Second ERC Greatest Car semi-final begins, excitement builds

Over the next 48 hours, fans can vote for the Renault Clio Super 1600 or Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo as next week’s ERC Greatest Car final beckons.  

The Clio S1600 powered Simon Jean-Joseph to the 2004 title, the first of the ERC’s modern era, courtesy of four wins with Renato Travaglia taking the title in 2005 also at the wheel of one the French pocket rockets.

Škoda’s Fabia Rally2 Evo came on stream in 2019 and proved to be the ERC car to beat in 2021 and 2022 with Andreas Mikkelsen and Efrén Llarena banking successive European titles. The Fabia RS Rally2 has since replaced the Fabia Rally2 Evo, but the older Czech model remains as competitive as it is popular.   

Renault’s rapid hatchback came through a tight quarter-final contest against the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX with 54% of the vote, while the Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo earned a commanding 89% of the vote to knock out the Peugeot 208 Rally4 in the fourth quarter-final last week.

Here are the key numbers and remember to follow the ERC’s social media channels to vote.   

Renault Clio Super 1600
Active years: 2002-2015
ERC rally wins: 11
ERC podiums: 25
ERC titles: 2  

Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
Active years: 2019-Present
ERC rally wins: 11
ERC podiums: 35
ERC titles: 2  

ERC Greatest Car of the modern era explained
It’s not just the drivers who have starred since the FIA European Rally Championship calendar was streamlined into the format recognisable today.  

Following that landmark moment in 2004, some of the greatest rally cars ever built have battled for glory in the various categories that continue to ensure the ERC remains as popular as it is relevant.  

Fans have been voting from a shortlist of 16 great ERC cars prepared by our team of experts. Employing bracketology, voting is available through the ERC’s social media channels with a 48-hour window to vote for each pairing. The winner will be announced on 4 December.