We see all kinds of cars here at Carscoops: Supercars, sports cars, race cars, show cars, concept cars… you name it, plus the odd truck or motorcycle thrown in for good measure. But if there’s one type of car that keeps rearing its head from time to time of which we just can’t quite get enough, it’s the camouflaged rally car.

Why such a specific combination, you ask? It’s a few things, really. One is the promise of what’s underneath, because with all those high-contrast shapes distorting the shape, you only get a hint of how potent the competition machinery underneath. Another is that, as much as we dig a good racing livery (some more than others), the only thing cooler is a piece of motorsport equipment without a livery. And when push comes to shove, a disguised rally machine just puts all those camouflaged prototypes for family sedans and minivans into perspective.

As passionate as we are to share what gets our motors running, we’ve compiled some of our favorite images of rally cars undergoing testing. Trying as they might to disguise their potency, they only look meaner – especially when kicking up a rooster tail of whatever loose surface they’re traversing at high speed. Check ’em out in the gallery below and see if you don’t fall in love, too.

PHOTOS