1938 Chevrolet victorious in Rally of the Incas

A 1938 Chevrolet ‘Fangio’ Coupe reigned supreme on the Endurance Rally Association’s (ERA) Rally of the Incas 2016 – a 27-day adventure across 9,981 km or 6,200 miles of South America.

Chuck and Pam Lyford from America lifted the trophy for the Vintageant category after starting from Buenos Aires on Sunday, 13 November, before journeying through Argentina, Chile and Peru, to finish in Lima on Friday, 9 December.

The winning duo are no strangers to the podium in this neck of the woods having taken the win in the ERA’s Vintage Cape Horn Rally in 2013, way down in snowy Ushuaia.

They were closely followed by the British Bentleys of Paul Carter and Vincent Fairclough in the 1936 Derby 4¼. Third place, meanwhile, was secured by Graham and Marina Goodwin in the 1925 Super Sports.

The Classics division was won by Belgium’s Joost Van Cauwenberg and Christine De Landtsheer in the 1973 Porsche 911.  This was the first time Joost had visited South America. “The event has been a great one both in terms of the route and the competition,” he remarked.

Richard Martin and Travis Cole in the 1972 Datsun 240Z took second place in the Classics division, while Marco Halter and Claudia Engelhardt took third in the 1963 Ford Falcon Coupe.

Around 45 crews competed on the Rally of the Incas, exploring parts of the region that had never been discovered by the ERA before, including the Valdez Peninsula and the High Andes.

The True Grit trophy was awarded to Ed and Janet Howle who had nursed their old 1967 VW Type 1 Beetle through thick and thin – uphill and down dale for almost a month.

Bentley driver Anton Gonnissen gave a moving and reflective speech about how special the Rally World is. He was then asked to present the Spirit of the Rally award to his wife Inge, for revisiting the Rally World after a freak accident on the Road to Mandalay.

ERA Rally director Fred Gallagher said: “The second foray into South America for the ERA has indeed been a great one. The landscapes we’ve driven through and the way that the Rally has unfolded had been amazing. Well done to Joost, Christine, Chuck and Pam – we very much look forward to seeing them again soon, with the next iteration of the Rally of the Incas already being planned for 2019.”

The Rally of the Incas marks the end of a very successful year for the ERA with five events featuring over 300 classic and vintages cars, including the epic Peking to Paris Motor Challenge.