Circuit of Ireland Rally remembered

I see that Beatty Crawford and Plum Tyndall are organising a social gathering in Killarney next Easter to commemorate the days when the "Real Circuit of Ireland" (my parenthesis) visited the town. Beatty is on Facebook and is gradually announcing various luminaries from the past who have indicated their willingness to attend.
As far as I know the last Circuit to stopover in Killarney was 1981.
It got me to thinking about what Circuit of Ireland models are out there both pre and post 1981. I had a brief run through my collection and I am around the 30 mark with a lot of very notable omissions.
Two very different models I have are those done by CDM of Roger Clarkes Mini and Renault as displayed in "The Roger Clarke Collection " thread.
Might it be an occasion for Bryan to hire an articulated truck and put on a display of a small selection of his models and memorabilia ?

I was there for the 1979 and 1980 events. Lots of scope for models to be done from that era. 75 Coleman MK1 springs to mind. Penttis Chevette, etc

Carlo does the following decals:
Harri Toivonen 86
Kenny Colbert 92
McCartney 83
Pentti Airikkala 83 & 88
Billy Coleman 84
Austin McHale 84, 87, 90, 91
Alan Ring 12

I have both RS200's from 86 & the Llewellin 6R4. I'd love to get a Mikkola quattro Sport, Sundstrom 205 T16 plus the 2 Missing Metro's

REF Circuit of Ireland rally models available

I have just one Roger Clark Renault Dauphine 1961 CofI & one Roger Clark Mini 1962 CofI and two Pentti Airikkala Lancia 037 1984 CofI left if anyone is interested. They are all built, decalled and ready to go.

Cheers
Chris

RORY O CONNOR wrote:I was there for the 1979 and 1980 events. Lots of scope for models to be done from that era. 75 Coleman MK1 springs to mind. Penttis Chevette, etc

Coleman 75 Mk1 covered. Paddy O's beetle also.

What older cars are out there - pre Escort era ?

I have the 64 Eric Jackson Cortina Mk1, 77 Brookes HFH Escort, 81 & 82 McRae Asconas

reeft1 wrote:I have the 64 Eric Jackson Cortina Mk1, 77 Brookes HFH Escort, 81 & 82 McRae Asconas

Tell me more about the Jackson Cortina ? Did you do the Ascona's yourself ?

Anyone out there have a specific Circuit of Ireland collection or theme ?

By the way Beatty is calling his event the Circuit Deja Vu . While I can remember being in Killarney for the Circuit it was a little before my time as a competitor. I get the impression that being in Killarney for the Circuit was akin to the modernday pilgrimage to Donegal for the rally - in many ways Donegal has assumed the mantle of the "place to be" for rallyfans.

I did all 3 myself James. Jackson won the British Rally Championship in 64. I dont think he won any events from memory but he did finish in the top 3 at the COI. If you go on the rallyretro website there are 3 pictures (amongst many from the 64 event) from the 64 event of Erics dark blue (red side flash bordered by gold pin stripe) Cortina GT, resplendent with 4 spots and a roof light. This was a converted Vanguards model.

The Asconas were both converted Vitesse models.

Rgds

Killarney used to be the big draw when the COI went there. It was such a long haul from Belfast. I think it ended up in Waterford because Killarney chamber of commerce were not prepared to pay the asking price to the UAC to bring the rally there and Waterford  city was. Don't think the rally was ever the same after than.

Then  Killarney recognized the value of having the a car rally and that's how the Lakes became. In 1980 it was reckoned to bring in £4M in extra revenue for the town over the one weekend. That's pounds not euros. We were linked to the British pound in those days. Think my first COI cost me £30 for the weekend- Petrol shares, caravan hire-as D4 men we were not prepared to slum it in a tent-, food and beer in the Glen Eagle.

I recall in 1980 there was a fuel shortage as the tanker drivers were on strike. We brought down all our petrol in jerry cans which we had been buying up up for weeks before the rally. We stored them on the banks of the river behind the caravan park.

Rory,
Was the Gleneagle "the" place back then ? The parc ferme was in the Fairfield which is the carpark in the centre of the town and HQ was the Great Southern Hotel (now the Malton) across the road and the Royal Hotel (again just across the road from the Parc Ferme) was where many of the big name drivers stayed.
Beatty's event is scheduled for the Malton. He is of the pre McHale era- Hopkirk,Boyd's,Rosemary Smith,Coleman,Eyre-Maunsell,Clarke- the 60s & 70's.
Just looking and have found another 4 or 5 models.

Colour photos from the 60's and 70's are scarce - cars were all relatively plain with few, if any, stickers.

The Glen Eagle was the drinking hub. The roads were narrow with trees then and it was green fields. each side.  Where the car parks are now was just gravel. I remember the chaos of the traffic afterwards as everyone bailed out at 1am or later. All pissed of course. This girl stood in the middle of the road and started giving traffic directions and everyone followed her signals. It was a funny sight.  

