Gallery: the splendid Eifel Rally

There's something deeply satisfying about watching old rally cars scything across - and occasionally into - some scenery. Which is why the TG office's collective root-fizz reached critical levels when we saw the aftermath of the Eifel Rally, Germany, which took place last weekend.

The two-day historic rally demo event stretched over ten stages and 330km on the roads around the Eifel mountains - the same ones you'll find the Nurburgring hiding in.

150 really rather lovely old machines took part, including two Audi Quattro S1s, several Ford Escort RS200's, a Metro 6R4 or three, Lancia Delta, Triumph TR7, Renault Alpine, and even a Trabant.

Most of which even managed to stay shiny side up. Though there were quite a few toe-curling crashes. An uphill hairpin onto a cobbled surface followed by a hairpin right saw two Lancia 037s dive off the road, Gabrielle Mahler slid her ex-Safari Porsche 911 wide on a left-hand hairpin and added a new crease to the bodywork, and another 911 Safari had an unfortunate altercation with a tree, restyling the front rather dramatically. Luckily, everyone escaped with minor injuries.

Some rally heroes were also on hand to show everyone how it was done. Guest drivers included Björn Waldegård, Stig Blomqvist, Walter Röhrl, Armin Schwartz, Philippe Wambergue, Sepp Wiegand, Harald Demuth, Aaron Burkart, Hans Schuller and Yvonne Mehta.

Now click forth to see them reshape Germany....

We'll stick to the TomTom...

This is the car that inspired the tantalising Renault Alpine A110-50 concept

Home of the brave...

Pre-rescultping, this 911 was having rather a lot of fun. 

This Opel Ascona is heavily endowed with AWESOME.

Bathing facilities were rudimentary but effective. 

The last time we saw one of these it was tucked up in Parisian museum...

Not quite as cool as its group B cousin, but just as sideways

One of the few Triumph TR7s it's acceptable to covet. 

Golf gets skyward

Audi Quattro like letting all the smoke out of their tyres

Rally-spec Ferrari - we would like this please. 

You'll be seeing more of this Porsche rather soon. Stay tuned to TopGear.com...

If you listen carefully you can hear the sharp clap of buttocks clenching

Looks like a bit of a handful. Is. See TopGear.com for more

Audi - defining Group B since 1983

Looks just a tiny bit evil, doesn't it?

Lancia nourishes the crowd with SIDEWAYS

Opel lock stops are an unusually popular spare part in Germany

Most of these made it back in one piece

Early 911 experiments with water cooling...

Peugeot T16 - museum musheum...

Lancia Delta jumping for joy

Rear-wheel drive, big power and mud will result in MASSIVE GREAT BIG SKIDS

Peugeot 205 T16 has a cheeky mid-race graze

Jumpy MkI Ford Escort managed to avoid falling off an Eifel. Lovely, isn't it?

This is a Borgward Isabella, if you were wondering

And one last look at that Alpine. Hard. As. Nails.