12th Tour de Corse, 1967

The Tour de Corse was and is celebrated and feared in equal measure. The first incarnation was launched in 1956 and covered almost 1,300 kilometres around the entire island, the streets of which are anything but straight. “The ‘Tour de Corse Historique’ is a wonderful journey back in time to the French rally culture of the 1980s. It offers serious motorsport, fascinating landscapes and a special atmosphere with great camaraderie,” says Alexander Klein, team leader of the Corsica delegation, detailing this year’s Porsche historic motorsport highlights. Porsche’s first victory was achieved here in 1960 by Herbert Linge and Paul-Ernst Strähle in a Porsche 356 B 1600 GS Carrera GT Coupe.  At the time, this was the race that everybody wanted to win,” recalls Larrousse, “just as much as they wanted to win at the Nürburgring”.

Today’s historic rally is almost as demanding as the modern course which stages a round of the World Rally Championship, an event which has been held here intermittently since 1973: A total length of 800 kilometres with 340 kilometres of special stages places intense demands on man and machine. The rally routes are no straighter than the World Rally Championship course, the goats on the road are just as stubborn and the rock falls are just as surprising.