The racetrack is a place where we can fully admire some of the fastest and most perfectly built cars that have ever been made. At the track we see race teams that work to gain just about every advantage and find what they need in order to have the one sliver of a chance of beating the other cars. Through the years, tracks around the world have given us the cars we want to drive and some of our favorite rides on the roads came from these cars.

Audi 200 Quattro – When the other cars all have more power, more displacement and more cylinders under the hood what the Audi 200 Quattro was able to be was a lightweight, quick on its feet car that had all-wheel drive. This was enough to make this car a dominant force during Trans-Am racing in 1988 which, as we all know, meant the rules had to be changed. Racing is funny, sometimes rules are changed because one car dominates the rest, which was the case for 1989 when the Audi 200 Quattro was kept out of competition. Even though this car couldn’t compete the next year, it still gained our attention.

Audi Sport Quattro – The Sport Quattro was made for the rally races around the world and was a car that won several of these races including Pike’s Peak in 1987. The Audi Quattro was a stalwart competitor in the rally races for many years in the S1 E2 model which was the Pike’s Peak champ, but the more successful version of the car came before this one. AWD was certainly needed and encouraged during the rally car races and Audi was more than happy to comply and make the races the proving grounds for the AWD system that would eventually make it into the cars we enjoy today.

Ford GT40 –When the goal of a particular model is to become the chosen replacement for an outgoing model it’s much easier to say than to do. Many have tried to take down some of our longtime favorites and failed, but the GT40 was one that actually made it happen. With the look and build that resembled Ferrari and the aggressiveness of a Mustang the Ford GT40 was out to take over the LeMans circuit, which it did. At the time Ferrari had won the race six years in a row, when the GT40 came on the scene this car won the next four.

Lancia Stratos HF – When the World Rally Championships were born the cars that competed weren’t built for the race but was modified street cars that were made to take on the challenge. The Lancia Stratos changed all that by being built specifically for the WRC circuit. This car was so impressive it won 18 races and the WRC championship three years in a row. This amazing success led to more rally cars being built specifically for the racing duty of this outdoor off road challenge.

Lotus 79 – Formula One racing has been around for many decades and had been in existence long before the Louts 78 or 79. These cars did what no other F1 racer had done to that point, they took advantage of ground effects and the role it plays on the aerodynamics of a car. With this change to the Lotus cars the 79 was able to take first place in the WCC in 1978 which pioneered a change every other Formula One racing team would follow. This was an example of a single car company changing the sport and the sport accepting the difference.

Mazda 787B – Even a car that lags behind many others can find its way to winning a race or two if it happens to have the right equipment. Because Mazda loves the rotary engine so much and has been one of the only companies to use it in their cars, the Mazda 787B had one in the engine bay. This car was slower than the rest, but when it came to the 24 Hours of LeMans, this car won in 1991 because the engine was reliable. This marked the only Japanese car to win this race and the only rotary engine powered car to do so as well.

McLaren MP4/4 – McLaren has been all about racing and only recently started making street legal cars, but even those are pretty much race cars that can be driven anywhere. In 1988 the MP4/4 had two amazing drivers, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost behind the wheel. This car won 15 of the 16 races it competed in that year and even gave Senna four wins in a row. This marked an unheard of and certainly never before seen feat of racing, especially at a race circuit that was meant to keep things basically even.

Porsche 917 – This is a car you certainly will recognize from the Steve McQueen movie LeMans. Its fitting this is the car chosen for the role as it won the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1970 and 1971. This is a car that almost wasn’t used at all because if the challenges and problems it faced during 1969, which left Porsche looking to find a different car to use. Thankfully they stuck with the 917 and reaped the benefits of this awesome race car that showed speeds as high as 240 mph, which was extremely fast for the time.

Porsche 962 – This car was the favorite of many racing teams in the mid-1980s. This car had the shape and the style to be the car chosen to get the job done and bring home the championship which it did extremely well. This was the car that won the 1985 and 1986 World Sportscar Championship and 24 Hours of LeMans in 1986 and 1987. It also won the IMSA GT Championship from 1985-1988 along with several other races and circuit championships. Even in 1994, a 962 that has bene modified won the 24 Hours of LeMans for a decade later throwback winner.

Tyrrell P34 – While so many on this list are here because of the numerous trophies they brought home, this car only won one race, but it was the car design that made it interesting and a fitting car for this list. The P34 won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix but that isn’t the important part, this car was built with six wheels, which was one of the most radical designs used. By using smaller front wheels the drag was reduced and braking was improved but Tyrell didn’t have the ability to continue development or stay competitive which meant retirement for this car after the 1977 season.