Just started using these forums, although CM and GRM are two favs. If this was or should be addressed elsewhere, please move and/or let me know (I apologize in advance).
Any thoughts on this article? I felt at the higher end those cars were "obvious" choices and not necessarily a lot of consideration was given to drivability and enjoyment vs. "these are cool cars".
I can think of a lot of more fun for the buck cars that could be added to the list. Some of the evaluations were off the wall. Sure concours cars may be in the price ranges suggested, but a lot of clean drivers can be had for less.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Naparsei.
We always appreciate reader feedback, and typically the other staff members will chime in on subjects that directly relate to them, so I'm sure you'll hear a few reasons why we picked what we did for that article.
There are certainly other cars that would make terrific candidates for a rally; I'd like an early Volvo for instance. Thankfully, that's one of the reasons these message boards exist!
Who else has a nomination for a favorite that didn't make it into the story?
In reply to Tom Heath:
OK, I'll nominate by asking how could anybody possibly write an article on vintage rally cars and omit the Mini-Cooper. Sacrilage.
In reply to TR8owner:
Agreed. Just to be clear, though, this is about "touring rallies" usually with accompaniment of the significant other, not the Monte. I am far from an expert on "touring rallies" but I have completed one: the Texas 1000.
In reply to naparsei:
My other criticism of the article was the way the cars were put into catagories based on supposed values. It almost seemed like a Barret Jackson flyer trying to artificially maximize prices. I'd rather you just write about the cars and not set values because in reality prices on any given car are all over the map.
I get that the idea of price ranges because if you were going to "do" rallies, you'd probably have a idea of what you'd spend on a car. However, if you are buying a car to rally, you will easily spend quite a bit making it dead-nuts reliable. You don't spend $5K to go on a rally just to have your car break down.
One suggestion would have been to have an open car and coupe suggestion. In my limited experience, the line seems to be drawn for those that want the convertible and those that don't.
In the highest bracket, the Cobra seems like a random choice to me. Cobras seem to go for $500-$600K, so why not a California Spyder (millions)? Or why not one of the many, many great cars that are right around the $250K range (Ferrari 330GTC leaps to mind, for one).
To me, there are really 3 ways to do this (find a rally car). One, if you've already got it - perfect. Two, if you have ideas about a marque, go to their owner forums and see what the "preferred" rally type car is - there is usually an opinion based on power, comfort, price, etc. Three, see what other people are rallying. There's a reason you see tons of certain cars at rallies - because these cars are well suited to it. Of course, it's a bit of a lemming approach, but for someone who doesn't have a rally car and probably hasn't done a rally (or they would have ideas about what they specifically want), it's not a bad approach.
Also, I think the character of the rally makes a big difference. I drove a 60s GT/touring car on the Texas 1000 (my sole rally), and since it was west/sw Texas, the car was perfect since we had a lot of miles to eat up. There was a day carving canyons, with many tight turns, which had me craving an early 911. If I was doing one of the back East rallies with lots of pages of directions, I would definitely have wanted a nimbler car.
Touring rallies are about putting miles on the car in what is hopefully an entertaining, relaxing environment. You want something that's eye-catching, but also reliable and ideally not too exotic, so that you have some hope of a local resource should something go wrong. The Ford-powered Cobra fits that bill; Ferrari, not so much.
Margie
In reply to Marjorie Suddard:
Margie, Please don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan and long time subscriber of both of your magazines. More articles on rallying, racing, and cars is hardly a bad thing, especially with the CM/GRM spin.
I think there's a difference between the Iron Bottom and an "organized" rally. A well sorted Ferrari is pretty reliable, but if any car should break down on the higher end rallies, there is a support team, backup car, trailer, etc. Obviously not optimal, but it removes the dire consequences of a breakdown from the equation.
Also, the article suggested Alfas, A-H, Aston's, a Dino, and Jags - some of which have possible reliability issues or parts availability questions as well. I think any of these cars, if "fettled" would be great.
It seems like the $250K+ category is really the $500K+ category - Cobra, 50s Ferrari, 300SL. There is a void between $250-$500K that has a lot of great rally candidates.
This is very subjective. I will obviously have to do more first-hand research to draw sharper conclusions 
Oh, no problem, Naparsei. One of the best things about the more subjective articles is how they spark debate. Sorry if I sounded put off.
You definitely should do some "research"--touring rallies are a really neat way to enjoy your car and get to know like-minded people. Tim and I have a couple on the schedule... oh, the chore! 
Margie
This story was originally longer, but as always, it needed to be edited to fit the space we had. I think the key is what cars would you want to spend a 1000 miles in and what car would you want to be broken down in rural America? We covered more comfortable cars and most of them are coupes. That said, some like a 280SL are just as comfortable with the top up, as a coupe. Of course values range, but top notch cars that you would feel comfortable rallying are at the higher end of the spectrum. Also, just because some people get deals on cars or restore them themselves, we can't assume everyone does. I bought my Tiger for $8000, spent probably 1800 hours and $30-40,000 on it, but one in similar shape sold at Mecum last week for $80,000. So what is the real value? I wouldn't sell mine for that figure, because I love it. This story could have turned into a book, there are so many cool cars. And I own a Mini and I know they did well in rallies in Europe. Still, not sure I would want to spend a week at triple digit speeds in Montana in one. I'll stick with my Tiger.
Naparsei hit the nail on the head. I am much more of Ironbottom/Alpine 500/Snowball kind of guy and that might be why I couldn't get my head around the article. Seems like there are too many rules.
Tim, I get it, and agree that topic is expansive. I didn't really realize that reliability was as heavily weighted in your thought process. At the cheaper rallies, people drive those cars (daily or at least a lot); at the high end, they have backup cars and mechanics. I wouldn't be worried about breaking down on a Vintage Rallies Rally, for example - but it would certainly have a negative impact on my experience.
Before I went on my (only one to date) rally, I spent a lot of time driving the car in every possible condition, getting the small and big things fixed. My wife was convinced the car would never survive the 500 mile each way drive to the rally, plus the 1000+ miles of the rally - but it did, in air conditioned comfort ;). She wants to do another one, and has been arranging her calendar already. To me, that's a huge victory. Preparation is key.
Please write more articles about rallying though, because it's a great way to use the car and be with like-minded enthusiasts.
I have a very high tolerance for "stiffness" in a car, but the open top and stiffness of a Cobra, vs. other car choices at that price-point, I would have to go with something else. I'd love to find out how wrong I am on a first hand basis though.
You'll need to log in to post.
