Acropolis Rally 1985

Timo Salonen and Stig Blomqvist finished first and second in the Acropolis Rally to substantiate their similar positions in the world championship after six rounds. This video faithfully records those successes. But more than that, it captures the drama of two very different manufacturers slugging it out on the gravel roads of Greece. Salonen in the diminutive Peugeot pursued constantly by Blomqvist in the almighty Audi Quattro. See the heart-stopping, all-action style as the world’s finest crews slide through the endless corners, throwing up huge clods of earth and raising mushrooms of dust. Some of the terrain’s horrendous rockery is also depicted with car after car bumping frighteningly close to disaster. But through it all, Salonen kept steady, ignoring faster times set by his rival. Consistency brought the 205 Turbo 16 home ahead of the Quattro, and the myth that early Acropolis leaders always faded was finally laid to rest.