The 1979 World Rally Championship was the seventh season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC). The season consisted of 12 rallies, one more than the previous year.
1979 marked the first season for the new World Rally Championship for Drivers. This successor to the preceding FIA Cup for Rally Drivers was aligned with the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers. Both championships used the same schedule of events for accumulating points toward the titles, although the point awarding methods were different for each. Manufacturers continued to receive points under the system adopted in 1977, in which points were garnered for both placement overall and placement within the car's group. Only the top finishing car from each manufacturer would garner points, and regardless of group finish, an overall finish of 10th or better was required to obtain points. Drivers were awarded points on the former system, simply based on overall finish, from 20 points for 1st place to 1 point for 10th place.
After several years of competitive but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to seize the championship, Ford finally gathered its first WRC manufacturer's title. A strong season which included five rally wins gave it the edge over new challenger Datsun, whose 160J (Violet) proved successful, and former champion Fiat. Ford's fortune would be short-lived however, and despite determined and competitive participation in WRC events, 1979 would be the company's sole WRC title until their return to victory in 2006.
The competition for the first WRC driver's title was extremely close, and ultimately was decided by the two contenders placing first and second in the final rally of the season. The final difference between the winner, Swede Björn Waldegård, and the runner-up, Finn Hannu Mikkola, was only a single point.
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| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 World Rally Championship event map | align=center colspan=4 | ||||||
| width=25% | Black = Tarmac | width=25% | Brown = Gravel | width=25% | Blue = Snow/Ice | width=25% | Red = Mixed Surface |
|---|
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 World Rally Championship schedule and results | |||||||
| width=5% rowspan=2 | Round | width=20% rowspan=2 | Rally name | width=5% rowspan=2 | Stages | width=75% colspan=6 | Podium finishers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Driver | Co-driver | Team | Car | Time | |||
| 1 |  Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo (20 January–26 January) | 30 stages 619 km Tarmac | 1 |  Bernard Darniche | Alain Mahé | Team Chardonnet | Lancia Stratos HF | 8:13.38 |
| 2 |  Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius |  Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 8:13.44 | |||
| 3 |  Markku Alén | Ilkka Kivimäki |  Alitalia Fiat | Fiat 131 Abarth | 8:17.47 | |||
| 2 | Swedish Rally (16 February–18 February) | 38 stages 630 km Snow/Ice | 1 | Stig Blomqvist | Björn Cederberg | Saab 99 Turbo | 6:34.49 | |
| 2 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 6:36.09 | |||
| 3 | Pentti Airikkala | Risto Virtanen | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HS | 6:39.31 | ||||
| 3 |  Rallye de Portugal (6 March–11 March) | 45 stages 735 km Tarmac/Gravel | 1 | Hannu Mikkola | Arne Hertz | Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 9:13.52 |
| 2 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 9:16.36 | |||
| 3 | Ove Andersson |  Henry Liddon | Toyota Team Europe | Toyota Celica 2000GT | 9:35.00 | |||
| 4 |  Safari Rally (April 12–16) | 82 controls 5028 km Gravel | 1 | Shekhar Mehta | Mike Doughty | DT Dobie Team Datsun | Datsun 160J | +6:27 pen |
| 2 | Hannu Mikkola | Arne Hertz | DT Dobie Daimler-Benz | Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0 | +7:15 pen | |||
| 3 | Markku Alén | Ilkka Kivimäki | Alitalia Fiat | Fiat 131 Abarth | +7:20 pen | |||
| 5 |  Acropolis Rally (May 28–31) | 54 stages 1008 km Gravel/Tarmac | 1 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Rothmans Rally Team | Ford Escort RS1800 | 13:35.06 |
| 2 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne | N. I. Theocharakis | Datsun 160J | 14:07.04 | |||
| 3 | Harry Källström | Claes Billstam | N. I. Theocharakis | Datsun 160J | 14:11.39 | |||
| 6 |  Rally New Zealand (14 July–18 July) | 42 stages 672 km Tarmac/Gravel | 1 | Hannu Mikkola | Arne Hertz | Masport | Ford Escort RS1800 | 8:05.45,8 |
| 2 | Blair Robson | Chris Porter | Masport | Ford Escort RS1800 | 8:27.03,0 | |||
| 3 | Ari Vatanen | David Richards | Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 8:29.40,8 | |||
| 7 | 1000 Lakes Rally (24 August–28 August) | 45 stages 424 km Gravel | 1 | Markku Alén | Ilkka Kivimäki | Alitalia Fiat | Fiat 131 Abarth | 4:01.11 |
