All Set For The 1964 Monte.

The BMC team for the 1964 Monte Carlo rally before the off. No one knows that the most important victory of the BMC Competition department is only days away.

Monte Carlo Rally Celebrations 1964.

The victorious drivers celebrate their victory at the Hotel des Paris after the 1964 Mpnte Carlo rally along with one or two special guests. The only driver missing is Timo mikkinen beging the question who was the photographer.

Joan Cahier,Don Morley, Joachim Bonnier, Tony Ambrose, Graham Hill, Juan Fangio, Erle Morley, Paddy Hopkirk, Alec Issigonis, Stuart Turner, Henry Liddon  

Works Car Build Sheet Archive.

Before each event a build sheet would be drawn up for all cars competeing on that event.

If you follow the link to the left, you will find a small archive of original factory build sheets for a number of well knows rally cars.

These sheets give every tiny detail of how the BMC Competiouion Department managed to make the Works Minis so competitive & reliable.

All Set For The 1965 Monte-Carlo Rally.

After their most successful Monte to date BMC were determined to continue where they left off. So for the 1965 Monte they accumulated their strongest ever team of drivers and a team of 6 works cars, 5 of the new 1275 versions and a lone 970. Click on the links to read the full review of this "strongest Ever" BMC team for the 1965 Monte.

The Cars & Drivers (1965 Monte)

Read a little more about the cars & driverscompeting on the 1965 Monte.  This is another press release direct from BMC promoting their crack team of works drivers for the 65 Monte.

Mini Wins its second Monte.

Monte-Carlo Rally Results 1965.

Check out just how well Timo Makinen & Paul Easter did in 1965, this is a copy of the official finishers list from the 1965 event.

Complete Team Instructions for 1966 Monte-Carlo Rally.

BMC Comps. Dept. 1966.

Read the entire Team orders for the ill fated 1966 Monte-Carlo Rally. Unfortunately, nowhere in the entire document does it say "Check headlights for compliance with local traffic regs"!

Stuart Turner (The BMC team Manager from 1962 - 1966) was credited with more or less inventing modern international rallying, after his time at BMC he had a short spell with Castrol and then went on to be the manager of Fords Rally team during their most sucessfull period ever. For my money this begs the question "Was it the Mini Cooper 'S' or Stuart Turner who gave BMC their fantastic rallying sucesses during the mid to late 60's?"

Reproduced here is a copy of the original team orders issued by Stuart Turner before their ill fated 1966 outing.

Official Results for 1966 Monte-Carlo Rally.

1966.

The official results for the rally that turned into a farce!

Provisionally, 5 of the 6 top places were taken up by a Mini 1,2,3 and two Ford Cortinas, when the official results went to press there was no sign of any of them. Was it cock up or conspiracy? Who knows!

Click picture opposite for full size document.

Raymond Baxter’s Final Report From

          The 1966 Monte.

To read the original script written by a BBC reporter who competed in one of the BMC Minis that were excluded from the 1966 Monte-Carlo rally click on the image opposite.

Letter Regarding the 1966 Monte.

Just to prove that in the 60's Rallying wasn't all about "Steely eyed, Coca Cola drinking Bas*ards" and meticulous planning, heres an interesting letter from Henleys one of the larger Austin franchises inviting the British competitors in the 1966 Monte to a free "Lunch" on their way OUT to that years event! Oh and while the driver and navigator were getting sloshed, those nice men from Henleys would give your car a wash! Things have certainly changed. . . . . .. . . For the worse!

(click on pic opposite for full size image)

An Invitation to "Lunch" Monte Carlo 1966.

And here’s the actual invitation.

(click on pic opposite for full size image)

BMC Competition Successes in 1966.

A detailed breakdown of BMC's competition success in 1966. The official press release details International wins, and some of their European rally & race wins too.

No mention of the Monte though.

The BMC Works Rally Team 1967.

Click on the image opposite for a copy of the official 1967 BMC team photo, the original of ths is a massive 3' x 1'6", unfortunately, my copy is a bit smaller. From left to right the drivers depicted are as follows. Rauno Aaltonen, Henry Liddon, Tony Fall, Mike Wood, Paddy Hopkirk, Ron Crellin, Timo Makinen, Paul Easter, and Lars Ytterbring, Lars Persson, the last four are Michael: Bob Freeborough, Johnstone Syer, John Rhodes & Brian Culcheth.

Clive Richardson says;  Photo taken at a Press preview day, pre the '67 RAC Rally that never was.  Venue was a field just outside Abingdon on a farm that I think belonged to the family of Peter Browning's secretary.  I was there!  I'd just started work at Abingdon as Assistant Editor of BMC's Safety Fast magazine and there I was, a motorsport mad 20-year-old just landed from Yorkshire, mixing with – and being chucked around a muddy autocross-style circuit by – my super heroes for the first time.  Another memory of the day was meeting and sharing a few sherbets with legendary Autosport editor Gregor Grant and equally legendary writer Rodney Walkerley"

I would like to thank Andrew Clark for permission to use his fathers picture.