The Car Collection of WRC Legend Juha Kankkunen

[dalla]

Juha Kankkunen, four-time winner of the World Rally Championship, has never given an "outsider" access to his private car collection — until today.

We're here at the personal invitation of Kankkunen and his car restorer-in-chief, Kari Mäkelä. He starts the tour by leading us through a modest office before continuing into a larger back room at his farm in Finland. There we come face to face with a quintet of Group B rally cars and a pair of Lancia Integrales dressed in Martini livery. Nice.

There's also a row of vintage Fords that includes everything from a Model A to a Lotus Cortina to a road-going RS200. To the left is a Formula Ford racer bearing the name "Mika Hakkinen," a Group A Toyota Celica Turbo and a Mitsubishi Evo III.

What makes the collection so special is its integrity. This is not the hobby of a playboy billionaire; these are mementos from a lifetime of achievement. From the early '80s to the mid-'90s, Kankkunen could justifiably claim to be the fastest driver on the planet.

The Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2, for example, is the very car in which he won the Swedish Rally in 1986. http://www.insideline.com/features/c...-lifetime.html

1929 Ford Model A with a Ford BDA rally engine 250hp
Same car. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFSGSL3Nrmc

And rest of pics.
http://www.insideline.com/features/p...e-gallery.html
142 Photos

Project pics.
http://www.mat.fi/n_index.php?nav=ga...gallery=13&p=1

 

[yellow_chris]

Words cant describe how jealous i am of that collection! that is something else

 

[Dan519]

never realised that stealth modded Model A was his!

WHAT a collection

 

[JoeyD]

He must be f**king loaded. Unbelievable collection there!

 

[Adamm.]

Holy f**k now that's one very nice selection.

 

[wag1]

rs 200 drool

 

[markhinton]

This is just too much! I'm actually getting a little tearful thinking of even owning a fraction of what he has...

Not as many as Jay Leno's collection - but somehow I feel it, or at least it looks, that it's a much more focused collection. Lot of love for that!

 

[markhinton]

never realised that stealth modded Model A was his!

I don't know how long he's had it for, but I don't think it was ever built with someone in mind... Kari Makela made it as a project with his team, but I guess he must have sold it off afterward? I always assumed it was a personal car of his own!

Edit: just found this video, looks like Makela driving it:

[youtube]Ux6KGgZv044[/youtube]

 

[Fletcher]

Wow. F40 too

 

[Ian_182]

Some boy.

That trophy cabinet is awsome.

 

[.GAZ.]

F40>All.

 

[markhinton]

Lol I think I'd choose pretty much every car there before I thought about the F40 - perhaps it's because I'm a huge rally fan, though.

Anyone else notice the silver mic for pace notes in the centre console? How cool!



Also LOL at his personalised registration on the green mk2!

 

[Marky_]

Rally legend. Can't help but feel there's a lack of stage grime though.

 

[Joe#]

Simply awesome!

 

[R1XPH]

s**t the bed.

 

[Tez.]

205 that is all

 

[Gray]

Woah, absolutely amazing collection.

 

[Rudi]

Amazing!

 

[Christopher]

Proper garage.

The T16 Evo II's up there.

 

[kpowell911]

I used to love his White/Blue Escort Cossie Rally Car. The fact it had a different wing was awesome!

 

[DaveDreads]

No words........Should.......have sent.........a poet.....

 

[sprintcup]

205 and Green Mk11 would do me, but that's one amazing collection from an amazing driver who's done it all, but the num plate on the Escort did make me lol.

Regards Russ.........

 

[TimR26]

Great collection

The walls packed with trophies are just as impressive.

 

[Andy.]

So many of those I would give a nut for. Amazing collection.

 

[McGherkin]

Kankkunen = Legend.

Love the fact he has his own police car (complete with stinger) though. Hardly the most impressive car in the collection, but must be great fun to drive around (although I suppose he can't).

 

[Poopensharten]

Oh my god!

What an absolute hero of a boy. Batman, he sould be batman.

 

[DIDITNO]

That's just about every car I would ever put in my own fantasy garage. I'd never leave it.

 

[SharkyUK]

S . T . U . N . N . I . N . G !

One of the best private collections I've seen.

 

[Clart]

Anyone else got wood right now?