| 2 | Ari Vatanen | David Richards | Rothmans Rally Team | Ford Escort RS1800 | 4:02.42 | |||
| 3 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 4:07.15 | |||
| 8 |  Critérium du Québec (13 September–16 September) | 25 stages 384 km Tarmac/Gravel | 1 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 3:35.32 |
| 2 | Timo Salonen | Seppo Harjanne |  Team Datsun Europe | Datsun 160J | 3:36.10 | |||
| 3 | Ari Vatanen | David Richards | Rothmans Rally Team | Ford Escort RS1800 | 3:41.50 | |||
| 9 | Rallye Sanremo (1 October–7 October) | 66 stages 1078 km Tarmac/Gravel | 1 | Antonio 'Tony' Fassina | Mauro Mannini | Jolly Club | Lancia Stratos HF | 12:37.17 |
| 2 | Walter Röhrl | Christian Geistdörfer | Alitalia Fiat | Fiat 131 Abarth | 12:41.31 | |||
| 3 | Attilio Bettega | Maurizio Perissinot | Fiat 131 Abarth | 12:55.59 | ||||
| 10 | Tour de Corse (2 November–4 November) | 22 stages 1129 km Tarmac | 1 | Bernard Darniche | Alain Mahé | Team Chardonnet | Lancia Stratos HF | 14:36.46 |
| 2 | Jean Ragnotti | Jean-Marc Andrié | Renault 5 Alpine | 15:12.52 | ||||
| 3 | Pierre-Louis Moreau | Patrice Baron | Porsche 911 SC | 15:23.06 | ||||
| 11 | RAC Rally (19 November–23 November) | 56 stages 687 km Gravel/Tarmac | 1 | Hannu Mikkola | Arne Hertz | Ford Motor Company | Ford Escort RS1800 | 8:03.38 |
| 2 | Russell Brookes | Paul White | Andrews Heat For Hire | Ford Escort RS1800 | 8:14.07 | |||
| 3 | Timo Salonen |  Stuart Pegg | Team Datsun Europe | Datsun 160J | 8:16.22 | |||
| 12 | Rallye Côte d'Ivoire (9 December–14 December) | 50 controls 5668 km Gravel | 1 | Hannu Mikkola | Arne Hertz | Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0 | +3:23 pen | |
| 2 | Björn Waldegård | Hans Thorszelius | Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0 | +3:58 pen | ||||
| 3 | Andrew Cowan | Klaus Kaiser | Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0 | +4:10 pen | ||||
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers | Rank | Manufacturer | Event | Total points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MON | SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | NZL | FIN | CAN | ITA | FRA | GBR | CIV | |||||
| 1 | align=left | Ford | 16 | 16 | 18 | - | 18 | 18 | (16) | 18 | (12) | - | 18 | - | 122 | |
| 2 | align=left | Datsun | - | (8) | 14 | 18 | 17 | (6) | 14 | 17 | - | - | 16 | 12 | 108 | |
| 3 | align=left | Fiat | 14 | 12 | - | 15 | - | - | 18 | - | 16 | 12 | 5 | - | 92 | |
| 4 | align=left | Lancia | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | 18 | 11 | - | 65 | |
| 5 | align=left | Toyota | - | - | 16 | - | - | - | 10 | 12 | - | 10 | - | 10 | 58 | |
| 6 | align=left |  Opel | - | 13 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | 13 | - | - | 49 | |
| 7 | align=left | Renault | 11 | - | - | - | 13 | - | - | - | - | 17 | - | - | 41 | |
| 8 | align=left | Mercedes | - | - | - | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | 35 | |
| 9 | align=left | Porsche | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 | 15 | - | - | 32 | |
| 10 | align=left | Vauxhall | - | 14 | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | 31 | |
| 11 | align=left | Peugeot | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | 6 | - | 8 | 22 | |
| 12 | align=left | Saab | - | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | |
| 13 | align=left | Mitsubishi | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 | - | - | - | - | 13 | |
| 14 | align=left | Talbot | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | 12 | |
| 15 | align=left | Audi | - | - | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 | |
| 16 | align=left | Mazda | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | |
| 17 | align=left | Triumph | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | |
| 18 | align=left | Volvo | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| align=left | Škoda | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | ||
| 20 | align=left | Lada | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 World Rally Championship point awards for manufacturers | ||||||||||
| Overall finish | Group finish | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2 | 17 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | 16 | 15 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | - | - | - | - | |
| 7 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | |
| 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | - | - | |
| 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | |
| 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 World Rally Championship for Drivers | Rank | Driver | Event | Total points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MON | SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | NZL | FIN | CAN | ITA | FRA | GBR | CIV | |||||
