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Video: 1970s/80s RAC Rally amateur footage (23 posts)

Topic tags: classic, RAC Rally, rally, rallying, video, Vintage

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

My dad was a rally fan, regularly attending Welsh and RAC rallies throughout the 70s and 80s, usually taking his 8mm film camera with him. I’ve recently started going through the old film with a projector, hoping to preserve and share this historical footage with my digital camera.

Here is the first video I’ve uploaded to YouTube which is from the 1974 RAC Rally stages at Cirencester and Sutton Park. There’s brief shots of many of the competitors including Stig Blomqvist in a Saab 96 V4, Ove Andersson in a Toyota Corolla, Sandro Munari in a Lancia Stratos and overall winner of that year’s event Timo Makinen in a Ford Escort RS1600 (check the video description for a full list of drivers, co-drivers and cars).

I’m aiming to work my way through some more videos over the coming days and weeks and hope you will enjoy watching them as much as I do.

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Polishboy808 said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Sweeeeet!!! Some awesome footage there! Please upload more, this stuff is amazing. Love seeing the Stratos, 911′s and all the awesome 70′s cars. Thanks for sharing!

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Abdurahman said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

thank you! what are those odd citroen almost looking four door things?

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Journeyer said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Awe, and then Some. Thanks for uploading this!

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Keith Collantine said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

That’s lovely stuff thanks @supernicebob!

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andae23 said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Nice!

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Glad you guys like it!
Not sure which cars you are referring to @abdurahman but if you can spot the car number and then check the video description on YouTube that should help you out.

There doesn’t appear to be anything from ’75, and only this short bit of footage from ’76, but you guys will love the films from ’77 which I should have up in the next hour or two if all goes well.

I love the slide from the Porsche at 0:29!

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Here is the first of three videos from the 1977 Lombard RAC Rally, with around 90 of the entrants heading through the watersplash in Sutton Park, pretty much in number order, so there’s all the big names like Roger Clark, Stig Blomqvist, Timo Makinen, Sandro Munari (with the Stratos in iconic Alitalia livery) and Ari Vatanen. There’s also Ford’s Malcolm Wilson in the number 43 Escort.

There’s around 2 minutes of preparation/build up before the rally cars themselves start coming through.

I’ll upload the other two from 1977 (from Oulton Park and Dyfnant) tomorrow.

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Abdurahman said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Ahh. haha, those were the Saabs I was talking about. They are getting thrashed! Stig in number 2. What I love about this footage is that it shows you the fundamentals of rally racing have never changed.

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

This second video from 1977 could be my favourite so far, as we get to see the cars and drivers take on Lodge Corner at Oulton Park. Lots of drivers putting on a good show. Obviously, the Stratos looks epic, and I love the big slide from Hannu Mikkola in the Celica at 0:27, but there’s some cool footage of the cars preparing to set off on the stage. I also love that one of the cars was sponsored by “chunky chicken”!

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Third and final one from 1977 then, but still more to come from later years. This film sees the rally move to it’s more traditional habitat of the Welsh forests in Dyfnant. I love the serene build up before suddenly there’s rally cars tearing along the muddy gravel track. Such a sense of speed. For fans of the Stratos like myself and you don’t wish to sit through the rest of the film, it puts in an appearance at 7:43. I also enjoy the most exciting Lada driving I’ve seen at 10:41. Brilliant 70′s outdoor clothing on display throughout too!

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Just one short one from the 1978 RAC Rally, of the final stage listed as Bewdley but my local knowledge allows me to identify it as the West Midlands Safari Park. No sign of the animals about to give it a safari rally feel. Probably for the best.

There’s a whole stack of film on the way from 1979, including the Welsh International Rally as well as the RAC.

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

First of two videos from the 1979 Welsh International Rally, this one from Penmachno. Despite being held in May the Welsh weather seems to be up to it’s usual stuff. I’ve not been able to come by much information about this event on the internet, other than it was won by Hannu Mikkola in a Ford Escort. There seems to be the usual array of Saabs, Triumphs and Opels, but not much from the Italian contingent. It’s almost as interesting to watch these videos for the other spectators as it is the cars though.

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supernicebob said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

Here’s the second and final film from the 1979 Welsh International Rally, this time from Dyfnant (which by my reckoning is being run in the reverse direction to how it was used in the ’79 RAC film). Good commitment from the early drivers, perhaps too much commitment but a good save from the driver at 4:45.

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supernicebob said 4 months, 1 week ago:

Four extensive films from the 1979 RAC rally coming your way now. The first one once again from the Sutton Park stage, this time from a tricky right-hander surrounded by bollards before heading down toward the watersplash. All the top runners (indeed the first 80 or so cars) in this one. The somewhat damaged Saab of Ola Stromberg comes through at 2:22, with Jimmy McRae forced to take evasive action to get by shortly after. Stromberg made it through another 6 stages before eventually retiring with a waterpump failure.

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