Rally Giants

The complete story of the front-wheel-drive Saab 96 made the brand into a rally icon in the 1960s. Superstar driving from Erik Carlsson, his wife Pat Moss-Carlsson and - later - from Stig Blomqvist, all brought real publicity and admiration for a car that always lacked the sheer straight-line performance of its rivals. Saabs like this, however, never wanted for strength, or for amazing handling and traction, and they succeeded in events as diverse as the Monte Carlo, Britain's RAC rally, special stage events in every Scandinavian country, and the rough-and-tough Spa-Sofia-Liege Marathon. The big change came in 1967, when the 96 became the V4, looking almost the same as before, but with a new and more powerful four-stroke Ford-Germany V4 engine. Works cars continued to be competitive in carefully chosen events for many years, and it was only the arrival of much more specialised rivals that made them outdated. Saab, though, was not finished with rallying, as the V4's successors, the much larger and more powerful 99 and 99 Turbo types, proved. More than any other car of its era, the 96 and V4 models proved that front-wheel-drive allied to true superstar driving could produce victory where no-one expected it.

Researched and written with the full co-operation of the factory, here in definitive detail is the story of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (or 'Lan Evo') in its key role as a works rally car. Making its debut in 1993, it won the WRC title for its manufacturer in 1998, but also propelled Tommi Mäkinen to a string of victories in the driver's championship on numerous occasions. This book, continuing Veloce's highly-successful Rally Giants series, features all of the WRC events entered by the Lancer as a works machine, including detailed results (even down to registration numbers), and a fine selection of contemporary photography to bring the era back to life. An essential title for Mitsubishi and rallying enthusiasts alike.

This is a comprehensive study of the career of one type of rally car - the BMC Mini-Cooper/Mini-Cooper S. In the 1960s the Mini became famous as Britain's most successful rally car. It combined superb handling, a tiny body shell, high-performance engines and the excellence of front-wheel-drive in an irresistible package. Not only this, but the works team included famous drivers like Paddy Hopkirk, Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen. The works Minis not only won the Monte Carlo three times - 1964, 1965 and 1967 - along with the European Rally Championship in 1965, but also won events all over the world. Because Minis were British, and well-promoted, they became seen as giant-killers, and were the people's favourite for many years. The car outpaced many of its rivals, and this book examines exactly who they were, and how they came to be defeated by the 'mighty Mini.' Even today, works Minis appear at every gathering of classic cars - and in 2009, Mini celebrates its 50th birthday. Packed with over 100 photographs, this book is a fitting and timely tribute to a much-loved Rally Giant.

In nine eventful years - 1957 to 1965 - the six-cylinder-engined Austin Healey evolved into a formidable and increasingly specialised rally car. By any standards, it was the first of the "homologation specials" - a type made progressively stronger, faster, more versatile, and more suitable for the world's toughest International rallies. Though the motorsport foundations had been laid by the Healey Motor Co. Ltd, the work needed to turn these cars into rock-sold 210bhp projectiles was almost all completed by the world-famous "works" BMC Competitions Department at Abingdon. It was because of their vast experience that the "Big Healeys" as they were always affectionately known - became fast and tough, nimble yet durable, so that they were capable of winning major events wherever traction could be assured. Not only did the "works" Austin Healeys win some of the world's most famous events - including Liege-Sofia-Liege, Spa-Sofia-Liege and the French and Austrian Alpine rallies, but they were also supremely fast on events like the Tulip, and came so close, so often, to winning their home event, the British RAC Rally, which traditionally ended the season. Not only did these cars turn their drivers - Pat Moss, Donald Morley, Rauno Aaltonen, Timo Makinen and Paddy Hopkirk among them - into heroes, but individual cars seemed to take on a character and reputation of their own. This book lists each and every success, each and every notable car, and traces exactly how the machinery developed, and improved, from one season to the next. Over time, the "works" cars not only adopted aluminium cylinder heads and body panels, much-modified chassis, transmission and exhaust systems, but they also became supremely strong and could withstand a true battering on the world's toughest events. This book relates how the cars were improved by the engineers, how the drivers came to love their heavy and sometimes self-willed steeds, and how the management team got the most out of everything - machinery, personnel, drivers, and regulations. . Heavily illustrated and packed with technical detail this book will make a welcome addition to any motorsport fans library.

This book describes the birth, development, and rallying car of the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza in the 1990s and early 2000s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport.

