2018 marks the 50th year since the last time a British driver won the Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo.
This was Vic Elford, who with fellow British co-driver, David Stone, was driving a works Porsche.
The only more recent British Monte Carlo victory was when Ulsterman Terry Harryman co-drove for Ari Vatanen to win the 1985 event.
British driver Vic Elford won the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally in a Porsche. Photo: Martin Holmes
In his autobiography, “Vic Elford” (David Bull Publishing), Vic tells the story of the stage which clinched his win.
It was the legendary St. Sauveur to Beuil stage, over the Col de la Couillole. They were many patches of ice and snow.
Vic chose to run with racing rather than studded tyres. He recalled driving flat out in fifth gear, 200km/h, sliding over snowy stretches of snow.
Vic was one minute quicker on the 26km stage than the next fastest car, Gerard Larrousse’s Renault Alpine.
To Vic the reaction was traumatic. He explained:
“I felt that I had never stretched myself, particularly my nerves, to such an extent before. It took me three attempts to light a cigarette.”
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