LOST AND FOUND

The 26th Monte Carlo Rally in 1956 was typical of the era, when a hefty saloon was as likely to come home first as a speedy lightweight. The results read like amishmash of a backstreet dealer’s forecourt, no theme or rhyme or reason emerging. The first model of which two appeared in the results was a Panhard Dyna Z 850, some distance behind the winning MkVII Jaguar of Ronnie Adams, Derek Johnston and Frank Biggar. The top three was rounded out by a Mercedes 220A and a DKW 898. Most exotic car in the top ten was probably the BMW 502, or maybe the Citroën DS19. While Autosport editor Gregor Grant tackled it in his MG Magnette, the most rarefied car in the rally was a 300SL, yet the drivers’ roster was brimful of stars such as Pat Moss, Sheila Van Damme, Ken Wharton and Archie Scott Brown; even Louis Chiron and more of that calibre.

The 141st car to finish of the 308 entrants was this one, the privateer entry for Ken Carter and Robert Ropner being one of 73 British starters. There was a lengthened route with all-fresh start points in 1956 and, while most Brits headed to Glasgow, this pair drove to Paris for the and , with a picture of the Aston being the lead image in the latter’s delightfully detailed write-up, which also noted that Estager retired with food poisoning after a dodgy bouillabaisse and compared the scenery on the new route to a Gustav Doré painting.