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You Are Currently In The History City. History of Motorsport 1900-1980 Rallying Rally is undeniably a motorsport with it's roots fixed firmly in Europe and has remained so for many years; even today the sport is followed fanatically in the USA but only by a small handful -- like darts to the British, if you will. And if you happen to be an American resident, it's easy to understand the lack of interest in such an odd little activity. Long-distance time trials were commonplace in the 1950s and accuracy in the navigation was somewhat more important than outright speed. The crews existed of two or three and none of them were expected to wear helmets or other clothing in the interests of safety. But of course it was still very much a battle against all the conditions weather could throw at you, with time stated as your enemy. The cars, pretty much standard save for upgraded tyres and extra lights, reflected the sport's accessibility. Anybody from Dad to a professional could get in a rally car and compete although many entries were 'works' cars, entered directly by the manufacturers eager to prove the durability of their models in adverse conditions. Alpine rallies were tests of reliability as opposed to outright speed, as was the Monte Carlo. Handicapping existed in those days so road-going Minis could compete against powerful saloons with a chance. In the 1960s and 1950s, cars such as the likeable Austin-Healey Sprite and the more dominant Ford Escort and Mini Coopers were likely contenders. By the 1970s though, rallying had come to mean "stage rallies" -- events where cars would pleasingly thunder down the straights, and more notably, fly sideways in the kind of powerslides which would please the spectators who could now access the stage and watch in bunched-up crowds. If you sliced a British rally fan in half there would be a Ford logo right through the middle, but the Italians had their own side to cheer on. The firm's Fulvia was a front-drive rival to the Escort in many ways. The stage rallies themselves were running on a very different formula to what most were used to. Crews were limited to two people: the driver (turning the steering wheel) and the co-driver who, thanks to complex "tulip diagrams", guided the driver through the stage with the aim of getting from A to B as quickly as possible. He warns of approaching corners and cautious areas around the bends. This is merely the activity on one stage; modern rallies contain 15-20 stages approximately and run by this familiar formula.  Lancia Stratos It is the Lancia Stratos of the early 1970s which is usually concieved as the first of the 'evolution specials':- as in, the first car purpose-built for rallying as opposed to the Ford Escorts and Austin-Healey 3000s of the day which were essential standard road cars upgraded for competition. The Stratos (named as an abbreviation for 'Stratosphere') featured concept-car styling which stood the test of time for many decades. The Ferrari V12 engine from the Dino was fitted and this short-wheelbase special won the championship for three years from 1974. It's last win came in 1979 and the concept eventually led to the controversy of the dangerous Group B class -- but that's another story. RELATED ARTICLES 
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