Pauli Toivonen

Pauli Toivonen (1929–2005) was one of the most prominent Finnish drivers of the generation prior to the absolute Nordic dominance in the World Championship. He competed actively between the 1950s and early 1970s, at a time when the World Rally Championship did not yet exist as such (it was created in 1973), but when events like Monte Carlo already carried enormous prestige. His greatest international achievement was victory at the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally, at the wheel of a Citroën DS 21. He was also European Rally Champion in 1968, a title that at the time carried more weight than the World Championship itself in its early years. Throughout his career he competed with manufacturers such as Citroën, Porsche and Lancia, standing out for his consistency rather than for the spectacular driving style of the "Flying Finns" of later generations. He was also the father of Henri Toivonen, one of the great figures of Group B in the 1980s.