Simo Lampinen

Lampinen’s success across multiple surface types and rally formats helped elevate Finland as a rallying powerhouse and opened doors for the next generation of Scandinavian champions.

• Saab 96: His primary vehicle in the early 1960s, with which he scored major victories thanks to its traction and reliability in snow and gravel.
• Lancia Fulvia HF: Used for major international victories in the late 1960s, including the 1969 Acropolis Rally.
• Peugeot 504: Drove select events with this car at the close of the 1960s and into the early 1970s.

Lampinen’s transition between front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive cars was seamless, and his feedback was highly valued by factory teams during development testing.

Simo Lampinen was known for calculated aggression and technical smoothness — particularly on fast gravel and icy roads. Despite limited vision in one eye due to polio, he demonstrated extraordinary spatial awareness and control. His ability to preserve the car while maintaining competitive speed made him an asset in endurance rallies. Lampinen's pioneering career helped normalize the idea of rallying as a profession in Finland and demonstrated that physical adversity could be overcome at the highest level of motorsport.

Throughout the 1960s, Lampinen worked with a range of co-drivers including John Davenport and Gunnar Palm. His trust in his co-driver’s timing and ability to process detailed pacenotes contributed to his consistency and success. In an era when rally navigation was growing more sophisticated, Lampinen embraced team communication and stage planning as essential elements of victory.

His professionalism and collaborative mindset helped set a high bar for future Finnish rally pairings and factory team relationships.