Greta Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 It's an easy question - but a difficult answer.In trying to gather evidence to support the rallying heritage of our wee cars I've been trying to searching googles archives. I knew from Graham Robson's book about The Works Triumphs that Roy Fidler & John Hopwood took the 1962 built development car 412 VC to second overall in The 1964 Welsh International Rally.Also that year Terry Hunter & Piot Lier took ADU 7B to 2nd o/a on The Geneva RallyAnd I knew that class wins were achieved in 1964 on the Tour de France, Paris 1000km and in 1965 on the Geneva & Alpine Ralliys .... But surely with a name like TRIUMPH my 2009 win in Greta on the Tour of Cheshire couldn't be the only time a Spitfire or GT6 had won a rally out right! In any case a humble historic road rally isn't really in the same class as International Rallies back in the day. I was drawing a blank. BTW - do please post here replies about other Spitfire and GT6 class or out right wins on competitive Licensed rallying events. Anyway I had to find out more.Working on a hunch that as at least some of the works rally Spitfires had been sold in France I started to search google.fr - Bingo - vindication of what we all already know - our little cars ARE capable of winning amongst the more exulted marques. Jean-Louis Barailler is listed as being the outright winner in 1968 on the Ralle Petroleum-Provence in a Spitfire 1300 and in a GT6 he won The Ralle d'Antibes in both 1967 & 1969. * Rallye Pétrole-Provence : 1968 avec Maximilien Sibon, sur Triumph Spitfire 1300; Jean-Louis Barailler* Rallye d'Antibes: 1967 et 1969 avec Maximilien Sibon, sur Triumph GT6 (6e en 1974);I've not yet found alternative sources or photos so do please contribute to either verify or refute the above. As this has probably been discussed before please can someone also provide a link to any earlier discussions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 These are pictures of Rallying Spitfires - not in works colours. Positive ID & descriptions appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 This one I think is from Mugello Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 ... And these two pictures celebrate the highest placed Rally Finishes by the Triumph Works Dept.412VC on the 1964 Welsh Rally 2nd o/aADU7B on the 1964 Geneva Rally 2nd o/a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 Here is JJ Thuner on the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally - interestingly this car seems to be carrying the same registration as one of the cars above. - Unfortunately he did not finish.Does anyone know of other Spitfire or GT6 entries on the Monte Carlo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kin74 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 You might write to my pal Fabrizio who is quite keen on racing Triumphs: fabrizio [at] triumphinitaly.it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 aother photo for you to try to ID Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 and another Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 Quoted from Greta This one I think is from Mugello As this is not a Rally Spitfire - I thought I might do the ID and leave it for the Race Boys to cherish: No. 125 was driven by Michel Pilet (CH) & Marizio Marsini (I) in the 1967 Circuit Mugello where they came 41st in the race won by Udo Shutz in a Porsche 910 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 Anyone ID this - with its ill fitting none standard hardtop.Several of the pictures are taken from a French Forum - Does anyone know if the reference is to an actual book or just a blog. Triumphs en Rallye de 1960s is going on my Amazon wish List if such a book still exists.The caption suggests it's a GT6 but there's no bulge - is the driver Christine Dacremont and if so what is the vehicle specification and event?I was searching for info about Jean-Louis Barailler - who I'm beginning to believe may have been the most successful Triumph Rally driver - if not of all time certainly of the Spitfires & GT6's. It's interesting to note our the competitive spirit of our little triumphs in Rallying didn't just die when FIA Regulations and Comp Dept attentions turned to 2000's and 2500Pi s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 The roof line into the boot area looks more like Ashley GT than GT6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Deffo Ashley IMHO.OLook at the Amicale Spitfire website for the best catalogue of alternative hardtops.John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 My research on this thread seems to be developing into more of a study about post competition dept rallying in France. I think I've finally unraveled the the url of the French forum - so may as well share it here for you all to scroll through - there's as much in there about TR's and sheds as Spits & GT6s :http://www.forum-auto.com/sport-auto/histoire-du-sport-auto/sujet378115.htmThis is also a very useful site: it's a collective effort to realist events, entrants and results - needless to say the French have already made many entries. https://www.ewrc-results.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 Can anyone provide a photo of JJ Thuner's Triumph Spitfire that reputedly came first in the GT1.3 class of The Swiss Hockenheim - on June 4th 1967? - Car Number 164Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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