These 6 oddball racing machines are absolutely confounding

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In case you missed it, the latest teasers coming out of Honda’s Performance Development centre are all about a new 800-hp hybrid racing machine. Hybridization is standard on top-level racers these days, whether it’s the screaming prototypes of the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the furious turbocharged monsters of Formula One. In this case, the—wait. Hang on, that can’t be right. Says here Honda’s built an 800-horsepower CR-V?

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Who looks at a CR-V and thinks “Race car!”? Well, I suppose your teenager might, a few minutes after you’ve reluctantly handed over the keys to the family-hauler. But it sure seems like an odd choice for Honda, especially as the company already has specially-prepped Civic chassis painstakingly assembled at its Performance Manufacturing Centre (which used to build the NSX). And what racing series will a mega-CR-V compete in? The 24 Hours of Le Groceries? Formula School Run?

Let it be noted, however, that this little publicity stunt is not without precedent. Far from it: almost every manufacturer gets the racing bug from time to time, turning out all kinds of oddball one-make series and slapping spoilers and slicks on cars which are more about sippy cups or tight budgets. Not just manufacturers either, as there are numerous examples of privateer racing teams turning something unlikely into a race car.

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Here’s a few of the wildest ones. You’d love to put them all on a track together, and see who’s the king of the oddball racers.

British Touring Car Championship Volvo 850

Let’s kick things off with what used to be the choice for practicality-minded families, a Volvo wagon. These days, crossovers like the CR-V and RAV4 have replaced the wagon and sedan as bread-and-butter transportation, but not so long ago it was two-point-five kids in the back of a Swedish box, and a Labradoodle in the trunk. In this case, the Labradoodle’s going to need a Nomex fire-suit.

Volvo’s 850 racing machine was a publicity stunt, too, but one that actually raced. It competed in the British Touring Car Championship, where fellow racers absolutely hated getting passed by a wagon. According to one of the drivers who raced the 850, the car was constantly getting smacked around. As BTCC is basically NASCAR crossed with a fight after pub closing time, for a driver to point out that there was more-than-average contact is saying something.

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Citroën 2CV

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Famously designed to carry two peasants and a basket of eggs over a plowed field without breaking any of the eggs, the 2CV is a quirky masterpiece of French engineering. But would Sir like those eggs scrambled? That’ll be a racing 2CV, then.

A one-make series found in the U.K. (and occasionally cropping up in other countries), 2CV racing is about as hilarious as it gets. Citroëns roll around at even modest speed, and while these versions have been modified for better handling, they take to the corners with the rakish angle of a sailboat.

And, yes, there’s a 24-hour all-2CV endurance race, one held every year in Norfolk. It’s cheap, fun, and no actual eggs are harmed in the process.

Rolls-Royce Corniche Dakar

In 1981, a few years before the Porsche 959 would chalk up its triumphant win, the Paris-Dakar rally was being contested by the likes of the Range Rover factory team. But it was a French team who campaigned the most outlandish car that year: a white 1970s Rolls-Royce Corniche, fitted with massive off-road tires and wearing red and orange racing stripes.

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Sponsored by Christian Dior’s latest cologne (yes, really) the Rally Corniche was about as highly bred as King Ralph. Under the hood was a Chevy V8; the chassis had been swapped for that of a Toyota Land Cruiser; and the body was a hodgepodge of steel and fibreglass.

However, it did surprisingly well, and would have finished the race better had it not run into a tree. Regrettably, one imagines there was not much Grey Poupon in Dakar in 1981.

Toyota Prius GT300

The Toyota Prius has long been the choice for those who prioritize fuel economy over driving dynamics and style. The new version looks to re-balance the scales a bit with a dose more power and slicker looks, but with the previous model, the Prius was anything but cool. Except for this one.

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Or should say, except these several. A handful of Prius GTs competed in Japan’s Super GT racing series, spending ten years as a fan favourite. A Prius is a relatively large car by Japanese standards, making it a good choice for families, and Super GT is very kid-friendly. A day out watching a racing version of Mom’s car beating up Lamborghinis sounds fun.

Not much about the Prius GT remained Prius-y, apart from the roofline and the hybrid system. At first, the car’s builders used a detuned V8 from Toyota’s Le Mans efforts, and stuck it in the rear. Later, when rules changed, the engine was changed to that of a Lexus RCF GT3, and plonked up front. A V8-powered rear-wheel-drive Prius is about as cool as it gets. Sadly, the Prius GT was retired after last year’s season.

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Dajiban

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Also from the Land of the Rising Sun, meet the weird automotive subculture that’s become famous enough to be immortalized in Hot Wheels form. The humble Dodge cube van is one of many American cars beloved across the Pacific Ocean, and one small group of cheerful maniacs turns them into drifting machines.

Dodge van = Dajiban. Fitted out with slammed suspensions, fat tires, and racing seats, these slab-sided vans take to the circuit for tire-smoking action. Drifting is more about style than speed, so there’s plenty of side-by-side precision action. It’s like your plumber and your electrician spent way too much time watching Initial D.

Micra Cup

We of course can’t sign off without a nod to Canada’s own home-grown oddball racing series, the Micra Cup. Now the Sentra Cup, as the Micra has left showrooms, the idea originally started as a one-make series for what was then Canada’s cheapest car.

Micra racing cars may have been down on power, but they brawled like NHL players, checking each other into the gravel traps and generally causing plenty of carnage. Properly-prepped Micras are still allowed to compete in the Sentra Cup, meaning that you can still see little econoboxes duking it out with a tenacity the big-league racers wish they had.