I've been trying to figure this out and coming up almost exclusively with pre-1990 stuff. What is the absolute newest car with the following specs?
95" wheelbase, +/- 5"
Rear wheel drive (will accept all wheel or 4 wheel drive, since the front wheels can be depowered)
Less than 2800 lbs as delivered (this is much heavier than the Escort, but modern cars are fat)
Hardtop
Forget about what it looks like, which way the engine faces, etc. Strangely enough, I think the answer might be the early 2000s RAV4 but I'm interested in what the GRM hivemind can come up with. Wikipedia is a valid source for your numbers, this isn't a book report 
BRZ/FRS almost fits but they've got a 101" wheelbase.
However, Google just told me that a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick does meet all your criteria.
Also, I don't know that you can de-power the front on a Rav4 and expect the rear diff to last. IIRC it's pretty small and can't hold much power.
In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
I specifically excluded the Frisbee twins with my criteria because they're an easy answer- and people are making rally cars out of them too! It's strange that the Sidekick, RAV4, and similar things fit the mold, but they're cheap so it's interesting to think about. I guess the Frisbees will be pretty cheap soon enough too.
Let's not worry about the difficulty of depowering front wheels for now- 4 link kits and truck rear axles are cheap!
06HHR
HalfDork
12/6/17 12:16 p.m.
1998-99 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS is close. Wiki says wheelbase is 99" and curb weight is 2600-2700. You could depower the front diff.
EDIT: Wiki says these were sold in the US until 2001.
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person here who'd like see to a solid axle Rav4 compete in stage rally.
Nissan 240sx is 99 inches. Satisfies all your criteria (It's close on the weight, depends on the model/trim). Made in the 1990s.
What's the wheelbase of an E30? 101 inches? They were made for like, what 1 year into the 90s? :)
Oh I know, a Smart FourTwo!
It's amazing how few small RWD cars are made anymore.
Yeah, I'd love to see a RAV4 compete!
Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe. 93.7" wheelbase, 2463lbs as delivered.
Hmm, maybe that's more like a modern RS200...
Stefan
MegaDork
12/6/17 5:25 p.m.
Burrito said:
Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe. 93.7" wheelbase, 2463lbs as delivered.
Hmm, maybe that's more like a modern RS200...
Minus the horsepower, since the RS200 made upwards of 1000hp in its most eVil incarnation.
Stefan said:
Burrito said:
Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe. 93.7" wheelbase, 2463lbs as delivered.
Hmm, maybe that's more like a modern RS200...
Minus the horsepower, since the RS200 made upwards of 1000hp in its most eVil incarnation.
...But only 250 in its road going production trim. I stand by my comment, which I made for more reasons than overall power output.
I think the answer you are looking for (well, very close to it), is Porsche 944 or 968
wheelbase 94.5"
curb weight 2800-3000lbs depending on trim/model
RWD with good weight balance
hardtop
late 944s are still pretty easy to find cheap (968, not so much)
BTW, the early Caymens are pretty much in the same range as well:
Wheelbase is 97"
Delivered weight is around 2,900lbs
RWD
Hardtop.
Mid-engine puts the weight int he right place, to boot. If I had a big rally car build budget, Caymen is directly where I would go, personally. Sadly, my budget it tiny :/
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This was harder than I thought it would be.
The closest I could find to those specs was a Mercedes C230 Kompressor. But it’s too long at 106.9” and a little portly at 3290 lb.
Type Q
SuperDork
12/7/17 3:13 p.m.
irish44j said:
I think the answer you are looking for (well, very close to it), is Porsche 944 or 968
wheelbase 94.5"
curb weight 2800-3000lbs depending on trim/model
RWD with good weight balance
hardtop
late 944s are still pretty easy to find cheap (968, not so much)
BTW, the early Caymens are pretty much in the same range as well:
Wheelbase is 97"
Delivered weight is around 2,900lbs
RWD
Hardtop.
Mid-engine puts the weight int he right place, to boot. If I had a big rally car build budget, Caymen is directly where I would go, personally. Sadly, my budget it tiny :/
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Beat me to it. I was going to mention the early Boxter has a right abound a 95 inch wheelbase. It might even be 94.5. I remember reading specs back in the day and thinking it was exactly the same as an air cooleg bug.
Z3 coupe I think is close? Just off by a bit on weight. Pontiac Solstice coupe is also close (but again, off by a bit on weight).
Do kit cars count?
The Factory Five Type 65 meets that. 95" Wheelbase, 2400lbs.
06HHR
HalfDork
12/7/17 5:07 p.m.
I was going to suggest the BMW 1 series, but it's actually a bit larger and heavier than your requested dimensions. 105" wheelbase and 3200+ pounds according to the wiki..
In reply to 06HHR :
basically, the 1 series is the size of an e30, with a bit more heft and a ton more power
rx7 95.5" FB/FC/FD
rx8 is 106.4 just a bit fatter...
and CHEAP!
