Should you really name an Italian diva called the Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider 1600 Veloce for an 1800 km long winter rally and then have double world champion Walter Röhrl in an Audi Quattro as an opponent? The attempt was dared and the result was a lot of fun and even trophies.
Held for the 25th time
The Histo-Monte, organized by the German automobile club AvD, has been taking ice and snow-loving enthusiasts on the trail of the Monte-Carlo Rally from Germany via Switzerland and France to Monaco for 25 years and was currently open to vehicles built between 1950 and 1995.
The 2017 event was not one of the snowiest rallies in recent years, but it was certainly one of the most beautiful in terms of driving challenges paired with unique scenery in Germany, Switzerland and southern France.
82 participants started in the classic city of Frankfurt on February 7, 2017 and 4 days and 1730 kilometers later, 77 vehicles and their overjoyed crews stood in the ranking at the Quai Albert 1er in the port of Monte-Carlo.
Meticulously prepared
As is well known, winter rallies require completely different preparations, especially for a Giulia Spider, whereby the theme of originality had to be 100% fulfilled, our self-imposed standard, as an old black and white picture of a Giulietta Spider at the 1961 Monte-Carlo Rally was the trigger for this adventure.
A hardtop that had been unused for 40 years had to be restored and, more importantly, painstakingly adjusted over several days together with the front and side windows. As the original brochure says: "Closed, with a hardtop attachment, the Giulia Spider is a dignified coupé for all climate zones and for all seasons." There you go!
Other winter topics: Are the air hoses to the nozzles on the windshield still in good condition (no, they were crumbled!)? Will the single speed blower hold out (yes, with some interruptions)? Are there winter tires and snow chains for 155/80 R15? With only two auxiliary lights, do we choose fog or high beam diffusers? Which spare parts must be included? What kind of inspection must be carried out beforehand? Finally, a coolant had to be filled to -30 degrees and the rear drum brakes had to be made to pull evenly, which led to the replacement of all brake hoses. Intensive preparation is certainly essential for winter rallies if you want to get through and arrive without any problems!
On snow and ice
Snow awaits us on the very first evening in the darkness around the highest mountains of the Black Forest. And it becomes clear to us in the first icy and snow-covered bends at the latest: 155 winter tires, a light rear end and a rear axle powered by 112 hp without a lock make for a lot of fun, but not exactly optimal propulsion.
The accuracy of the Halda Twinmaster required for a regularity rally is also quickly lost in the snow, as the speedometer cable comes directly from the gearbox. Spinning drive wheels are poison for distance measurement. So, at least on the 24 regularity stages with a total length of over 315 kilometers and the almost 50 secret light barriers, discipline is required at the gas pedal and steering wheel.
The second day also has its winter challenges, this time it's more the ice slabs. After the Rhine bridge in Rheinfelden with its large crowds of spectators, the route continues behind Delemont onto the Saint-Ursanne hill climb, which hides some icy surprises in shady passages in sunny weather. We cross the river Le Doubs countless times, as well as the border stations between Switzerland and France, until we reach Aix-Les Bains for the night after another 500 kilometers.
The Röhrl can still do it
And then it happens in the early morning of day 3, just before the top of Mont Revard. An Audi Quattro in the early factory colors comes from behind - as if out of nowhere - and shoots past us precisely and in a straight line through the snow. At this precise moment, the sun rises dazzlingly over the Col. A dream from another galaxy, a demonstration of uniqueness, a shiver runs down our spine: Walter Röhrl is already on his way too.
And he is always there for us. At every breakfast, lunch or dinner, he answers questions, tells stories and seems to have a lot of fun himself, driving tests without stress where he once fought for tenths of a second. On the first day, he drives the regularity with precision, comes third overall and proves that he can also drive evenly.
At the end of the second day, he says honestly. "I've taken off the straitjacket of steady driving now, I can't help it!" And we can all more than understand that, given his skills.
No need for snow chains
On this day, the Cold du Lautaret takes us up to over 2000 meters on snow-covered roads. We think that putting on snow chains, which almost all French tourists demonstrate here, is an exaggeration and we make good progress without them.
The next test is on the Serre Chevalier ice circuit, which is unfortunately a little thawed and therefore has some deep holes.
After 550 more kilometers, we reach the Mediterranean Sea in Cannes. The fourth day takes us once again into classic Rallye Monte-Carlo terrain, via Grasse and the scenically unique Clue St. Auban, up to Turini and then to the finish in Monaco.
The Julia keeps up
But now for the fun factor: to start with, it's unparalleled! You don't feel at all at a disadvantage next to the young Quattros, Delta Integrale or Subarus. On the up to 25 km long regularity tests, you hardly ever see each other anyway because of the identical cut and in between, apart from the lunch breaks, you rarely see each other.
There are only two classes in the classification: the hourglass class, which only works with mechanical instruments and clocks and a cutting table, and the rest, which are equipped with google.maps and all the electronic rally computers in the world.
Our Giulia was built in 1965, we did the same, so we were as historic as possible, standard and analog. Even the electronic toothbrush stayed at home!
Victorious in the hourglass class
And the result? The overall winner was the father/son team Horst and Jörg Friedrichs in an Opel Ascona A.
We took 1st place in the hourglass class and 15th place in the overall rankings, and we drove the 1000 kilometers from Monaco back home in one day, overjoyed and satisfied.
The next day was completely reserved for the maintenance of the Giulia. The underbody was cleaned of salt and dirt for two hours, which the old diva, who had carried us without any problems, more than deserved. This is also an essential part of a winter rally.
