Pics of Opel rally cars in the US

[RallyBob]

Rally West Virginia is going to happen this August, and the new website was just launched. Check out these pics in the 'Stone age Rallying' section. Lots of pics of Opel Asconas, and a few Mantas.

Thanks to Mark Bower (event organizer and Opel driver) for this little bit of Opel history.

Bob

[automata3.0turbo]

Neat lookin cars.

[opelnut10]

Originally Posted by RallyBob Rally West Virginia is going to happen this August, and the new website was just launched. Check out these pics in the 'Stone age Rallying' section. Lots of pics of Opel Asconas, and a few Mantas. Thanks to Mark Bower (event organizer and Opel driver) for this little bit of Opel history. Bob

Cory Suggs, there is your chance to see up close and personal the originators of "Drifting". If you can make that event you will get a front row seat as to what is required to be remotely involved in racing on a regional basis. Those guys ain't playin, they are having fun with a car that they have spent a lot of time and toil building. But make no mistake about it they are serious about making a good show in their division and beating anyone they get next to, second is the first loser as they say.

[roundl]

Bob,

ever since I happened upon my '71 Kadett I've thought it would make a great little raly car. It's light, stout and looks to have decent geometry. What are your thoughts on building a rally car using a Kadett platform? I realize (engine, chassis, suspension) modifications would be in order but I'd like a reality check.

Paul

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by roundl Bob, ever since I happened upon my '71 Kadett I've thought it would make a great little raly car. It's light, stout and looks to have decent geometry. What are your thoughts on building a rally car using a Kadett platform? I realize (engine, chassis, suspension) modifications would be in order but I'd like a reality check. Paul

Kadett chassis are kinda weak, and the front suspension is not-so-hot, both in terms of strength and geometry. It doesn't mean you can't rally one, in fact many people did in the late '60's and into the '70's. But be prepared to replace a lot of control arms up front!

The Manta/Ascona chassis is much stiffer, much stronger, and the suspension is far superior. It also has quite the rallying pedigree, having competed in world championship rallying since their inception, and had lots of 'unofficial' help from GM/Opel in terms of homologations and parts. It's still popular and competitive in clubman-level rallying and historic rallying in Europe as well.


Bob

[opel kid]

u got a nice gallery there,nice pics!

[baz]

ah theres nothing like standing in the middle of kielder forest on a bright/ crisp/ wet / snowy / dry /sunny/dull/calm/ windswept* (delete as necessary ) November watching RS escorts and mexico's, manta and ascona 400's flash by , the RAC rally was an event to behold and for sure has a better claim to the origins of drifting than the Japanese

[automata3.0turbo]

Originally Posted by baz ah theres nothing like standing in the middle of kielder forest on a bright/ crisp/ wet / snowy / dry /sunny/dull/calm/ windswept* (delete as necessary ) November watching RS escorts and mexico's, manta and ascona 400's flash by , the RAC rally was an event to behold and for sure has a better claim to the origins of drifting than the Japanese

The japanese have been rallying as long as everyone else, and the sport of drifting as we know it today has been around for over 30 years. It's nothing new.

[booeman]

cool site Bob,homologations, really neat bunch of PDF files.

[baz]

i dont think the far east got into rallying until after ww2 apart from the mad brits doing old time rallies between the wars
they have been going on here and in France where i think they first started since about 1900 (we could not do them in Britain because of the red flag rule until 1903 hence the London to Brighton run when the law was killed
the drifting every one goes on about now comes from one guy in japan who was oh about 2 laps a race faster than every one else and started to play to entertain the crowds in the mid 80's (iirc)


but driving fast sideways was used in european rallying from the 60's on when it switched from time trial(get from A to B in so many minutes and you get a points penalty for too fast or too slow a time and lowest points wins ) to time over all (get from A to B as quick as you can and shortest time at end of trial wins )as the fastest way to get round a corner on muck and gravel





skools out

[RallyBob]

Gotta go with Baz on this one, stage-type rallying is a sport with European roots. The Japanese did enter this arena in the early '70's with the Toyota Corolla's and Celica's, Datsun 510's and 240Z's, Mitsubishi Colts/Lancers. But Europeans have primarily dominated the sport, it's only in the last 20 years that any Japanese manufacturers and drivers have competed and been competitive at world level rallying. Heck, the first time the Rally Monte-Carlo was run was in 1911!

Bob

[namba209]

Gotta go along with Bob and Baz on that, going to the midget auto races in youth, and even in the bike racing scene, "flat-tracking" has been done for a lot of years. It was the fastest way to get around the turns. Breaking the rear wheel(s) loose and counter-steering through them. Oh yeah, lotsa fun.

