Fuel crises are not new but in March 1957, there was light at the end of the tunnel as Autosport’s front cover captured the return of international rallying for the first time since ‘the start of the European petrol famine’ that was part of the Suez crisis.
The rally in question was the 8th Sestriere Rally in which cover stars Nancy Mitchell and Annie Hall finished runners up in the Coupe des Dames in an MG Magnette.
In her report on the rally, Ms. Mitchell noted that, “Because of petrol restrictions, compulsory starting points were abandoned and only the general itinerary from Sestriere constituted the Rally…the British entrants put up a really good performance but were outclassed from the very beginning. When modified Fiat 600s. are made to travel at 90 miles per hour one really begins to wonder!!”
You can read her full report in Autosport here.
