The Goodwood Festival of Speed's popular forest rally stage would not be complete without the presence of rallying's most iconic brand - Lancia - and this year  was to be no different with a swage of glorious Italian winners turning back the clock to the appreciation of the huge crowds.

From the Fulvia to the Integrale, Lancia was in rampant form on the world rally scene for many decades and the mouth watering line-up of proven, winning machines that roared back into action at Goodwood earlier this month reminded the thousands of nostalgic fans, who trooped up to the demanding stage arduously hauled up the rutted tracks in large trailers, of the glorious years before the Italian brand forgot that proving itself competitively in the toughest of motorsports arenas has been a core component of its philosophy every since Vincenzo Lancia realised his dream a century ago.

The oldest representative from the Lancia stable at Goodwood this year was a beautifully preserved Fulvia HF from 1973 in red and white Marlboro colours. The last of the breed of successful breed of 1.6-litre Flat 4 cylinder-engined machines this car was used by Sandro Munari on his way to the 1973 European Rally Championship title and includes victory on the Rally San Martino di Castrozza that year in its roll call of honours. It was entered and driven at the Festival by Alessandro Carrara. Other historic machines to line up with the Fulvia in this historic class included the Alpine-Renault A110, Skoda 120S, Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600 and several examples of the Austin/Morris Mini Cooper S.

The immortal Stratos, a machine that defied convention and was designed from scratch to bring trophies back to Turin, turns heads wherever it goes. This 1974 built 2.4-litre V6 example was no different and it was entered in Class 51: The Birth Of Stage Rallying - Heroes Large And Small That Shaped Stage Rallying Prior To 1981. The Stratos story hardly need retelling, possibly the most famous rally car ever to be built it defied it fragility to collect three manufacturers' titles. The example in action at Goodwood was entered by Steve Perez and in a moment of true nostalgia it was driven by Bjorn Waldegaard, who demonstrated that the saying once a rally driver - always a rally driver holds true, showing all his skill and speed as he powered the car around the tricky course. At a festival such as Goodwood where only the finest racing machines are celebrated it is hard to find a class where Italian cars don't steal the show, and it was to be no different in Class 51 where the Stratos was joined by the Fiat 131 Abarth and Ferrari 308 GTB. The 131 Abarth, which brought Fiat a hat-trick of world titles, was one built in 1975 and it was entered and driven up the stage by Wayne Loveland. The Ferrari 308 GTB, from 1976, was the only example to be built to RHD specifications by Worswick Engineering in 1981. Tony Worswick campaigned the car from 1982 to 1986 in prestigious rallies and he was back behind the wheel of the stunning machine for the Festival. Other cars taking part in this class included a brace of Rothmans-liveried Ford Escort RS1800s and a pair of Talbot Sunbeam Lotus', one of which was driven by Russell Brookes.

Rallying's most exciting era was the time of the legendary GpB machines, cars that redefined the genre, and at Goodwood Lancia's gorgeous 037 Rally was well represented in Class 53: Legendary Group B Cars - The High-Tech Rally Cars That Got So Fast They Had To Be Banned. Despite being only 2WD the 037 Rally stole the 1983 manufacturers' title away from the 4WD Audis and the former factory car at the Festival, built in 1983, and entered and driven by David Kedward, was in full Safari Rally-specification and had been campaigned in African rallying by Vic Preston Jnr. The second example to tackle the stage was a former Grifone machine that is a Festival regular, built in 1984 it is an 'evoluzione' version and was used by Fabrizio Tabaton to clinch second place on the Italian Rally Championship and snatch the GpB title. At the Festival it was entered and driven by Robert Whitehouse. There were also three Audi Quattros, ranging from the A2 to the Sport S1, both of which were driven by another legend, Hannu Mikkola, as well as a Nissan 240 RS, Peugeot 205T16, Toyota Celica Twin Cam, Metro 6R4, Ford RS200, Opel Manta 400, the Porsche 953 which was built to especially win the Paris-Dakar Rally, and the ultra-rare and uncompetitive Citroën BX 4TC.

No celebration of rallying success would be complete without the inclusion of the legendary 2.0-litre turbocharged Integrale, a car that brought an amazing six consecutive manufacturers' titles back to Turin and elevated the Lancia name to levels of prestige and desirability that are almost unimaginable today. At Goodwood a commemoration of the era of the 1990s and early 2000s, in the class: Giants Of Modern Rallying, included a 1993-built Integrale which originally appeared in Martini colours before being campaigned by the Jolly Club and driven by Carlos Sainz in Repsol livery; it thrilled the crowds and relived cherished memories. It was entered and driven by Mike Rimmer. Also in this popular class was an example of the Subaru Legacy RS, Subaru Impreza WRC, Nissan Sunny GTi, Toyota Celica ST205, Ford Focus RS WRC.