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Rally legend Timo Makinen has died at the age of 79

23rd November 1965:  Finnish rally driver Timo Makinen leaving Perth after a Royal Automobile Club race.  (Photo by Trevor Humphries/Central Press/Getty Im
Image: Finnish Rally legend Timo Makinen has passed away at the age of 79

Timo Makinen, one of the original flying Finns of world rallying, has died at the age of 79

Makinen drove a Ford Escort to victory in the Wales Rally three times in a row between 1973 and 1975.

His death was announced by his son in a Facebook post late Thursday, Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported, without specifying the exact cause.

The Helsinki-born driver won the Monte Caro Rally (1965) in a Mini Cooper S and tasted glory on home soil when he claimed a hat-trick of 1000 Lakes Rally wins between1965-1967.

British car of the sixties, the Austin Morris Mini, driven by Finnish rally driver Timo Makinen.   (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)
Image: 'The Flying Finn' enjoyed great success behind the wheel of a Mini in the 1960s

Makinen won the 1967 race despite having to drive with his head half stuck out of the Mini's window because the leather stripes holding down the car's bonnet broke.

"We did about 12 of the 25 kilometres like that," Makinen recalled after the race. "I was third fastest, even though I could hardly see where I was going - the drag was terrible too.

"I kept trying to put my head out of the window, but the crash helmet was too big! I threw the car sideways this way and the other to try and get a view from the side windows."

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