Acropolis Rally 1982
Round 6 of the 1982 World Rally Championship · 31 May – 3 June 1982
Michèle Mouton’s most dominant performance: 26 stage wins and a lead held from stage 7 to the finish of the 57-stage Acropolis.
Episode 1 — Birth of a Monster: How Group B Began (1982)
The Acropolis Rally 1982 features in this episode of our documentary series.
At a glance
The podium
Photo: SG2012 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Jiří Sedláček via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Photo: SG2012 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0Car photos are representative pictures of the model, not of this event.
Route and surface
Rough, rocky mountain roads on the Greek mainland and the Peloponnese, in early-summer heat — a car-breaker.
Key entries
The leading seeded crews (start numbers 1–8):
- #1 Walter Röhrl / Christian Geistdörfer — Opel Ascona 400 (Rothmans Opel Team)
- #2 Markku Alén / Ilkka Kivimäki — Lancia Rally 037 (Martini Racing)
- #3 Hannu Mikkola / Arne Hertz — Audi Quattro (Audi Sport)
- #4 Timo Salonen / Seppo Harjanne — Nissan Violet GTS (Nik. J. Theoharakis S.A.)
- #6 Henri Toivonen / Fred Gallagher — Opel Ascona 400 (Rothmans Opel Team)
- #7 Tony Pond / Terry Harryman — Nissan Violet GTS (Nik. J. Theoharakis S.A.)
- #8 Adartico Vudafieri / Maurizio Perissinot — Lancia Rally 037 (Martini Racing)
- #9 Michèle Mouton / Fabrizia Pons — Audi Quattro (Audi Sport)
Michèle Mouton’s most dominant performance: 26 stage wins and a lead held from stage 7 to the finish of the 57-stage Acropolis.
How the rally unfolded
Mikkola’s Quattro was out on stage 3 with broken front suspension, and Markku Alén led briefly in the 037 before the Lancia’s chassis broke on stage 34. Mouton and Pons took the lead on stage 7 and stretched it relentlessly, finishing 13 minutes 39 seconds ahead of Walter Röhrl. Henri Toivonen made it two Opels on the podium.
Kenya’s Shekhar Mehta was fourth for Nissan. Only 32 of 136 starters finished.
The decisive moment
With Mikkola out early and the Lancia not yet reliable, Mouton turned the Acropolis into a demonstration. The win put her firmly in the title fight with Röhrl.
Result — top 10
| Pos. | No. | Crew | Car | Entrant | Gp. | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Michèle Mouton / Fabrizia Pons | Audi Quattro | Audi Sport | G4 | 12:54:44 |
| 2 | 1 | Walter Röhrl / Christian Geistdörfer | Opel Ascona 400 | Rothmans Opel Team | G4 | +13:39 |
| 3 | 6 | Henri Toivonen / Fred Gallagher | Opel Ascona 400 | Rothmans Opel Team | G4 | +22:37 |
| 4 | 12 | Shekhar Mehta / Yvonne Mehta | Nissan Violet | Nik. J. Theoharakis S.A. | G4 | +32:44 |
| 5 | 16 | George Moschous / Alexandros Konstantakatos | Nissan Violet GTS | Nik. J. Theoharakis S.A. | G4 | +42:00 |
| 6 | 10 | Jimmy McRae / Ian Grindrod | Opel Ascona 400 | Rothmans Opel Team | G4 | +45:32 |
| 7 | 20 | Pavlos Moshoutis / Stamatis Stilef | Fiat 131 Abarth | Tre Gazelle | G4 | +1:27:04 |
| 8 | 17 | Alexandros Maniatopoulos / Sokratis Kokkinis | Renault 5 Turbo | Fina A.E. | G4 | +1:42:44 |
| 9 | 67 | Tasos Geminis / John Kepetzis | Nissan 160J | Tasos Geminis | G2 | +3:11:26 |
| 10 | 68 | Fritz Heisler / Walter Blieberger | Ford Escort RS | Fritz Heisler | G2 | +3:15:20 |
Retirements of note
- #2 Markku Alén / Ilkka Kivimäki (Lancia Rally 037) — broken chassis, stage 34
- #3 Hannu Mikkola / Arne Hertz (Audi Quattro) — front suspension, stage 3
- #4 Timo Salonen / Seppo Harjanne (Nissan Violet GTS) — differential, stage 32
- #7 Tony Pond / Terry Harryman (Nissan Violet GTS) — accident, stage 8
- #8 Adartico Vudafieri / Maurizio Perissinot (Lancia Rally 037) — supercharger, stage 5
- #11 Franz Wittmann / Peter Diekmann (Audi Quattro) — steering, stage 34
Results, retirements, stage wins and leaders are taken from Jonkka’s World Rally Archive. Names are given with their correct spelling; the archive itself omits diacritics.
Related pages
- 1982 season overview
- All 1982 rallies
- Previous round: Tour de Corse 1982
- Next round: Rally New Zealand 1982
- Cars: Audi Quattro, Opel Manta 400
- Teams: Audi Sport, Opel
- Iconic moments · Timeline · Statistics
All rounds of 1982
In pictures 4 photos
Photos from this event where free-licensed pictures exist; otherwise the podium cars, photographed on the occasion stated in each caption.
Further resources
- Motor Sport (July 1982): Rally review EN · article · subscription
Contemporary report from Motor Sport magazine's July 1982 issue, written as the season unfolded. - WRC.com season archive 1982 EN · archive
Official summary of the 1982 season: calendar, winners and both championship tables. - Wikipedia: Acropolis Rally EN · archive
History of the Acropolis Rally with its list of winners over the decades. - Acropolis Rally (official site) EN · event
Today's organiser of the Acropolis Rally, with information about the current event.
The same rally in other Group B years
Sources
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive (juwra.com), Acropolis Rally 1982: event page — https://www.juwra.com/acropolis_1982.html
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive, results — https://www.juwra.com/acropolis_1982_results.html
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive, entry list — https://www.juwra.com/acropolis_1982_entries.html
- Jonkka's World Rally Archive, stage winners and leaders — https://www.juwra.com/acropolis_1982_stage_winners.html
- Wikipedia (EN), 1982 World Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_World_Rally_Championship
All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.
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