11 of the best cars from gaming classic V-Rally

In July 1997, a game was released on the PlayStation. It was called V-Rally, and it was really rather good. It was developed by a company called Eden Studios (now Eden Games), and quickly became a best-seller for Sony's machine.

In fact, it quickly became one of the original PlayStation's flagship titles, racking up over seven million copies sold, and making $200 million. The game offered players the chance to dissolve lifelong friendships via its direct, head-to-head split-screen mode, and boasted ten different race locations, and 11 official WRC cars. Four of these were from the WRC class, and seven were F2 kit cars.

So, to mark its twenty years in gaming lore, we've picked out some of the rally icons the game featured. Ready your finest thermal flasks, and let us know your favourite in the comments below. (Bonus points for any particular memories you had of the game too...)

Rallying legend Sébastien Loeb won his first World Championship in a Saxo, a Junior title in 2001.

Carlos Sainz achieved three WRC victories during his time with the car in 1996 and 1997.

The inspiration for Alpine’s new car, the A110 won the first-ever World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.

The Fiat 131 Abarth helped the manufacturer win the Manufacturers’ title three times.

The Toyota Corolla WRC was the first WRC car to feature a transverse-mounted engine. Coolest Corolla ever?

During two French rallying seasons between 1998 and 1999 the car notched up 15 wins out of a possible 20, with driver Philippe Bugalski.

The 306 Maxi debuted in the Rallye Alsace-Vogues in 1995. Legend has it that it was so wide, a stage had to be shortened because the 306 Maxi was wider than a bridge near the stage finish. Either way, it looks EXCELLENT.

Fly, my pretty, FLY! The Megane Maxi featured a seven-speed gearbox and won the Tour de Corse outright in 1996.

Together with the Lancia Delta, the Impreza shares the highest number of wins in World Rally Championship history – that’s 46.

Not many cars can claim to have changed the design discourse within rallying circles but the Audi Quattro B2 is one of them. It became the first rally car ever in the WRC to have permanent four-wheel-drive.

V-Rally may be 20 years old, but the team at Eden Games has not forgotten its rallying roots. This year it launched a new rally mode in its latest racing game, Gear.Club.