This week, we turn the time machine's dial back to 1986, arriving at a special little spit of land called Monte Carlo. The roads and hills here, under control of the Principality of Monaco, have hosted a stage rally annually since 1911 (barring a few years during World War II), making it one of the most historic and storied rounds of the world rallying championship. There were of course the marquee Sixties victories by MINI, which spread the rally's renown in the U.K. ahead of the World Rally Championship's codification in 1973. But the Monte Carlo Rally has witnessed so many special champions on its top step — Porsche, Lancia, Saab, Alpine, Mercedes, Renault, Ford — that it's earned a reputation for top-tier spectacle worldwide.
They made good on that promise, as ever, in 1986, delivering one of the greatest rallies of all time. (Due to embed issues, you'll have to click through the link to watch the video)
Hark! It's Rally Go-Go!, a hit of vintage rally footage to send you flying sideways into the weekend.
That season, as no doubt many readers will know, the greatest spectacle in tarmac rallying overlapped with the awesome Group-B rally formula. That meant the wildest cars ever to claw against tarmac on some of the tightest, most-technical roads on the WRC calendar. Monte Carlo's unique topography means that competitors can start on dry, picturesque pavement lined with palm trees and end the same stage buried in knee-deep snow at 3,000 ft. in the nearby mountains. It's a nightmare for drivers and teams, but pure bliss for the fans to watch the struggle against time and the elements.
As such, the Monte Carlo rally always asks for something extra special from both man and machine. In 1986, on a grid absolutely packed with legends of the sport, Henri Toivonen and his co-driver, Italian-American Sergio Cresto, found an extra (metaphorical) gear with their Lancia Delta S4. In short, the spectacle of the cars (often grazing inches from the exuberant crowd), the location (as slushy and fiendish as ever), and the competition (imagine facing Walter Rörhl in an Audi here), combined to make this edition of Rallye Monte Carlo one of the most legendary races ever run.
For more archival action, go check out VHS Rallies on YouTube, an unrivaled treasure trove of vintage rally footage.