[opelnut10]

Originally Posted by baz i dont think the far east got into rallying until after ww2 apart from the mad brits doing old time rallies between the wars they have been going on here and in France where i think they first started since about 1900 (we could not do them in Britain because of the red flag rule until 1903 hence the London to Brighton run when the law was killed the drifting every one goes on about now comes from one guy in japan who was oh about 2 laps a race faster than every one else and started to play to entertain the crowds in the mid 80's (iirc) but driving fast sideways was used in european rallying from the 60's on when it switched from time trial(get from A to B in so many minutes and you get a points penalty for too fast or too slow a time and lowest points wins ) to time over all (get from A to B as quick as you can and shortest time at end of trial wins )as the fastest way to get round a corner on muck and gravel skools out

Anyone that knows anything about European Rallye Racing would have to argue that those crazy Fins invented "Drifting". The Finnish drivers are totally fearless, for the most part,and will try to put their car through corners about twice as fast as the perscribed speed. I don't think I ever seen one of them going in a straight line very long.

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by opelnut10 Anyone that knows anything about European Rallye Racing would have to argue that those crazy Fins invented "Drifting".

Crazy Finns in rear wheel drive Opels? Nah, they don't know anything about drifting!

Bob

[opelnut10]

And that was on flat ground, you should see them in the mountains or on ice, they put on quite a show

[sugg578]

Well I know what I am going to do.

[automata3.0turbo]

i dont know about rallying, im not a fan, therefore i dont know much about it. but drifting in japan started in the 70's and the sport that has evolved into drifting today is alot different then getting your car sideways on dirt. ive tried the crap before in a parking lot at nite, its not as easy as it looks.

[jordan]

I just say this show up on the related list after the clip that bob posted, YouTube - Group B Rally Car - 2 Wheel Drive Who would every let their blind grandmother drive their porsche on the track!

[automata3.0turbo]

just takin a few shortcuts right

[wvonkessler]

Originally Posted by RallyBob The Japanese did enter this arena in the early '70's with the Toyota Corolla's and Celica's, Datsun 510's and 240Z's, Mitsubishi Colts/Lancers. Bob

Like this one (running at Rally Tennessee a couple of weeks ago):

PS - If you go to the post '75 Kadett forum, there should be a link to the Vauxhall Build Manual which applies to the Vauxhall Chevette and Kadett C, and many things should apply to the earlier Opels, as they were derived from same.

[wvonkessler]

This is what the Internet says:

Where did it all begin?

The Japanese towns of Hakone, Irohazaka, Rokkosan, and various hill climbs in Nagano are all steeped in folklore of the origins of drifting. No one can really pinpoint drifting's actual birthplace but the movement started in the mid 1960s. Like many forms of professional racing today, the present interpretation of drifting evolved from a form of illegal street racing held on windy mountain roads called touge (pronounced toe-geh). Touge was practiced by tremendously devoted enthusiasts known as rolling zoku (pronounced zoe-koo) whose only goal was to trim costly milliseconds off their time between two points. Finally, some of these rolling zoku began to adopt driving techniques used by rally drivers, techniques to clear a corner rapidly without sacrificing too much momentum. As touge drivers started to imitate the rally racers techniques, they discovered that not only did their driving performance and times get better; the rush was much more intense. From touge, drifting was born.

[opelgtworld]

Check out these pics:

Racing Sports Cars - Home Page

[baz]

cool site , you can see what was racing on a day near your birth day
mine was an austin healey

[sugg578]

Originally Posted by automata3.0turbo i dont know about rallying, im not a fan, therefore i dont know much about it. but drifting in japan started in the 70's and the sport that has evolved into drifting today is alot different then getting your car sideways on dirt. ive tried the crap before in a parking lot at nite, its not as easy as it looks.

Well, all you really need to do is clutch kick it, or pull the e brake at the right time, and then let off the e-brake, push the gas in, and then counter stear then make sure you don't push the gas too much, but then not too less. You all know what I am saying right?

[automata3.0turbo]

Originally Posted by sugg578 Well all you really need to do is cluth kick it, or pull the e brake at the right time and then let off the e-brake the push the gas in and then counter stear theb make shore you dont push the gas to much but then not to less you all know what I am saying right.

yeah i get what your saying, but i wish it could be performed as easy as it can be explained. trying to get a 3400lb Supra sideways just aint my cup of tea. when i tried it i was at a mall parking lot at night, so it was dark and there were dim light poles all around, i didnt want to risk putting my car into the side of one, so i didnt really open up the throttle too much. maybe if i can find a large area to practice on during daylight hours i might try to be a bit more bold.