GRAHAM ROBSON
INTRODUCTION
INSPIRING A LEGEND
1911
1912
1913-1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1940-1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1978
1979
1980
AND AFTER
APPENDIX
In its heyday the Monte Carlo Rally was the only rally that made the daily papers. Hundreds of entrants, in cars of all shapes and sizes, battled through mid-winter snow, fog, ice and darkness from far-flung starting points towards the magical principality of Monaco. Mishaps, breakdowns and smashes abounded, and competitors had tales to tell of cars teetering on the edge of precipices or rammed into snowbanks, frantically improvised repairs, close encounters and feats of crazy bravado. The first rally was run in 1911, with just 23 starters. In 1930 there were 115, in 1949 205, and in the peak year, 1953, there were no less than 404.
In this book every Monte Carlo Rally held between 1911 and 1980 is covered individually, with results listings and route maps. As the years unfold we see the successes of Hotchkiss in the late 1940s, Sunbeam-Talbot in the early 1950s, Mini-Cooper in the 1960s, Porsche 911 in the late 1960s, and the dominance of Alpine Renault and Lancia Stratos in the 1970s.
The author also provides essential information on regulations, routes, on what competitors were required to do, on the tests held after arrival in Monaco, on classes of entries, and on the various Concours, including for instance the Concours de Confort, that were there to be won. Thus a complete picture of the aims and nature of the rally as it evolved is formed.
Written by the world's leading rally historian, and featuring more than 300 archive photographs, this book provides both the definitive history of the greatest motor rally of all time and an evocative view of a golden age of motoring history.
