Rally replay is part-museum, part-showroom
Jayson Fong
A WRC round-winning Subaru Impreza S5 WRC, a mint condition Sierra Cosworth GPA and more Lancia Delta Integrales than you can shake a wheel-gun at.
This could well sound like the perfectly curated off-road section of a virtual Gran Turismo garage, but is actually the new showroom and “working museum” Rally Replay.
As featured in this month’s magazine, Motor Sport’s Damien Smith visited the new Chichester-based attraction to take in a wealth off-road machinery and memorabilia.
Nothing of this scale has been done quite like this before – general manager and curator Adam Migdhall explained the motivation behind the venture, which is free to visit.
“We want to keep the cars alive because as their values go up parts are increasingly hard to come by, people aren’t seeing the cars and younger people are not getting interested,” he said. “We want to put the cars in the spotlight and create a place where people can come and see them, as a one-stop shop for rallying. It’s a new home for the sport.”
This Repsol-branded Delta Integrale was the last works-entered Lancia to win a rally, with Carlos Sainz in Oviedo. Before that, it was a test car for Juha Kankkunen, Didier Auriol and Andrea Aghini
Jayson Fong
This ’99 Prodrive Impreza was rallied by Bruno Tierry in Corsica and Catalunya, then Juha Kankkunen who won with it in Finland.
Jayson Fong
Works ’92 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo won Rally Finland and Rally Australia at the hands of Didier Auriol. Fiat service van is an evocative replica
Cockpit of one of the Lancia Delta HF Integrales
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Miki Biasion is working with Rally Replay and this is a replica of his 1989 Senremo-winning car
Jayson Fong
This Sierra Cosworth started out as a Group N car but was gradually upgraded to Group A spec. It’s currently the only car in the showroom for sale
Jayson Fong
Patina on salvaged tools is evidence of a hard life
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Genuine rally plates are from the MArtin Holmes collection
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Racesuits form part of the Rally Replay collection
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Magazine collection is from the archive of the late Martin Holmes
Jayson Fong
Though the plan is ultimately to expand further, the current collection is impressive enough: the aforementioned Impreza which took four-time world champion Juha Kankunnen to his last ever WRC victory at Finland ’99; Carlos Sainz’s Repsol-liveried Delta Integrale in which he won the last ever rally for a works Lancia in ’93; the HF Integrale in which Didier Auriol won two WRC events and then crashed at Rally Cataluyna, leading to his title challenge unravelling, a replica Lancia service van and more.
Also garnered at Rally Replay is treasure trove archive of the late rally journalist Martin Holmes, featuring iconic rally plates, almost endless media passes and tabards from the relevant events – plus a jaw-dropping collection of over 20,000 photographs, which have been meticulously catalogued will soon be available to purchase online.
Although the point of the operation is primarily to sell cars, Midghall emphasised its as much a hub of rallying enthusiasts as it is a retail showroom.
“It’s built by enthusiasts for enthusiasts,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re here to just look at the cars – it’s open for everyone. We’ll also be streaming World Rally Championship rounds live on our big screen, so you can come down to watch, and there’s no commitment to buy anything: just enjoy the space and gain a bit more knowledge about the sport.”
Swipe through our gallery above to get a full taste of what the fabulous Rally Replay showroom has to offer.
