Munari’s greatest rallies: five defining victories that cemented his Lancia legend

5. 1976 Tour de Corse

Munari’s 24-valve factory Stratos pushed out 280bhp to the 255 of the 12-valve version of French privateer Bernard Darniche, but torrential rain evened things out. Darniche copped a 1min penalty for arriving late to a time control, but slashed the gap to Munari to 13sec with one stage to go. Cue a Munari charge: he extended the margin to 17sec, which he finished with the Stratos billowing smoke and stuttering with a misfire. His third WRC win of 1976 also gave Lancia another title.

4. 1972 Targa Florio

Munari had done a fair bit of racing for Lancia, but this was a huge step up to Ferrari’s factory sports prototype team. Ironically, it was a Lancia Fulvia that inadvertently sealed the deal for the solo 312 PB of Munari and Arturo Merzario, ranged against four factory Alfa Romeo 33/TT/3s. When the Fulvia spun, Nanni Galli – pursuing Munari – spun his Alfa in avoidance and lost over 2min restarting the engine. The win also clinched Ferrari the World Sportscar title.

3. 1972 Monte Carlo rally

Munari had won a hatful of rallies for Lancia since 1967, including a superb victory that year on the Tour de Corse from team-mate Pauli Toivonen. His Monte win in the Fulvia, however, gave him March 1972 Motor Sport cover stardom after a brutal, weather-rampaged event: just 34 of the 242 starters made it to the finish. As 1971 winner, Alpine-Renault was favourite but its drivers skated off the road and/or hit gearbox problems. It was left to the Porsche of Gérard Larrousse to chase Munari home.

2. 1974 Sanremo rally

The WRC looked destined to be won by Fiat until Munari’s Marlboro-coloured Stratos took honours in northern Italy. Four of the seven factory 124 Abarths had gone out on the first stage – two of them when they collided! Then Alén’s Fiat snapped a rear wishbone on the final night, dropping out of second place. As a result of this win, Lancia decided to contest the remaining WRC events (Munari won at Canada’s Rideau Lakes round) and snatched the crown from Fiat.

1.  1977 Monte Carlo rally

“Sandro, Sandro, Sandro,” shouted the Italians dotted on the Col de Turini mountainside as the sound of the 24-valve V6 in the Alitalia-liveried Lancia Stratos HF drew ever closer. Their hero was on for his third straight Monte victory, his fourth in total. Munari had held a tenuous lead over Guy Fréquelin’s Alpine-Renault at the end of the first day of special stages. Then, whenever young chargers Fréquelin, Jean-Claude Andruet, Markku Alén or Maurizio Verini challenged, he would put in a masterclass on the next stage. Electrical problems cut his lights on the final night and slashed his lead but, after repairs, he still pulled out a 2min 16sec winning margin over Andruet’s Fiat 131 Abarth.