Rally Legend is a fantastic event where you can watch cars and drivers from the greatest years of rallying in action at a fast-moving event hosted within the principality of San Marino, the eldest principality in the World. It’s great to spend a passing few hours to admire the cars of yesterday in museums, but it’s something even more special to witness them being used just as their designers intended.

This year was our third visit in succession to San Marino, now in its eighth edition, and the organisers are always searching to make the event different and special with 2010 being no different - and especially so - as renown Lancia rally car preparation specialist Giuseppe Volta brought along the Lancia ECV1 (Experimental Composite Vehicle) which he’s been working on for many years. The ECV1 was built to the FIA's propsed Group S regulations which would have ultimately succeed the awesome Group B’s, but after the demise of Group B, the ECV project was abandoned. The engine is a twin cam design but with a 'Triflux' head, inlet in the middle and exhausts on either side both with turbochargers.

Whilst at parc ferme on Saturday morning, the ECV1 appeared. I was lucky enough to get some shots before it was engulfed with hundreds and hundreds of admiring fans. The one thing that stood in my mind as it approached was the massive rear wing, and the smile on its pilot's face.

We then left rally HQ and made our way to the day's first stage, SS5 “San Marino”, where we knew of a fantastic jump knowing full well that a lot of the rally cars would get airborne, and we weren’t to be disappointed. New to the Rally Legend event and also overall winner, Francois Delecour driving a Peugeot 206 WRC, flew through the air rigorously testing the car's suspension once contact with the ground had been regained.

We then made our way to SS9 “The Legend” where we were witness to three fast runs from the ECV1 driven by two times FIA World Rally Champion for Lancia, Miki Biasion. Even though freshly restored, Miki gave the ECV1 a good demonstration and the sound of the waste gate on the over run was simply fantastic. In the days of Group B, special fuels were used and this was obvious with the ECV1 as there was a sweet scent left in the air as it vanished into the distance. The ECV1 was joined up in a fast convoy with a Rally 037 and Delta S4, three fantastic rally machines designed by Lancia. If there’s an event to go to, I would thoroughly recommend Rally Legend.

by Lawrence Clift