| 1 | align=left | Björn Waldegård | 15 | 15 | 15 | (6) | 20 | - | 12 | 20 | - | - | (2) | 15 | 112 | |
| 2 | align=left | Hannu Mikkola | 8 | 8 | 20 | 15 | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | 20 | 20 | 111 | |
| 3 | align=left | Markku Alén | 12 | 10 | - | 12 | - | - | 20 | - | 6 | - | 8 | - | 68 | |
| 4 | align=left | Timo Salonen | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | 8 | 15 | - | - | 12 | - | 50 | |
| align=left | Ari Vatanen | 1 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 15 | 12 | - | - | 10 | - | 50 | ||
| 6 | align=left | Bernard Darniche | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | 40 | |
| 7 | align=left | Jean Ragnotti | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | 25 | |
| 8 | align=left | Andrew Cowan | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | 22 | |
| 9 | align=left | Walter Röhrl | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | 3 | - | 21 | |
| 10 | align=left | Stig Blomqvist | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | |
| align=left | Shekhar Mehta | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | ||
| align=left | Antonio 'Tony' Fassina | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | - | 20 | ||
| 13 | align=left | Ove Andersson | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 20 | |
| 14 | align=left | Andy Dawson | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | 20 | |
| 15 | align=left | Pentti Airikkala | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | 16 | |
| 16 | align=left | Blair Robson | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | |
| align=left | Russell Brookes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | 15 | ||
| 18 | align=left | Harry Källström | - | - | - | 2 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | |
| 19 | align=left | Attilio Bettega | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | 12 | |
| align=left | Pierre-Louis Moreau | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | 12 | ||
| 21 | align=left | Michèle Mouton | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | 12 | |
| 22 | align=left | Jean-Claude Andruet | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | |
| align=left | Paul Adams | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | ||
| align=left | Ulf Grönholm | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | ||
| align=left | Tony Pond | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | 10 | ||
| align=left | Alain Coppier | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | 10 | ||
| align=left | Vic Preston, Jr. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 10 | ||
| 28 | align=left | Carlos Torres | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | |
| align=left | Rauno Aaltonen | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | ||
| align=left | Anastasios 'Iaveris' Markouizos | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | ||
| align=left | Shane Murland | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | ||
| align=left | Taisto Heinonen | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | 8 | ||
| align=left | Dario Cerrato | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | 8 | ||
| 34 | align=left | Jean-Pierre Nicolas | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
| align=left | Björn Johansson | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | Harald Demuth | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | Iórgos Moschous | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | David Parkes | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | Lasse Lampi | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | Hendrik Blok | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | Bernard Picone | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | John Taylor | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | 6 | ||
| align=left | Alain Ambrosino | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 6 | ||
| 44 | align=left | Ola Strömberg | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
| align=left | Freddy Kottulinsky | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Mike Kirkland | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Evangelos Gallo | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Brian Green | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Tapio Rainio | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Jack Swayze | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Angelo Presotto | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Paul Rouby | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | 4 | ||
| align=left | Michel Mitri | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4 | ||
| 54 | align=left | Guy Fréquelin | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |
