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Bid for a co-drive with Harri Toivonen during the Eifel Rallye Festival
For the Eifel Rallye Festival, Wolf-Dieter Ihle is offering a ride with Harri Toivonen in a Opel Manta 400 Gr. B. This co-drive is being auctioned on eBay for a good cause. The profits from the auction will go to the benefit of an association charitable.
The highest bidder will enjoy a ride with Harri Toivonen in a Opel Manta 400 - 1983 - Gr. B over the spectacular new shakedown stage "Mantaloch" (6.5 km).
This exclusive co-drive that will take place on Thursday, June 25th, 2013 and can only be purchased via the online auction house eBay. The auction will start on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013 and ends on July 20th, 2013. The highest bidder will also receive two spectator tickets for the Eifel Rallye Festival plus an event programme. He will be kept informed concerning the details of his ride with Harri Toivonen directly by the organisers of the Eifel Rallye Festival.
Harri Toivonen |
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Harri Toivonen is the son of the 1968 European Rally Champion, Pauli, and the brother of Henri who died tragically on the 1986 Tour de Corse. Being part of a rally family, it was inevitable for Harri to become involved in the sport as well. In 1986, he was a works driver for Austin Rover in the Metro 6R4 but he also took part in circuit races. From 1990 onwards, Toivonen could regularly been seen in the World Sportscar Championship driving, amongst others, a Kremer Porsche 962. Today he runs a car dealership founded by his father. | ||
Opel Manta 400 - 1983 - Gr. B |
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This Opel Manta 400 was found in Tanzania in 2011 and was brought back to Germany in 2012. Then it was restored by the Autohaus Wolf in Rockenhausen (Hunsruck). The 2013 Eifel Rallye Festival will be the debut event for the Manta. And since the owner, Wolf-Dieter Ihle, does not only like to driver for himself but also enjoys a co-drive with a professional rally driver, he asked Harri Toivonen to drive his Manta.
This Opel Manta 400 (chassis RM20) was never used in competition by the Opel works team. It had initially been built as a test and practice car for the Safari Rally and was thus shipped to Kenya in Rothmans colours in 1983. It drove thousands of kilometres on African roads prior to the event and served as a chase car during the rally. After the Safari of 1984, it was sold to Kenyan Rajeev Khanna who used this Manta on the 1985 and 1986 Safari rallies. In 1990 it was sold on to Tanzania. |
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