Mark VIII 1
2006 Mazda 3 1
1986 Mazda 626 1
2001 Mazda B2300 1
Mazda MX-3 1
1990 Mazda MX6 1
Mazda Protege5 1
Mazda RX-3 1
Mazda RX-4 1
1978 Mercedes-Benz 6.9 1
1999 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG 1
1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 1
German Mercury Capri 1
MN12 Mercury Cougar 1
Unknown MG MGB 1
MG Midget+* 1
2003 MINI Cooper 1
1991 Mitsubishi Galan VR-4 Exhibition 1
1975 Monzter Monzter 1
1963 Morris Minor 1
Nissan 200SX 1
Nissan 280ZX Turbo 1
1992 Nissan 300ZX 1
1995 Nissan Maxima 1
1992 Nissan NX2000 1
2005 Nissan Quest 1
B11 Nissan Sentra 1
1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 1
Peugeot 505 Turbo 1
1987 Plymouth Colt 1
Plymouth Conquest 1
Plymouth Horizon 1
1989 Plymouth Voyager 1
2nd Gen Pontiac Firebird 1
1987 Pontiac Firefly Turbo 1
2000 Pontiac Grand Prix 1
Daewoo Pontiac LeMans 1
Porsche 928 1
Porsche 924S 1
2001 Porsche Boxster 1
Saab 900 1
2008 Saturn Astra 1
2006 Saturn Ion Redline 1
1st Gen Saturn SL2 1
2nd Gen Saturn SL2 1
Solo Wheeeeeeee+ 1
2004 Subaru Forester XT 1
1998 Subaru Impreza 1
1987 Subaru RX Turbo 1
1987 Subaru XT 1
Subaru XT6 Turbo 1
1954 Swallow Doretti 1
4th Gen Toyota Celica 1
5th Gen Toyota Celica 1
4th Gen Toyota Corolla 1
6th gen Toyota Corolla 1
7th gen Toyota Corolla 1
AE86 Toyota Corolla 1
Toyota Corolla FX16 1
1986 Toyota Cressida 1
2000 Toyota Echo 1
1990 Toyota Hilux Pickup 1
2004 Toyota Matrix XR-S 1
Unknown Toyota MR2 1
3rd Gen Toyota MR2 Spyder 1
2004 Toyota Solara Exhibition 1
Mk 2 Toyota Supra 1
1982 Unkown Unknown 1
1983 RF83 Van Diemen Formula Ford+* 1
1995 Volvo 850 1
Volvo 122S 1
Volvo 240DL 1
1995 Volvo 850R 1
Volvo P1800 1
Volvo S70 1
Batvan VW Bus 1
1993 VW Fox 1
2006 VW GTI 1
Unknown VW Scirocco 1
Wartburg 311 1
I assume the 3 3rd Gen Q45s were all the same one that I entered 3 years. Bet it would be hard to tell what cars are repeats.
Stampie (FS) said:
I assume the 3 3rd Gen Q45s were all the same one that I entered 3 years. Bet it would be hard to tell what cars are repeats.
I believe so - I keep saying I want to build a database that can link actual cars to their entries(and a bunch of other stats), but I keep not finding the time to do so.
Edit: It would also be really neat to have this kind of data to see how cars progress from one event to another.
In reply to eastsideTim :
I thought Ed brought his Mustang in 2018 & 2019
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to eastsideTim :
I thought Ed brought his Mustang in 2018 & 2019
I thought so, too, but it didn't show up in the Spotter's Guide. He was there in 2017, in 2nd place, so maybe it was 2017 and 2019.
In reply to eastsideTim :
I just checked the mag & you're correct. It sure seemed like he was there 2-years in a row, but 2019 was an odd year without any drags. Also, my memory is E36 M3.
Confirmation I officially have the Worlds Fastest Hyundai at the Challenge.
The SVX is a repeat too. Yours truly.
There's a lot of repeat inside of "Yugo" too. I brought one, and I'm not sure how many different Yugos Jonny Pruit brought.
I brought a 2003 MINI Cooper S, but there have been at least 2 other MINI Coopers (non S)
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
One mini was RWD!
I've got two entire lines up there. 2 Saab 9-3s (same car) and one BMW 750il.
Also surprised to see no x1/9!
My 280z is the same car for 2010, 15,16, 17 so there are probably 4 and not 7
Very interesting. How many of those Fox Mercury Capris were the same car?
I'd love to bring "first-time" models to the challenge, too bad my Town Car would be over budget.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
One mini was RWD!
Thats right! I forgot that.
This is awesome! I really wish there was a database/spreadsheet of finishing times, etc for us to nerd out on.
CrustyRedXpress (Forum Supporter) said:
This is awesome! I really wish there was a database/spreadsheet of finishing times, etc for us to nerd out on.
I think I have some of that info, but its in jpg format. Would be awesome to have everything in a database, and be able to run scenarios guesstimating how certain cars would have done in different years...
Decided to mess with my spreadsheet some more and create a few graphs. Please be kind - I suck at Excel graphing.
First one is a graph of the top five overall brands, and how many were there each year. Not perfect, since I didn't combine Nissan/Datsun like I did in the info on my first post. Looks like both Honda and VW used to be a lot more popular.
Next graph - breakdown of car brands that showed up in 2004. I picked this year because it had the most entries of any challenge:
And the final graph for now, same as above, but for 2019. A lot less variety in manufacturers.
11 fords in one year is a disease that must be cured
Technically shouldn't you put Infiniti in with the Nissan/Datsun crowd? I understand if you think we're to good for that group.
Stampie (FS) said:
Technically shouldn't you put Infiniti in with the Nissan/Datsun crowd? I understand if you think we're to good for that group.
Possibly, but if so, that’d mean combining Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, and Merkur, and other work I just didn’t feel like doing 
In reply to eastsideTim : Thank you sir!
I can definitively say that the 2 entries for a 1959 Zamboni are the same car.
If this year doesn't go entirely off the rails I'll bring it back along with a Fiero and get that model into double digits.
Yes, I'm still the only Maxima! Maybe there's a reason for that...
sethmeister4 said:
Yes, I'm still the only Maxima! Maybe there's a reason for that...
You know, considering the prices I’ve seen for VQ-powered Maximas, I’m kind of surprised more haven’t shown up.
