GRR

Video: Martini Racing was awesome in the '80s

27th May 2021
Henry Biggs

Nostalgia always makes the past appear to be a more pleasant place to live regardless of the truth of that but watching this video it seems to be safe to say that the 1980s was awesome if you worked for Martini Racing in any of its many iterations.

You might be taking on the world's rally stages as an engineer in Lancia's WRC outfit, campaigning the stunning 037, on its way to become the last rear-wheel drive championship winner in the hands of Markku Alén, Attilio Bettega, and Walter Röhrl.

Or perhaps the World Sportscar Championship is more your thing, in which case you will be in close proximity to one of the most beautiful racing cars ever built, the Lancia LC2, as it proves to be simply too fast to last thanks to its twin-turbocharged Ferrari-sourced V8. Closely related to the one in the Ferrari 288 GTO this secured a lot of pole positions for the LC2 as it outpaced the Porsche 956s in qualifying only to be outlasted during the race.

And then there's the hydroplanes which look uncannily like wheel-less Formula 1 cars of the era with a monster Evinrude outboard motor in place of the rear wing. Whichever your preferred sport it looks like Martini Racing would have you covered in the most awesome way.

Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: Watch rally cars squeeze through a tiny gap

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