It’s been labelled the car to “revolutionize the American Rally Association RC2 class”.
But how much do we really know about JRD Motorsport’s ARC2 project?
First announced in February with double World Rally champion Marcus Grönholm named as a development driver, the team has now unveiled more details about the spec machine that’ll be based on the Chevrolet Sonic platform.
The vision
The idea is for the ARC2 to be a cost-effective alternative to a Rally2 car, but has been “engineered to deliver Rally2-level performance”.
JRD says the car will be “better suited” to the American market, primarily because it will not need to be imported.
Founder Johan Ragnarsson explained: “We have talked to several drivers and team owners in other categories of motorsport that would like to venture into rally if it was easier to acquire and maintain a top level car in the US.
“In the past it was quite easy to convert a Subaru or [Mitsubishi] Evo to a rally car with many companies offering bolt-on products often derived from the Group N era in rally.
“The Rally2 concept has been a huge success in Europe but the cars are complicated to import and expensive to maintain in the US. We want to offer an American built car every bit as exciting and capable as its European counterparts but better suited for the American rally market.”
Technical specifications
Powered by a two-liter turbocharged engine from Swedish company, Aurobay, the engine will be tuned to match the power and performance of an FIA Rally2 car.
Also in-line with a Rally2, the ARC2 will feature a sequential gearbox (sourced from SGS Racing Transmission), which has been modified to remove sixth gear.
Suspension travel has been limited to 275mm, while the car features mechanical limited slip differentials too.
When will it rally?
The ARC2 will make its public debut at the PRI [Performance Racing Industry] Show in Indianapolis this December (11-13). However the first cars won’t be in competition until next year.
It is being homologated specifically for ARA competition in the RC2 class, but JRD has said it’s also developing a body kit for the car adhering to both ARA Open class and FIA Rally2 regulations.
Customer deliveries are expected in early 2026, with the price (for the base model in gravel specification) listed at $220,000 – around $100,000 less than an equivalent Rally2 car.