OMG-I just remembered the two show bands that used to play then:  Linda Martin in Chips and and the other one was Sunshine. Many a classic song of the time was destroyed. But who cares-we were all young, brave and crazy in those days.

Sounds awful. Where do i sign up?

reeft1 wrote:Sounds awful. Where do i sign up?

Simpler days in Catholic Ireland-all very primitive and innocent on many levels.

And all the better for it i'm sure

Proper rally cars in those days!

Hopefully this will be a sucess......Rory is right ...the Circuit was never again the same

No surprise that I/us/we have been asked to put on a display at this event. Most of us know whats out there but there may be forum members doing decals for themselves or in very limited numbers that have not come to my attention. We have not come up with a theme, as such, yet but considering the fact that its a celebration of past Circuits the focus would be on the 60's 70's and 80's. So anyone who might have enough photos of a particular car from Circuits of old and the base is available would they mind contacting me here or at james@cjandco.net  

I had a brief look at what might be possible and what I think may not have been done :
Kankkunen Corolla
Colin McRae Nova
Colin McRae Legacy
Colin McRae Sierra
Sundstrom Peugeot 205 GTi
Sundstrom Peugeot 205 T16
Jim McRae Rothmans manta
Jim McRae Sierra ( red stripes)

What I am saying is if someone has gone to the trouble of doing any of these or others would they be willing to run off another set of decals or make the drawings available. Also if there are enough interested we could gather the photos and get someone like Carlo to do them commercially. Brian put in huge effort to get the West Cork display off the ground and it was incredibly well received but its unfair of me to be doing that again so I am asking for others with the talent  and ability to have a think about it.

It may be the opportunity for collectors on here to get a particular car done that has been on their bucket list

Have no pics but if the McRae 1987 decals were done I'd like a set. I will look & see if I can find the Sundstrom 205 t16 1986 pics I saved a while ago.

JOB wrote:I had a brief look at what might be possible and what I think may not have been done :
Kankkunen Corolla

I was considering making that one.

JOB wrote:Colin McRae Nova
Colin McRae Legacy
Colin McRae Sierra

Should be relatively easy to convert from Ixo and Corgi bases, strip to the Corgi Sierra down and you have a fully white car (there wasn't much on Colin's car anyway).

JOB wrote:Sundstrom Peugeot 205 GTi
Sundstrom Peugeot 205 T16

Carlo has the T16 decals - not the right rally but I have some spares for the door numbers and event plates. The Ballet 205 GTI could be used as a base for the GTI.

JOB wrote:Jim McRae Rothmans manta
Jim McRae Sierra ( red stripes)

Ixo/Altaya Manta with RHD conversion? And Trofeu's version as a base for the latter?

A brief list of what I think I have:
BMW M3 - Coleman, Middleton & Fisher
Lotus Sunbeam - Coyne & Pond ??
Opel Monza - McHale
Renault Dauphine Clark
Porsche 911 SCRS Coleman x2
Subaru GpA Fisher x 2
Subaru WRC Fisher,Laukkanen,Nesbitt,McHale x 2,Higgins
Daihatsu Charade O'Callaghan
Vauxhall Chevette HSR Airikkala & McRae
Vauxhall Firenza ???
VW Beetle O'Callaghan
Toyota Celica ST205 -O'Callaghan
Peugeot 207 S2000 Breen
Mini 1962 - Clark
Metro 6R4- Coleman
Lancia Stratos - Coleman & Walfridson
Lancia 037 - Dessie McCartney, Airikkala
Ford Escort Mk 1 - Clarke x 2 ,Coleman x 3 (69,71,75)
Ford Escort Mk 2 - Mikkola, Airikkala,Vatanen, Coleman x 2 (76 & 79),Nelson
Ford Sierra Cosworth - Meagher, McKinstry
Opel Manta 400 - Coleman, McHale
Opel Ascona 400 Jimmy McRae
Mitsubishi Starion - Airikkala
Mitsubishi Evo 9 - Ring

Might be missing one or two but that's the bulk of them.

Looking back through some old records there was a large and varied selection of drivers and cars on the Circuit down the years.  On that basis i am setting out cars and drivers for which people on here may have themed collections in which are lurking Circuit of Ireland models:
Roger Clarke
Timo Salonen
Ari Vatanen
Marku Alen
Stiq Blomqvist
paddy Hopkirk
Porsche 911
Fiat 131 Abarth
Opel Ascona, Manta, Kadette GTE
Toyota Celica
Mini
Saab
Audi Quattro
British Championship

Have this, also the Mark Lovell car which I need to photo

Simpler days in Catholic Ireland-all very primitive and innocent on many levels.[/quote]

How true Rory..........The Rally programme carried Mass times for the Killarney Churches including Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland

I was timing for an Autotest on Sunday and mentioned this event to a gent that i knew collected Rally Programes and he thinks he have quiet a few CoI in his collection and have NO bother giving them for the display....