Loeb is the first driver in history to reach 50 wins, he entered today's stages with a lead of 49.8 seconds over Mikko Hirvonen - finishing with a victory margin of 27.2 seconds.
"It's incredible. I remember when I beat the record number of wins of Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae," said Loeb.
"Now 50 is a really a big number, a nice number. I'm really happy with what we are achieving at the moment, but it's not finished, we're not stopping yet.
Hirvonen was a disappointed second but is hopeful that the next round of the series in Portugal will show an improved pace when the rally moved onto gravel surfaces during the second and third days.
Petter Solberg finished a delighted third.
Next round
The championship stays on gravel when Rally de Portugal returns to the series after a year's absence on 2 - 5 April. The fourth round will again be based at Faro on the Algarve.
Final positions
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 4hr 50min 34.7sec 2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 51min 01.9sec 3. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Citroen Xsara 4hr 52min 24.1sec 4. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 4hr 53min 01.0sec 5. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 4hr 57min 15.7sec 6. C Rautenbach/D Barritt ZIM Citroen C4 5hr 01min 46.6sec 7. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 5hr 03min 53.2sec 8. K Al Qassimi/M Orr UAE Ford Focus RS 5hr 04min 18.8sec 9. P Sandell/E Axelsson SWE Skoda Fabia 5hr 10min 11.3sec 10 A Araujo/M Ramalho POR Mitsubishi Lancer 5hr 10min 29.6sec
Drivers 1. S Loeb 30pts 2. M Hirvonen 22pts 3. D Sordo 17pts 4. H Solberg 10pts 5. P Solberg 9pts 6. M Wilson 8pts
Manufacturers 1. Citroen Total 48pts 2. BP Ford Abu Dhabi 32pts 3. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford 22pts 4. Citroen Junior 11pts 5. Munchi's Ford 3pts
Stage Times
Stage 12: 1. Hirvonen 26min 18.7sec; 2. P Solberg + 4.6; 3. Loeb + 5.8; 4. Latvala + 6.3; 5. Sordo + 7.3; 6. H Solberg + 26.9; 11. Al Qassimi + 1:40.1.
Overall: 1. Loeb 4hr 00min 08.3sec; 2. Hirvonen + 44.0; 3. Sordo + 1:37.5; 4. P Solberg + 1:50.7; 5. Wilson + 6:05.5; 6. Ogier + 6:20.6; 9. Al Qassimi + 11:03.9; 14. Latvala + 22:25.4.
Stage 13: 1. Hirvonen 39min 27.2sec; 2. P Solberg + 12.6; 3. Latvala + 16.3; 4. Loeb + 17.1; 5. Ogier + 32.7; 6. H Solberg + 38.9; 10. Al Qassimi + 2:20.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 4hr 39min 52.6sec; 2. Hirvonen + 26.9; 3. P Solberg + 1:46.2; 4. Sordo + 2:14.7; 5. Ogier + 6:36.2; 6. Wilson + 6:41.3; 9. Al Qassimi + 13:07.0; 13. Latvala + 22:24.6.
Stage 14: 1= Latvala, Wilson 10min 41.8sec; 3. Loeb + 0.3; 4. Hirvonen + 0.6; 5. P Solberg + 3.5; 6. H Solberg + 11.8; 9. Al Qassimi + 37.4.
Overall: 1. Loeb 4hr 50min 34.7sec; 2. Hirvonen + 27.2; 3. P Solberg + 1:49.4; 4. Sordo + 2:26.3; 5. Wilson + 6:41.0; 6. Rautenbach + 11:11.9; 8. Al Qassimi + 13:44.1; 12. Latvala + 22:24.3.
