1978 Lancia Stratos HF #10
Pilots: M. Mouton / F. Conconi
Team: Lancia Chardonnet
Race: 7th overall at the Monte Carlo Rally 1978
Spark - S9092 (resin)
Published 02/21/25
Born on June 23rd, 1951, in Grasse, France, Michèle Hélène Raymonde Mouton began driving at 14. With a keen interest in motorsport, by the early 70s she was participating in rally races as a co-driver. In 1973 she entered as a co-driver in the Monte Carlo Rally, the inaugural race of the World Rally Championship. Her father was a huge supporter of her career, so in 1974 he made her a proposition. She would try her hand at piloting a good rally car for one full year. If she succeeded, she would keep racing, if not, she would call it quits. So, he bought her an Alpine-Renault A110, and her rallying career officially began. Her first race was the 1974 Rallye Paris – Saint-Raphaël Féminin, a feminine event, where she finished 10th. Her first official WRC race was the 1974 Tour de Corse, finishing in 12th overall.
Back in the day (as like today 🤔?), a woman driver was totally out of the norm. And a competitive woman driver? Preposterous! To the point that her performance at the Tour de Corse was questioned. Was her car totally legal? However, after a rigorous scrutineering it became clear that there was nothing special about her car. She was a damn good pilot! By the end of the year, she won both the French and European ladies’ rally championships. Concurrently, Mouton also tried her hand in circuit racing. To the point that in 1975 she joined an all-female team to tackle the 24 Heures du Mans. On that June 15th, their Moynet LM75 #35 finished in first place in the S 2.0 class! Nonetheless, her passion was rally racing. Yet, it became blatant that she would only find true rivals in the regular men’s championship.
With her consistent good results, she became noticed. French oil company Elf seized the opportunity and offered her a major sponsorship. Yet, her big break-through came in 1977, when FIAT France offered her a contract. Through FIAT she raced the 131 Abarth (which, at the time, she hated) and later, the Stratos in WRC events. In 1978, due to her FIAT contract, she enrolled in the Lancia Chardonnet team. Chardonnet was the leading importer of Lancia and Autobianchi (souped-up FIAT 500) automobiles in France. To promote the brands, they created a rally team in 1976, at first racing Autobianchi machines. In 1978 they switched to the rally monster par excellence, the Stratos HF. Chardonnet bet on Michèle Mouton, and with co-driver François Conconi they brought their Stratos HF #10 in seventh place. Mouton continued shining, and in 1980, Audi offered her a contract.
Aboard an Audi Quattro she became the first (and only!) women to win a WRC race. That happened in 1981, at the Rally Sanremo. Michèle officially ended her career in 1989, however she did eventually participate in a few rally events later on. In 2010, she became the first president of the FIA’s Women & Motor Sport Commission. And after that she became active with the FIA’s motorsport safety commission. With such a résumé, she has become a true legend. We can only hope that the world will see another pilot like her. Motorsports in general sure needs another Michèle Mouton.
As you noticed, I barely talked about the Stratos HF #10. Well, I already wrote about it before and I honestly think that Michèle Mouton should be the focus here. The woman was B-A-D-A-S-S, like that, in capital letters. She almost won a WRC (vice-champion in 1982) and won a Le Mans class – on her first race at La Sarthe! And won Pikes Peak, in 1985. Setting a new record…😎 With all that, I think I’ll be forgiven for not focusing on the car as I usually do. Nonetheless, in scale, the car is just as nice as my 1976 Alitalia version. For a rally collection, it would be hard to say which one is more important. So, to avoid headaches, just get both 😁. Trust me – your rally collection will be much better for it.