Top Gear's Top 9: the worst motorsport special editions

In 2007, Citroen heralded the fourth of Sébastien Loeb’s eventual nine WRC titles by phoning in a tarted-up C4 hatchback with zero mechanical mods.

Four hundred cars got red and black leather, but only 180bhp when the contemporary Ford Focus ST mustered 225bhp. 

Proving lazy special editions are a modern malady too, Aston has just unveiled some energy-drink-inspired Vantages signed by F1 drivers Ricciardo and Verstappen. Nice spec, but a pensionable car celebrating F1’s most youthful team.

Audi’s endurance racing record is beyond reproach. Thirteen Le Mans wins, a debut win at the Nürburgring 24 hours for the R8 LMS, and then to celebrate… an R8 V10 Plus with a tiny stripe on the side.

Where’s the race aero, or the stripped-out cabin?

Proving no inappropriate vehicle is safe from an attack of ill-considered F1 marketing. In 2015 Renault’s Dutch market was treated to a van with an Alcantara steering wheel, 17-inch rims, stickers, bucket seats… and a 138bhp diesel engine.

Needing a stopgap before the F1-engined hypercar arrives, Mercedes hit on the idea of slapping some Petronas green wings and stripes on an A-Class diesel.

You couldn’t even spec the kit on the ballistic AMG A45. Not very #blessed.

Rover’s 200 supermini, company car of the elderly, got a Sixties F1-inspired pep up with orange nosecone and quilted red seats in 1997.

Originally priced at £18k, Rover slashed it to £14k in a bid to shift the colour-clash mess.

Michael Schumacher won consecutive F1 world titles from 2000 to 2004. In 2005, as his domination came to an end, Fiat woke up and did a hot-hatch tribute, using a 2.4-litre, five-pot Stilo.

It wasn’t fast or fun, and only 200 were made.

Tenuous link ahoy: Infiniti is owned by Nissan, which is in bed with Renault, which makes Red Bull F1’s engines.

Hence this monstrous über-SUV, with carbon wings, a 420bhp 5.0-litre V8 and Sebastian Vettel’s name on the boot. Cost? £100k. Instant recognition as a tasteless tool? Priceless.

As MG chased the 2012 BTCC title, it cooked up a bestriped hatchback with an “electronically limited top speed of 120mph”.

Gordon Shedden’s Honda Civic won the championship, and MG has lately stopped making cars in the UK.