As I'm preparing to get back into a 6R4 again I got to thinking about other cars I've rallied in and I realised that some of the most fun I've had rallying has been in "unfashionable" Eastern Bloc cars.
I was lucky enough to experience Andy Corner's Skodaford which was great fun despite being a gearbox killer. We managed to win our class in the Heart of England Rally Championship that year but the resounding memory I have was from the Jersey Rally.
On the way to the ceremonial start we stopped for fuel and as we made our out of the tunnel the gearbox broke, we'd not even got to the start and retirement was staring us in the face! The service crew and Andy pulled out all the stops (and the gearbox too) and managed to get us to the start virtually seconds before we were due to leave. Andy was now really fired up and the rain started - could it get any worse? Well yes it could because the interior lights failed as we waited for the start of stage 1..... Those evening stages were the most sideways tarmac miles of my life, truly fantastic fun and crowd pleasing too.
My next brush with Communist automotive technology came in the AWMMC Road Rally Championship after we blew a hole in our Mini's diff. A quick trip into Edgbaston and we had a Russian red Lada for our next event! Whilst it wasn't the fastest it certainly proved to be pretty indestructible, surviving valve bounce all the way up Sweet Lamb's long hills as we did they daylight Eagle Rally. On any white we knew we could take time out of the Escorts, 205s and everything else, the little Lada could cope with the roughest conditions all night long, the seats were comfortable too and what a heater - on full blast we could turn the inside of the car into a sauna in seconds!!!Neither is on par with a 6R4 but they were great fun to rally and proved to be successful silverware collectors. Rose tinted spectacles probably makes them a little more fun than they really were but I really enjoyed my events in both cars. The fun factor of each car was far greater that its performance but as I rally for enjoyment first and foremost I really didn't care. Not that I'd swap my seat in the 6R4 to get back in either car.....
