The Rally of Portugal has always emphasized values such as speed and daring. It began with a Portuguese winner, resisted the impositions of the dictatorship and avoided fuel shortages. The first years were crucial for its international consolidation.
The rally was first organized by the TAP Sports and Cultural Group and, from 1975, by the Automóvel Club de Portugal. The event was a real adventure and a marathon on roads that were as difficult as they were spectacular, and it quickly gained international fame. The special classifications were of relative importance, as rallies were decided in the liaison sectors, on roads open to the public, with strict time controls and "stolen" kilometers. César Torres never spared any machine or driver, and the winner was the one with the fewest penalties.
The first edition of the TAP International Rally took place in 1967, with the peculiarity that the drivers started from ten European cities where the flag carrier airline was present. The participants gathered in San Sebastian, Spain, where the rally really began, with 2,332 km, six stages, eight classifications and dozens of strict time controls. After four days of intense competition, the rally ended in Estoril with the victory of José Carpinteiro Albino, in a Renault 8 Gordini, who received a prize of 60 contos (300 euros).
The 1968 TAP International Rally also went down in history with 190 participants, a record that still stands today. The following year, the organization gained international recognition when it disqualified winner Tony Fall for having entered the final scrutineering with two "hangers-on" in the Lancia Fulvia HF 1600, the third being his girlfriend... This was the nice way the organization found to disqualify the famous English driver, since there was a strong suspicion that he had changed cars during the last night of the rally. Francisco Romãozinho's victory in the factory Citroën DS 21 will go down in history.
The race was consolidated on an international level and the best drivers in the world wanted to race in Portugal. In 1970 it entered the European Championship and three years later the first World Rally Championship, all thanks to the determination of Alfredo César Torres and the work of his team.
The last edition during the dictatorship took place from March 20 to 23, 1974, but was not held due to the oil crisis and fuel rationing. The Portuguese government ordered the suspension of motor sports events, which provoked a strong reaction from César Torres. The then race director received permission to hold the TAP Rally with gasoline supplied by Venezuela, but in a shorter version and without concentration routes. César Torres' political instinct achieved what the organizers of the Monte Carlo and Swedish rallies could not, and the Portuguese event was the first in the 1974 World Championship.
Fiat dominated an extremely tough rally, the drivers had practically no rest, with Raffaele Pinto winning at the wheel of the Fiat 124 Abarth. It was the last edition of the TAP International Rally and the last during the dictatorship. One month later, Portugal regained its freedom.