Old Top Gear 1996 - WRC Rally Catalunya

Mark James reports on the 9th & final round of the 1996 World Rally Championship, the Rally Catalunya in Northern Spain
Taken from a late 1996 episode of the old format Top Gear

[@madaboutmodelcars9013]

Love the Repsol colour scheme.

[@gillespriod5509]

Sweet childhood memories!

[@MSJChem]

This was when Top gear was actually good.

[@classicsportclassictiyl8547]

Footnote this was the last round of the WRC which saw the works Ford's prepared in Boreham, Essex from 97 onwards the Ford WRC programme would run out of Cumbria as Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport company took over the works Ford contract

[@abe0110]

More 1996 WRC please

[@heyzoos-cgr9369]

A nice Bell UH-1 Chopper @ 8:54

[@KennyHall06]

Slow flat right at 100mph?

[@theant9821]

then the end began in 1997. as group a was phased out.

[@Lukeno52]

Not really. It died from 2004 onwards, when manufacturers began to withdraw and both Makinen and McRae had all-but gone. Until then, it had been growing.

[@theant9821]

Lukeno52 it stopped growing before that, the decline had begun in 01. it just accelerated down to Citroën and ford with subaru just being stubborn hoping it would improve.

[@samhenderson6474]

You think it's on an upward direction now?

[@TronicGames]

Definitely not. I mean, when the 2017 WDC is won by an independant entry like Ford are right now means something is not going well. Cars are unspectacular and pretty similar one another. I guess there's no choice since the automotive market has moved out of sedans and sporty cars to SUVs and super-minis -at least here in Europe, which is WRC's main market-. Plus, FIA is a joke (and slow, at best) when it comes to putting together comprehensive regulations that enrich the show for the fans and attract manufacturers alike in the last two decades.

[@samhenderson6474]

Borja Acosta de Vizcaíno Just for the record; Every manufacturer won a rally this season, I don't think M-Sport were always the fastest, but did not have as many issues as the others and that's what won Ogier the title. First year of a new era though keep in mind too.