Automobiliac turns 1 year old!

One year ago today, after fiddling with wordpress and hosting issues for 24 hellish hours, I finally switched to Squarespace and uploaded my first ever blog post.  Since then, It's been a fun and rewarding journey, as I have made a few great new friends and had some great email exchanges with folks thanks to the site. I want to thank all the regular commenters, as well as all the people who have sent this site to friends and relatives, and helped spread the word. Stay tuned for more great original content as the year progresses!

Style and Substance: The Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo Group 5

It's not very common in the modern era that a styling house is given responsibility for shaping a racing car, but that is exactly what happened with the Pininfarina-designed body for the Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo Group 5 racer, which was active from 1979-82.  The results were spectacular, with an incredibly aggressive stance, purposeful proportions, and a livery that stands in my mind as one of the coolest paint schemes ever to grace a racing machine.  While its more famous successor, the 037 acheived a mythical status in Rally, the Lancia Beta Monte Carlo Turbo was also no slouch, winning FIA championships in 1980 and 1981 for Lancia in Group 5.  Despite its brutalistic beauty and undeniable acheivements, it's pretty hard to find a lot of good period pictures of these beasts, so I have compiled a few for your enjoyment.