Mouton, one of the most successful and best-known female rally drivers of all time, opens Race Retro at the International Historic Motorsport Show at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry on Saturday (24 Mar).
The 55-year-old French lady driver, still the only woman to win a round of the World Rally Championship outright, swept the Audi to a then record time of 11mins 25.39secs in Colorado.
The 12.42-mile course featured over 150 corners and climbed almost 5,000ft in elevation.
“I was very pleased to win the race for myself – it was the first outright victory ever scored by a woman – and proud for Audi as it was the first time a European manufacturer’s rallycar had won –it was something very special to beat the Americans on their home ‘soil’,“ remembers Michelle.
Painstakingly restored to its original glory by rally quattro specialist, John Hanlon, from Manchester, Mouton drives her famous 1985 Pikes Peak near 500-bhp Audi Sport quattro again after 22-years.
Michelle continues: “I was used to driving this Audi but the problem was the altitude. It starts at almost 9,500ft above sea level and we had to make adjustments to the electronic gearbox and turbocharger.
“The hillclimb itself was very difficult as it’s very fast and quite narrow with no markers and sheer drops off the side - the event’s ‘Race to the Clouds’ title is very true - and I think it was probably the toughest challenge in my career.
“There had been problems in testing which meant I wasn’t allowed to drive my car to the start, mechanics instead pushing me to the line, which made me mad and very determined. I really wanted to win, so I pushed very hard - sometimes almost too hard.”
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