Top 8 most incredible cars of the decade

8. Toyota Yaris WRC

We could have grouped all the WRCs from the 2017 vintage in this section. Thanks to a crazy stroke of the FIA ​​regulations, the World Championship cars go from a flat plan look to a contemporary evocation of Group B. 

Wings as wide as a Gargantua's appetite on New Year's Eve, fins that play with the limits of illegality, the WRCs are more than threatening. The prize goes to the Yaris and its mountains of fins on the rear! 

The brains of the team led by Tommi Mäkinen have also been a tad too enterprising. The rear wing is deemed illegal… more than two years after its introduction. 

7. Lexus LFA 

Did you know that the Lexus LFC competed in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring between 2010 and 2015? The Japanese supercar did not meet any of the usual Grand Touring regulations (GT1, GT2 or GT3), but was accepted into the Green Hell in a VLN-specific class.

The sublime Lexus finished first in its class in 2010 and 2012, before engineers refined an evolution in 2014. Named like a secret defense program (Code-X), this example is striking, both visually and under the hood:

Indeed, the 10 horsepower 4,8 liter atmo V562 block derived from the (small) series felt a little flagada in the forests of the Eifel. The decision was therefore made to give him a vitamin cure. The engine is increased to 5,3 liters, and the tracks are widened! The downsizing trend? 'Do not know.

The LFA Code-X will once again win its category before giving way to the Lexus LC, “only” equipped with a V8.

6. Corvette C7.R

The spectators of 24 Hours of Le Mans recognize the passage of a Corvette C7.R without closing your eyes. The typically American rumble of the 8 liter V5.5 helps, but it's also the vibrations, whether on the bay windows of the stands or on the ground, which are unmistakable.

Passing a Corvette C7.R, in full acceleration after Arnage, is a galvanizing sensory experience. “Is”, or rather “was”, becausethe new iteration (C8.R) which will arrive in 2020 in Sarthe, seems to have the same V8 but with a smoother sound.

5. Lamborghini Murciélago R-SV GT1

If Rugrats had decided to create a car, it would have been as low as this GT1. The Lamborghini Murciélago R-SV, designed by Reiter Engineering for the FIA ​​GT1 world championship in 2010, is a car with more than squat shapes.

The pilot is in fact sitting at ground level: 1,1 m maximum height for the Italian! Some bending exercises are necessary for the courageous pilots, who must remain serious while an exceptional engine 12 horsepower naturally aspirated V600 scream at the top of their lungs behind their backs! 

We should write an ode to the brief period of FIA GT1, a championship featuring the most desirable supercars of the time. Among them, the Lamborghini had a timid 2010 season, before revealing a certain potential the following year. The Münnich Motorsport team achieves four successes. 

Unfortunately, the GT1 regulation is thrown into the trash for economic reasons. Running such jewels is expensive, especially when the drivers do not hesitate to explode a few pieces of carbon...

4. Audi R-18 

If the DeltaWing was an Orni, the last LM P1 developed by Audi in Endurance looked like a UFO. Although dating from 2016, the look of the R-18 remains devilishly relevant as we move into 2020. 

The front face is teeming with impressive angles, in a more skilful reinterpretation than the noses of F1. The edges of the rear wing are diagonal while the mirrors, in Le Mans kit version, are integrated into the bodywork. 

Still in the Le Mans version, the design of the front lights is beveled for better aerodynamic efficiency. Next to it, the R15, which appeared in 2009, seems very clumsy, even though it represented a revolution at its time! The 6 liter V4 Diesel engine is complemented by a 350 kW energy storage system. The R18 falls into the category of 6 megajoules (MJ) of power delivered on a lap of the Sarthe circuit. 

In various places, total power exceeds 1 horsepower. This is the most spectacular period of the Hybrid era in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Brief, but intense.

3. Porsche 911 RSR 

Nobody can make it louder than a Corvette between the pine alleys at Le Mans. Person ? No ! A German manufacturer delights music lovers (and hearing protection sellers) by introducing a radical exhaust on the diffuser of the 911 RSR in 2017. 

