There is always a Kerry connection but this time there are four.

There is always a Kerry connection but this time there are four.

Photos by MH Sport Photography
Well-known Killarney-born, London-based rally man Mick Smith has built a reputation for owning and competing in a wide range of cars over the years.
He is best known for his long association with Rootes / Chrysler / Talbot machinery like Avengers, Sunbeam Stilettos and even Hillman Imps.
But he has also rallied a big Volvo and has just prepared an ex-circuit-racing BMW E30 3 Series for stage use.
That BMW 325, made its debut last Saturday at the Phil Collings Memorial South Downs Stages at the famous Goodwood circuit.
Because Smith is always moving from one project to the next, many of his former cars have passed through his Bracknell workshop.
As soon as a new build arrives, an older one has to be sold to make space.
It is unusual, however, for four of his former cars to turn up at the same event.
That is exactly what happened at the recent Killarney Historic Rally.
Pat Canny and Sinead Canny finished second in class in a Talbot Sunbeam they bought from Smith specifically for the 2024 Killarney event.

Maurice Cullen and John Cullen ran a Hillman Imp Californian, a rare version of an already rare car, and they won their class in the machine that once passed through Smith’s hands.

In the Modified Rally, James Symington and Henry Jennings finished fifth in class in the Hillman Avenger that Smith drove in both the 2021 Kerry Winter Rally and the 2021 Killarney Historic Rally.

The Volvo that James O’Mahony drove in Killarney earlier this month also previously lived in Smith’s garage.

There is always a Kerry link but this time there were four.

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