Rauno Aaltonen, the classic Mini and a speedy Christmas present - A MINI Christmas fairy tale from the Finnish forests

What could give a world-famous rallying legend a pre-Christmas joy at the end of a year dominated by lockdown? MINI had an idea: Rauno Aaltonen, winner of the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally in a classic Mini, was surprised in his Finnish homeland with a festive greeting on four wheels. He is known around the world as the “rally professor”, but too much theory eventually spoils even the happiest of experts. Rauno Aaltonen had to spend the past eight months at home in his Finnish homeland due to the applicable lockdown regulations. No excursions on the rally slope, no trial of strength in historical races, no practical courses with racing enthusiastic students. Aaltonen is now 82 years old, but the tingling sensation in his gas foot has never subsided, and his impressive level of fitness still allows him to grapple with the steering wheel. Never before, he says, has he had to do without driving for as long as in the pandemic year 2020. And, no, he was really not made for retirement