The first rallycar you saw

[Jonte]

My first (real) experience was Ingvar Carlsson in a Mazda 323 back in 1991. I will never forget it... It was on the stage that is called Lejen today. Back the it was run in reverse order. Up until that point I wasnt really interested in rallying. It was more of a crazy idea to visit the swedish rally, we did it only because we could (fresh driving licence).

BUT it was like being hit by a tornado!! I had never up until that point seen anything like it! It was like a combination of a jetfighter, a bomb and a car that came through that corner. I had to jump into the forrest because I could believe the speed he held. Amazing! Since then I havent missed the swedish rally (17 years now)...

[zehirsiz]

except from Ford Ka(one of Ford Motorsports Turkey's old press cup cars) that i saw while watching the cars pass in 2002


this is the first ever car i got in and explored in my hometown

[Livewireshock]

My first rally car was a model of a Lancia Stratos when I was just starting schooling. It captured my imagination as to where it had come from & what if could do. First rally cars I ever saw live were in liason at the Begonia Rally at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. Datsuns & Ford Escorts of the 80's.

Speedway was the local motorsport that was popular, with uncles & cousins driving sprintcars. Thus dabbled in speedway, karts & circuit racing.Took me until six years ago to actually attend my first live rally & now I am totally hooked. Wondering why I took so long.

[ettelbruck]

My first rally was Riihimäki-ralli on 1966; can't be sure which was the very first car but I remember seeing Leo Kinnunen on Volkswagen 1500 and Timo Mäkinen with Mini.

I was four years old and my uncle was teasing me as Kinnunen with Volkswagen won the rally, beating all Minis - my father was then driving Mini, too. But my point to my uncle was that he was driving Ford Anglia, and Anglias were not competitive at all...

[dyfi1]

Erik Carlsson in a Saab 93 or was it 96? Two stroke model anyway. The year was 1962 and the rally was R.A.C. I was 5 years old with Dad for company. I`ll never forget that little car, a 3cyl 2 stroke at `full chat` in a forest was something else to hear and I`ve been hooked on rallying since

@ ettelbruck. I also remember Timo Mäkinen in a BMC Mini! Also Rauno Aaltonen if my memory serves me well. Great memories I`m also almost sure that it was Carlsson who brought left foot braking to rallying. Maybe someone knows different. Pentti?

[pantealex]

First car that I remember is Audi 80 (or 100) 1000lakes year 1979 or 1980

[koko0703]

My first would be Open Class Subaru Impreza driven by Pasi Hagstrom in the Wild West Rally 2003 of ProRally (now Rally-America) Championship. If I include the ones not moving, it was Subaru Impreza WRC99 or 2000 displayed at Subaru booth of North America Internatinal Autoshow, but it might've been a mock up....

[MadCat]

It's kinda cool watching someone else see a "proper" rally car for the first time.
We'd corkscrewed our Pug205 on the previous round of the BTRDA, so I wasn't codriving for my clubs event so offered to marshal.
A group of Venture Scouts had taken time out from some drill to come watch the event and wandered up to my junction - none of them had ever seen a rally, not even on TV so they had no idea what to expect (or where to stand)

After the last car went past they started to get their belongings together, chattering and smiling and full of excitement, all ready to go home.
I then explained it wasn't over, they just have a gap between the 1.6 2wheel drive cars and the *proper* rally cars.

The sound of Andy Burton sitting on the startline turned all these scouts into statues. It was such an amazing site to watch them not move, the anticipation building as they heard his beast getting closer and closer - as JParker said, feeling it before seeing it - and then woooooosh, he came past flicking it left and right, drifting round our corner and then off.
They still stood there for what seemed an eternity before jumping up and down screaming and yelling with excitement.

I think I'm going to have to go onto the British rally thread now and bitch about the MSA taking away the aweinspiring sights of Burtons creations.

I know what you mean about that. I took a friend from school to the plains rally a couple of years ago and the whole time the car was there, on the start line and away he stood open mouthed .. I still get so excited when i hear and see that car, awesome piece of engineering! If you dont know what this is, i'd surf youtube for 'Peugeot Cosworth' quick

First car I saw was a Talbot Sunbeam but that was because my Uncle had one :

[dutchmnofdoom]

My first rally car was sadly on TV... old show called Legends of Motorsport showed those old Castrol Film Unit productions of rallies and races. The one I always remember was a black and white shot of Pat Moss motoring through Monte Carlo at the end of the rally in her SAAB 93.

This hooked me on rallying when I read about the SAAB cars in a book later on. I now am 17 years old and am on my second 1967 SAAB 96 2 stroke! Viva 2 takt!

P.S. Dyfi1: the one you saw would have been a SAAB 96.

[WRXedUSA]

2004
Swedish Rally
SS1 Sunsjon
Sebastien Loeb

WOW!