Escort RS1800 (Escort MkII) : This is a Rally Giant because it was consistently the fastest, most successful and most versatile car in the second half of the 1970s. Developed from the MkI, it was a conventional front engine/rear drive machine, which rallied with 2-litre engines of up to 270bhp. Rally successes were legendary - British (RAC), Safari, Acropolis, Finland (1000 Lakes), Sweden, Portugal, Canada, and many more. The cars won 17 World Rallies between 1975 and 1981. RS1800s won the World Makes Championship in 1979, and were always close to victory, always competitive. Escort drivers like Bjorn Waldegard (1979) and Ari Vatanen (1981) won the World Drivers' Championships. Over the years hundreds - and this is no exaggeration - of RS1800s were built for motor sport, and were the ideal car for almost any condition in the world because they were very powerful, but simple and rugged. The RS1800 was also the layout template which was copied by other manufacturers for cars like the Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus, the Vauxhall Chevette HSR and the Nissan GTs of the late 1970s/early 1980s, which were really all Escort 'clones'. Ford claims, and it may be right, that RS1800s have won more rallies, at World, International and National level than any other car in the world.

When Fiat entered rallying in 1970, its ultimate aim was to become World Rally Champion - and the 131 Abarth of 1976-1980 provided the machinery to make that possible. Within the Fiat-Lancia empire, the 131 Abarth not only replaced the 124 Abarth Spider sports car, but was also favoured ahead of the charismatic Lancia Stratos. By 1970s standards, the 131 Abarth was the most extreme, and effective, of all homologation specials. Compared with the 131 family car on which it was originally based, it had different engine, transmission and suspension layouts, was backed by big budgets and by a team of superstar drivers, and was meant to win all round the world. Not only did it start winning World rallies within months of being launched, but in 1977, 1978 and 1980 the 'works' team also won the World Championship for Makes, and set every standard by which Rally Giants were to be judged. The 131 Abarth was backed by a peerless team of engineers, so was there ever any doubt that successors like the Lancia Rally 037 and the Delta Integrale would eventually come from the same stable?

This is a comprehensive study of the career of the Toyota Celica GT-Four. Starting in 1988, three generations of this effective turbocharged four-wheel-drive car - known by enthusiasts as ST165, ST185 and ST205 types - fought for World Championships, and were amazingly successful for almost a decade. All types combined high-performance, great reliability, and superb preparation by Toyota Team Europe (based in Cologne, Germany), their 300bhp/four-wheel-drive chassis package being among the best in the world. Over the years, the cars won some of the roughest events in the world (such as the Safari and the Acropolis), and were also supreme on tarmac, snow and ice, including Monte Carlo. After fighting a running battle with Lancia for years, the Celicas won the World Manufacturers' Championship twice. Its famous drivers included Carlos Sainz (World Champion in 1990 and 1992), Juha Kankkunen (Champion in 1993) and Didier Auriol (Champion in 1994). Never far from controversy, and at times embroiled in technical and regulatory disputes, these cars brought real glamour to the colourful sport of rallying, and were only replaced by an even higher-tech Toyota - the Corolla World Rally Car - in 1997.

This book describes the birth, development, and rallying career of the original Ford Escort, one of Europe's Landmark Rally Cars in the early 1970s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, how and why it became so important to the sport.

Four-wheel-drive was authorised in rallying from 1979, but for a time no serious car-manufacturer even tried to harness it to their cars. Soon, though, it was Audi who produced the world s first rally-winning four-wheel-drive car the Quattro. However it was Peugeot who designed, developed, campaigned and won with the first truly sophisticated four-wheel-drive Group B Car the 205 Turbo 16. It was the first truly great, purpose-designed, Group B car. Determined to win at almost any cost, Peugeot hired Jean Todt (who would later transform the fortunes of the Ferrari F1 organisation) in 1981, and set him an ambitious target. His dream car had to be running in 1983, homologated in 1984, and capable of winning World Championships by 1985. Nothing, no excuses and no lack of application, was to get in the way of that. Apart from being obliged to use the silhouette of the still-secret new 205 road car, Todt was able ask for anything. Getting approval for whatever he needed and fast-tracking the engineering of the four-wheel-drive rally was not an issue in reaching one simple objective victory. This is precisely what was achieved. This book tells the detailed story, and lists all the cars, the influences, and the personalities behind a magnificent success story. No sooner had the new turbocharged, transverse-mid-engined car started competing than it was ready to win, yet its dominant career was cut short at the end of 1986 by an abrupt change in rallying regulations. Not only is the engineering story laid out in great detail, but the interaction between company personalities, super-star drivers (including Ari Vatanen) and the highly-charged atmosphere of motorsport at this time is all analysed. Because Group B was cancelled even before the 205 T16 had reached maturity, it went on to have a successful career in desert Raid rallies, and at Pike Peak in the USA, all of which is described in this amazingly authoritative study.Packed with illustrations, technical details, facts, figures and successes of this innovative car this book is a must for any rally fan.

This book describes the birth, development and rallying career of the Lancia Stratos, Europe s very first purpose-built rally car, in the mid/late 1970s, providing a compact and authoritative history of where, when and how it became so important to the sport. Written by a world renowned motoring historian and heavily illustrated this is a key work on this subject.