Rallying in the 1950s and 1960s was a real adventure. During this period, Europeans' love of the automobile reached new dimensions. Events such as the Monte Carlo, Liège-Rome-Liège, Acropolis or "Rallye des Alpes" were among the toughest tasks that could be expected of drivers and vehicles. And new challenges were constantly being added, such as the East African Safari, 1000 Lakes or Tour de Corse.
A book from the horse's mouth
The author, John Davenport, was there himself at the time when rallying emerged in the form of Group 2. He was a co-driver from 1959 and tells the story of his very first drive right at the beginning of the book: after they had two accidents during a night stage, lost the co-driver's side door and he then navigated from the back seat using a headlamp and still really enjoyed it, he realized that he would probably be involved in the sport for a long time to come. And so it came to pass. John Davenport became an integral part of the first continental European rally team called "Ecurie les Mordus" (loosely translated as the racing team of the infected), and the name was probably no coincidence. In addition to his role as co-driver, he increasingly acted as a rally journalist. After six years, he was a co-driver for a works team, organized rally events himself, was also team boss in some cases and has remained a rally journalist to this day, 40 years later.
Chronologically with a focus on the 1960s
Given the author's curriculum vitae, it is not really surprising that the first few chapters are a little sparse. Nevertheless, each rally year is briefly summarized, winners and extraordinary highlights are mentioned and shown with photos. The really well-founded descriptions with first-hand experiences follow, however, especially from 1960 onwards. Many rally stages are told in such detail that you can see a movie playing in your head.
Adventure
The detailed passages about individual stages prove how archaic rallying was back then. The vehicles were still very simple back then, no electronics, specialized mechanics were not necessary, so repairs could often be carried out by the drivers themselves. Another astonishing fact is that the individual rally stages were up to 10 times longer than they are today and therefore exposed man and machine to even tougher challenges.
Seamless pictures of the champions
A special box at the end of a rally year shows the winners, the champions, in pictures and text. Not only the European champions are shown here, but also the women's European champions!
Anecdotes inside and outside the cockpit
Although the author has many details and anecdotes to tell about the times in the cockpit, there is no lack of stories about the rallies. You learn about grueling repair phases during the night or even some relaxing minutes after a race.
The main focus of the whole book is, of course, on the rallies themselves, the drivers and the events that go with them.
Unique visual material
When a book is published by McKlein Publishing, the expectations of the visual material it contains are correspondingly high. Rally fans know that many of the fascinating rally photos come from the Reinhard McKlein archive and so they will not be disappointed. The most important vehicles are all shown, and drivers and team bosses are also photographed. Thanks to the high-quality, thick book pages and the rich print, the photos are shown to their best advantage. A real treat!
Works teams in action
Successes in major rallies such as the Monte Carlo have always been easy to market in advertising campaigns, which is why car manufacturers showed an interest in seeing their vehicles at the start of rallies very early on.
The biggest rally factory teams from the 1950s and 1960s are presented in a separate chapter, again with wonderful pictures of course: Alfa Romeo, Alpine, BMC, BMW, Citroën, DAF, DKW, Fiat, Ford, Lancia, Mercedes, Opel, Porsche, Renault, Rootes, Rover, Saab, Triumph and Volvo.
Women in rally sport
The chapter on women in this tough, male-dominated sport is also entertaining and fascinating. Many pictures illustrate milestones in the history of women in rallying and briefly introduce the most important female protagonists.
Enough statistics
The book concludes with statistics and rankings.
Each rally is listed here with the first 10 places. Of course, there are also statistics on individual drivers and brand victories.
Further information
- Order book from Amazon or directly from McKlein
- Authors: John Davenport & Reinhard Klein
- Format: 24.5 x 30 cm
- Hardcover edition: 256 pages
- Photos: 82 in color and 337 in black and white
- Language: German
- ISBN: 978-3-927458-72-7
- Retail price: 49,90 Euro
