Friday 19th September 2014

Scottish Rally 1976 - Time For Tea?

What better time to celebrate the very best of Scottish motorsport?

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You might need a pint mug for your tea and at least half a packet of chocolate Hob Nobs for this one. But it's well worth the effort.

With the dust settling over the Scottish referendum, PistonHeads plans to stay as scrupulously neutral as we have throughout the campaign. After all, you probably don't come here for political analysis.

But we thought this was the perfect opportunity to celebrate one of the best things about Scotland - its motorsport. This is a 37-minute film about the 1976 Scottish Rally, a particularly good year for an event that used to be second only to the RAC in terms of duration and toughness.

The film has pretty much got it all: the sweet, sweet music of BDA engines in the glens and forests, the eye-opening sight of mid-70s spectator fashions and music recorded with heavy use of the wah-wah pedal.

But this was also the rally where the Ford works team replaced a differential in Ari Vatanen's Mk2 Escort with one they borrowed from a spectator's car. The action starts at around the 17:10 mark, with the RS1800's predicament serious enough that the youthful Vatanen is asking for his tickets back to Finland. Then co-driver Peter Bryant takes matters into his own hands by flagging down a passing 3.0-litre Capri and persuading the owner to let them borrow his rear diff.

Ken Brown from Nottingham - we salute you. And hope you got paid.

Sadly Ari retired before the end of the event (although he did still take the British Championship that year), with the victory taken by the great Russell Brookes driving an Escort that had pretty much been smashed into a cabriolet.

A brilliant era, a brilliant event - and a brilliant country.

Enjoy the vid.

 

[Apologies for the rather shoddy screengrab, you'll see it's not the most high quality video]

[truck71]

Another superb sample of motorsport nostalgia, smoking co drivers, rorty BDA's, brown bear spectators.. halfords axle stands and scavenging for diffs. Brilliant.

[r11co]

73p for a GALLON of 4 star!

And that was not long after it had jumped from around the 45p mark due to the oil crisis!

PS. bubney - you are an arse. Even Alex Salmond knew how to be gracious in defeat.

[matchmaker]

Back on topic, chaps, please! I marshalled on the 1976 Scottish Rally - in a forest in the middle of Perthshire somewhere. Great fun!

[jamiem555]

Thanks for that. Helped me pass 40 minutes.

[soad]

Not a bad way to start my Sunday morning.

Classic - took spectator's car apart to acquire a spare part!
And everyone getting their hands dirty.

[Alex Langheck]

Great video - and the Vatanen episode is on the Greatest Years of Rallying 70's DVD...always makes me chuckle...

But, broken record alert; watching it makes you realise that Rallying more than any other Motorsport has been watered down so much its virtually a different sport. The modern Scottish is a 1 day sprint event....and the BRC is a pale imitation of what it was. And people wonder why Rallying isn't as successful as it was.

[ian2144]

Great stuff.
I was there,at the hairpin at the top of The Rest, getting to chat with the drivers and rally crews was all part of the fun....Rallying was great back in the late 70's to mid 80's.

Rallying today is just not the same......maybe I'm getting old.

[vrooom]

how times are different, you wouldnt ask general public for spare diff nowaday..

[Mr.Jimbo]

vrooom said:

how times are different, you wouldnt ask general public for spare diff nowaday..

I was thinking this as I watched. It'd be pointless these days on anything but a btrda 1400 or similar class, you're not going to find a bespoke diff as used in the wrc on Joe Bloggs VW polo bluemotion (or any rear diff for that matter)

[eybic]

Guys, this isn't a political thread, you've got a whole area of PH dedicated to that. I've deleted the political comments to try and keep this on topic.

[truck71]

eybic said:

Guys, this isn't a political thread, you've got a whole area of PH dedicated to that. I've deleted the political comments to try and keep this on topic.

Quite.

[john2443]

Well, you learn something every day! I never knew there was a twin cam Avenger!

[DM525i]

With inflation and other price adjustments 73p for a litre of fuel sound expensive. The rallying is fantastic. Swaping diffs, if you asked most of the public for their diff they would probably ring childline or the like. All these video form the 70's in many ways go to show how far motor sport has changed for the worse, there is a lack of connection between road cars and motorsport cars.

[Jaffers]

Lots swirling, distorted Hammond organs, yes, but not a wah-wah pedal to be heard on the entire video. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[littleredrooster]

DM525i said:

With inflation and other price adjustments 73p for a litre of fuel sound expensive. .

73p per GALLON...that's 4.54 litres