When Rally Cars looked awesome

Holden Monaro GTS. Probably the worst choice possible for a rally car. 5.0 litre V8, quick in a straight line but cornered like an oil tanker. The most elegantly styled car ever made in Australia, IMO.

When rally cars weren’t as cool as trucks – or as fast…

How about this madness 😆

Here’s a couple of mine… those were the days

Already been done but deserves another….

And….

Another of our toys ! V8 excellence

Flat out in top gear @ 4.35 on a wet fireroad 6 inches wider than the car 😯

Building the beast![/url]

have a pal who rallied quite a bit in the 80s and 90s, into 2000s as well. Succession of Astras and Golfs mostly, the Evos and the like.

Now confines himself to retro classic rallies, doesn’t mean he lets off the pedal though – had an early 70s 911, now has a rebuilt Escort RS – very nice. Looks for pics but can’t find any easily to hand.

When a Lancia just isn’t expensive enough

or

A few from RaceRetro 2014

And two from Goodwood FoS

Just to say they don’t have to have wide wheels, bubble arches and big wings etc.
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You’ve got to love the Mk2 Escorts for the win, they just epitomise the rally era for me.

Here’s my mates on the cover of Rally Sport mag back in the mid 90’s, took him to a fair number of championship wins back in the early to mid 90’s but just as well he owned a car repair bodyshop as he was a 10/10ths driver when behind the wheel with the inevitable consequences.

These days he mostly drives Sega Rally to get his kicks 😀

Goddam flickr rotate shite……….

For looks, I need to see a picture of Mouton. For noise, nothing sounded better than the Wartburg

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it’s a 037!

My brother has a full rally spec Renault 5 Maxi turbo, I will see if I can find a photo of it (there maybe one on the john price rally website).

Before that he had a 6R4 and before that another Maxi turbo but that was a road spec version.

He took me out in the 6R4 once, one of the scariest rides I have had!

I appeared in Rally Sport magazine. I was a co-driver in my mates Mk3 Escort powered by a corsa 1600cc engine into a jag back axle – you could have hybrid cars in those days (mid 1990’s)

I don’t know how much competitive rallying these actually did but as a paid up Golf GTI owner/geek I would love one of the road going versions of the Golf Rallye.

Pigface.
Is that daf really what it looks like? A cut and shut of two front ends?

An old friend did Peking to Paris Rally back in 2004 in one of these..

The twin cab DAF was 1984 and 1985 I think – can’t quite remember but think it was twin engined. Not sure why they needed to drop on the extra cab (only one cab was used for driving).

I did my apprenticeship at Leyland DAF – did college day-release with the guy that was on-board mechanic in the 1988 twin engine monster shown higher up. One had a massive accident when a rock ripped off a corner (killed the co-driver and Chris was badly injured). Great to see him on telly when BBC4 did the Dakar prog.

It’s bonkers however they engineered it.
I love rally cars but those trucks are something else

Short video of Andy Burtons Cosworth 206 from the Wyedean a few years ago now

And this pic I took while in Corsica in 2014 will mean something to those of us of a certain age

Toivenan?

Banner’s Ralloy mk2:

And a classic mk1:

Will always be a Delta Integrale for me, when I saw one driving through town I went full fanboi and followed it until he stopped so I could look at it better 😳

Henri Toivonens crash was a JFK moment – I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. 30 years ago this May.

The reason why modern rally cars look so cack is that the cars they are based on look cack. There just isn’t any character in cars anymore. I’m a car nut but the amount of times I have to find a cars badge now to figure out what make it is is embarrassing. Kia/Peugeot/ford/Renault/Vauxhall mid size cars all look the same. Most of the small cars look very similar.
There’s just no daring styling happening anymore which makes cars stand out. There’s a odd few exceptions but they are rare.

Rev limiter in top 😯

A quick bump as there’s going to be some red hot quattro action on BBC2 shortly!

Oh, and that W123 is a most delicious brute. Not quite the Rote Sau, but still…

Oh, and that W123 is a most delicious brute

Surely this is more up your alley

Walnut – for the Paris Dakar

Room for Golf Clubs