Wow, you think when you hold McKlein's latest yearbook in your hand for the first time. It really is a heavyweight work. However, the rally review is not about the past year as usual, but about the year 1977, and for good reason. Because the well-known series of rally yearbooks only began a year later, in 1978.
The year of Stratos and Co?
In 1977, the Lancia Stratos entered its last major season, but at the end of the year, two much more modest vehicles were at the top of the World Rally Championship table, namely the Fiat 131 Abarth and the Ford Escort.
1977 was a year in which rally sport shone with diversity. In addition to Ford, Fiat and Lancia, Opel (Kadett GT/E), Datsun (160 SSS) and Porsche (911) were also involved. There were also cars from Chrysler, Saab, Mitsubhishi, Peugeot, Seat, Citroën, Mazda, etc.. And even the Renault-Alpine scored points from time to time.
Incidentally, Bernard Darniche saved the Stratos' honor by winning the European drivers' championship.
All the important rallies
John Davenport has used his memories and his writing skills to catapult us back to 1977. The book describes almost 40 rallies that were part of the European and World Championship at the time. The descriptions are presented in historical order, supplemented by summaries of the British and German rally championships and, of course, the results of the European and World Championships.
It should also be mentioned that the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France Automobile have each been given a chapter. These are not actually classic gravel/snow rallies, but asphalt racing events that made touring and racing cars look good rather than classic rally cars.
All the important cars
Of course, the heroes of the rally year are not missing, i.e. the cars. They - VW Golf GTI, Lancia Stratos, Ford Escort RS1800 (2x), Peugeot 504, Datsun Violet PA710, Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé, Skoda 130 RS, Fiat 131 Abarth, Toyota Celica RA20, Saab 99 EMS, Vauxhall Chevette HS, Toyota Corolla Levin, Mitsubishi Lancer GSR - are given extensive descriptions, illustrated with many detailed pictures.
Some works teams - Chrysler Motorsport, Skoda Motorsport, DTV Dealer Team Vauxhall - are also portrayed.
There are also repeated references and background information on exotic starters, such as the CG 1200 as a Barchetta.
All texts are bilingual (German/English), which meant that a little space was lost, but it probably made the book a little more profitable as a project.
Over 700 photos
While Davenport was responsible for the texts, Reinhard Klein took care of the images from his huge archive. And there are some gems to discover, be it driving studies, technical detail shots or even glimpses into the workshops during the preparation of the cars.
Over 770 photos, 560 of which are in color, have been collected in this way, with the ten/twelve first-place finishers in many rallies as well as the biggest retirements. Driver portraits are not neglected either and the time studies are certainly also interesting, for example the comparison of the Col de Turini in 1977 and 2017, or the Skoda presence then and now.
And original documents
In addition to the photos, there are countless start lists, route maps, program title pages and other documents that really immerse you in the rally events of that time and certainly provide good source material for any researcher.
A must for rally fans
If you are interested in the rallies of the seventies, this book is a must-have, even if it is quite expensive at EUR 119.90. After all, where else can you find this meticulously compiled information in such depth, supplemented by rare images? Exactly. But you have to dig deep to uncover the true treasure that this book offers, because it is only when the Davenport texts are combined with the McKlein images that the full value of the yearbook unfolds.
Bibliographical information
- Title: Rallying 1977 - Everything you need to know about the 1977 rally season
- Authors: John Davenport, Reinhard Klein
- Languages: German and English
- Publisher: McKlein Publishing
- Edition: 1st edition 2018
- Format: Hardcover, 29.7 x 21 cm
- Scope: 512 pages, 560 photos in color, 215 in black and white, as well as more than 150 original documents
- ISBN: 978-3-947156-10-8
- Price: EUR 119.90
- Buy/order: Online at amazon.de, online in the McKlein Rallye webshop or in relevant bookstores
