International Championship for Manufacturers

Harry Källström's Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF at the 1972 Press-on-Regardless Rally.

The FIA International Championship for Manufacturers (IMC) was a rally series culminating in a champion manufacturer. The championship was run from 1970 to 1972 and it was replaced by the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973. All the nine rallies of the 1972 IMC season were part of the 1973 World Rally Championship season.

In the inaugural season, Porsche's Björn Waldegård drove his 911 S to victory at the Monte Carlo Rally, the Swedish Rally and the Österreichische Alpenfahrt. With Porsche leading Alpine-Renault by only three points before the season-ending RAC Rally, the championship went down to the wire. Alpine-Renault recruited Ove Andersson for the event, but he had an accident and retired. Alpine-Renault's best result was then Andrew Cowan's fifth place, and Porsche took the title. Porsche's Gérard Larrousse also picked up a point for sixth place.

In 1971, Alpine-Renault ran away with the title as Andersson won four of the eight events in the Alpine A110 1600. The Alpine-Renault, driven by Bernard Darniche, also won the last-ever Coupe des Alpes, but because the event ran with an insufficient number of starters (36 when the FIA minimum was 50), no points were awarded towards the championship.^[1]

The final IMC title went to Lancia. The Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF was driven by Simo Lampinen (35 points), Harry Källström (22) Sandro Munari (20) and Amilcare Ballestrieri (20). Fiat finished second in the standings with their 124 Sport Spider.^[2]

1970

Events

Round	Event	Dates	Starters	Finishers	Winner	Car
1	39ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo	16–24 January	184	44	Björn Waldegård	Porsche 911 S
2	21st International Swedish Rally	11–15 February	120	31	Björn Waldegård	Porsche 911 S
3	1º Sanremo-Sestriere–Rally d'Italia	4–8 March	109	15	Jean-Luc Thérier	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
4	18th East African Safari Rally	26–28 March	91	19	Edgar Herrmann	Datsun 1600 SSS
5	41. Österreichische Alpenfahrt	6–10 May	54	20	Björn Waldegård	Porsche 911 S
6	18th Acropolis Rally	28–31 May	80	13	Jean-Luc Thérier	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
7	19th Daily Mirror RAC Rally	13–18 November	196	67	Harry Källström	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF

Final standings

Pos	Manufacturer	MON	SWE	ITA	KEN	AUT	GRC	GBR	Pts
1	Porsche	9	9	–	–	9	–	1	28
2	Alpine-Renault	4	–	9	–	2	9	2	26
3	Lancia	1	–	6	–	–	–	9	16
4	Saab	–	6	3	–	6	–	–	15
5	Opel	–	4	–	–	–	–	6	10
	Ford	2	–	–	–	4	4	–	10
7	Datsun	–	–	–	9	–	–	–	9
8	Peugeot	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	4
9	Fiat	–	–	1	–	–	2	–	3
10	Volvo	–	–	–	2	–	–	–	3
11	BMW	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	1
	Triumph	–	–	–	1	–	–	–	1
	Volkswagen	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	1

1971

Events

Round	Event	Dates	Starters	Finishers	Winner	Car
1	40ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo	22–29 January	248	22	Ove Andersson	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
2	22nd International Swedish Rally	17–21 February	112	53	Stig Blomqvist	Saab 96 V4
3	2º Sanremo-Sestriere–Rally d'Italia	14–17 March	86	20	Ove Andersson	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
4	19th East African Safari Rally	8–12 April	107	32	Edgar Herrmann	Datsun 240Z
5	14ème Rallye du Maroc	28 April–1 May	60	9	Jean Deschazeaux	Citroën SM
6	42. Österreichische Alpenfahrt	13–16 May	54	15	Ove Andersson	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
7	19th Acropolis Rally	27–30 May	59	9	Ove Andersson	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
8	32nd Coupe des Alpes	21–26 June	36	11	Bernard Darniche	Alpine-Renault A110 1600
9	20th Daily Mirror RAC Rally	20–25 November	231	104	Stig Blomqvist	Saab 96 V4

Final standings

Herrmann's 1971 Safari Rally -winning Datsun 240Z.

Pos	Manufacturer	MON	SWE	ITA	KEN	MAR	AUT	GRC	GBR	Pts
1	Alpine-Renault	9	–	9	–	–	9	9	–	36
2	Saab	–	9	–	–	–	–	–	9	18
3	Porsche	3.5	3	–	2	2	–	–	6	16.5
4	Lancia	1	4	6	–	–	–	4	1	16
5	Datsun	2	–	–	9	–	–	–	–	11
	Fiat	–	–	2	–	–	6	3	–	11
7	Peugeot	–	–	–	4	6	–	–	–	10
8	Citroën	–	–	–	–	9	–	–	–	9
	BMW	–	6	–	–	–	2	1	–	9
10	Ford	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	3	6
11	Volkswagen	–	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	4
	Opel	–	2	–	–	–	–	2	–	4

1972

Events

Round	Event	Dates	Starters	Finishers	Winner	Car
1	41ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo	21–28 January	264	24	Sandro Munari	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
2	23rd International Swedish Rally	17–20 February	91	56	Stig Blomqvist	Saab 96 V4
3	20th East African Safari Rally	30 March–3 April	85	18	Hannu Mikkola	Ford Escort RS1600
4	15ème Rallye du Maroc	27–30 April	52	6	Simo Lampinen	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
5	20th Acropolis Rally	25–28 May	98	14	Håkan Lindberg	Fiat 124 Sport Spider
6	43. Österreichische Alpenfahrt	6–8 September	58	8	Håkan Lindberg	Fiat 124 Sport Spider
7	14º Rallye Sanremo	22–25 October	69	13	Amilcare Ballestrieri	Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF
8	24th Press-on-Regardless Rally	2–4 November	77	21	Gene Henderson	Jeep Wagoneer
9	21st Daily Mirror RAC Rally	2–5 December	192	80	Roger Clark	Ford Escort RS1600

Final standings

Roger Clark's 1972 RAC Rally -winning Ford Escort RS1600.

Pos	Manufacturer	MON	SWE	KEN	MAR	GRC	AUT	ITA	USA	GBR	Pts
1	Lancia	20	12	–	20	15	–	20	–	10	97
2	Fiat	3	–	–	–	20	20	12	–	–	55
3	Porsche	15	15	15	–	–	8	–	–	–	53
4	Ford	8	–	20	–	–	–	–	–	20	48
5	Saab	–	20	–	–	–	12	–	–	15	47
6	Datsun	12	–	8	–	6	–	–	15	–	41
7	Opel	2	10	–	–	2	6	1	–	12	33
8	BMW	–	6	–	–	12	4	–	–	–	22
9	Jeep	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	20	–	20
10	Citroën	–	–	–	15	–	–	–	–	–	15
	Volkswagen	–	–	–	–	–	15	–	–	–	15
12	Peugeot	–	–	4	8	–	–	–	–	–	12
13	Volvo	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	10	1	11
14	Renault	–	–	–	10	–	–	–	–	–	10
15	Dodge	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	8	–	8
16	Toyota	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6	2	8
17	Alpine-Renault	4	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	–	7
18	Alfa Romeo	–	–	–	–	–	3	–	–	–	3

References

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