The result is… *inaudible*. Yes, you should remember to lower the volume on your phone! So I said that the 911 RSR opts for a flat-6 in the central rear position in order to counter the Ford GT which is more of a proto than a strict GTE. 

The block officially delivers 510 horsepower (depending on the BoP), but according to our ears, we would have rather bet on 2 extremely angry nags. It screams, as soon as you go around, but then, it screams endlessly!

If you too want to hear the cry of rage of this beast, hurry up: only the GTE Am crews are entering this 2017 version in WEC until the 24 2020 Hours of Le Mans. Then, everyone will opt for the 2019 version, to flat-6 slightly less stirring.

2. Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak

You have to pinch yourself to believe it. A car bearing the Lion attacks the most famous of hill racing in Colorado, with the greatest WRC champion? The project is salivating. But when the technical sheet and the photos arrive on the Web, excitement is immediate.

The numbers are easy to remember: 875 kg for 875 horsepower thanks to a twin-turbo V6 engine. Yes, with the rarefaction of the air (the arrival is at an altitude of 4 m), we have to stuff the boulder well. 

0 to 100 km/h is achieved in just 1''8 and 200 km/h reached in barely 7''. That's a change from the 208 HDIs that we come across on the national highway! On the tubular chassis are positioned two gigantic aerodynamic appendages: a front spoiler and a two-meter-wide rear wing, stitched in the 908 HDI style.

A nod from designer Adrien Paviot, the logo of the Peugeot Talbot Sport adventure from the 1980s is used on the decor of the 208. The history of Ari Vatanen's record with the 405 will repeat itself. 

By swallowing the 19,9 km climb at an average of 145 km/h and in 8'13''878, Sébastien Loeb sets a new time to beat. Okay, the course is less impressive than in the Finnish champion's time because the dirt has disappeared, but go for it precipices 600 meters deep always requires a huge amount of commitment.

In hindsight, this record no longer really impresses, because Romain Dumas and his Volkswagen IDR pulverized it in June 2018 by almost 17”. But the speed of electric has (yet) not matched the auditory thrills of thermal. 

1. Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo

Certainly, it's not the most melodious car of the decade, but the delirium of the engineers and the performances achieved by the drivers make up for it. In 2018, to organize a farewell tour, Porsche removed the regulatory shackles of the WEC on its 919 LM P1 Hybrid. 

The data borders on a (good) joke. The tiny 4 liter V2.0 petrol engine is coupled to a hybrid system to a crazy total of 1 horsepower. The weight is ridiculously low, 160 kg (driver included). 

Compared to the initial version, the Evo has a reworked front and rear wing (with DRS), and a more imposing diffuser. Michelin is even requisitioned to create a specific rubber.

Two attempts will make jaws drop. First of all, Neel Jani will hold the lap record for a vehicle at Spa-Francorchamps for a few months. « The 919 Evo is very brutal. It's definitely the fastest car I've ever driven. confided the Swiss, who set a time of 1'41''770.

For me, we are entering another dimension with the level of grip achieved. I didn't imagine this possible before. Things happen so quickly in the 919 Evo that the reactions must be very different from what I was used to in WEC. We not only beat the pole of the 2017 F1 season, we also gained 12 seconds compared to the average time of our pole signed in WEC last year ! »

A few months later, in the greatest secrecy, Porsche privatized the northern loop of the Nürburgring. This time, it's Timo Bernhard who embarks on the biggest ride of his career. The 20,6 terminals are covered in 5'19''55!

>>>Timo Bernhard’s “Down with the helmets” following his record<<

We challenge you to remain unmoved by this video. Timo Bernhard's head hitting the headrests, the speedometer taking off faster than lightning thanks to the boost from the electric motor, the whiffs swallowed without the German lifting his foot, everything is impressive.

Bonus info: the winner of the 24 2014 Hours of Le Mans has the late Stefan Bellof as his idol. The previous record holder in the Green Hell had achieved this feat in the middle of the qualifying session for the 1 km of the Nürburgring with a Porsche 000. 

Some say that Timo Bernhard's record does not respect the circumstances of the 1983 record. The 919 was a car that did not respect any sporting regulations and had a clear track early in the morning, when the tarmac temperature was at its lowest. more adequate