| align=left | Lars Carlsson | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left | Joaquim Santos | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left |  Václav Blahna | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left | Roger Goss | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left | Per Eklund | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left | Claude Laurent | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left | Antonio Tognana | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left | Jean-Pierre Mari | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | ||
| align=left | Jean-Pierre Paure | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | ||
| 64 | align=left | Jacques Alméras | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| align=left |  John Haugland | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| align=left | Jorge Ortigão | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| align=left | Nikolay Elizarov | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| align=left | Malcolm Stewart | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| align=left | Erkki Pitkänen | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| align=left | Nicole Quimet | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| align=left | Domenico 'Nico' Grosoli | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| align=left | Jean Bondrille | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 | ||
| 73 | align=left | Sven-Inge Neby | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | |
| align=left | Marques Baptista | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left | Sandro Munari | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left | Sergey Vukovich | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left | Bob Robb | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left | Pekka Vilpponen | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left | Paul Bourgeois | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left | Paolo Pasutti | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left | Jean-Charles Martinetti | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | ||
| align=left |  Greg Carr | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | ||
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 World Rally Championship point awards for drivers | |||||||||
| Points awarded by finish | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 driver points awarded by nationality | Rank | Country | Top ranked driver | Event | Total points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MON | SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | NZL | FIN | CAN | ITA | FRA | GBR | CIV | ||||||
| 1 | Hannu Mikkola | 21 | 30 | 20 | 35 | 15 | 32 | 66 | 27 | 6 | - | 54 | 20 | 326 | |||
| 2 | Björn Waldegård | 15 | 49 | 31 | 2 | 32 | - | 12 | 23 | - | - | - | 23 | 187 | |||
| 3 | Bernard Darniche | 45 | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | 3 | - | 81 | - | 13 | 152 | |||
| 4 | Andrew Cowan | - | - | 10 | 10 | - | - | - | 10 | 10 | - | 21 | 12 | 73 | |||
| 5 | Tony | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 48 | - | - | - | 48 | |||
| 6 | Blair Robson | - | - | - | - | - | 43 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 43 | |||
| 7 | Shekhar Mehta | - | - | - | 24 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 34 | |||
| 8 | Walter Röhrl | - | - | 6 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | 3 | - | 27 | |||
| 9 | Iaveris | - | - | - | - | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | |||
| 10 | Taisto Heinonen | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | - | - | 15 | |||
| 11 | Carlos Torres | - | - | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | |||
| 12 | Hendrik Blok | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 6 | |||
| 13 | Václav Blahna | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |||
| 14 | Nikolay Elizarov | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | |||
| 15 | John Haugland | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |||
| 16 | Greg Carr | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | |||
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | 1979 team performance | Team | Drivers | Cars | Performance Results | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries | Finishes | Wins | Maker | Driver | |||||
| Ford Motor Company | Björn Waldegård Hannu Mikkola | Ford Escort RS1800 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 86 | 147 | ||
| Alitalia Fiat | Markku Alén Walter Röhrl Sandro Munari | Fiat 131 Abarth | 9 | 8 | 1 | 80 | 82 | ||
| Team Datsun Europe | Timo Salonen Andy Dawson Harry Källström John Haugland Erkki Pitkänen | Datsun 160J | 10 | 6 | - | 61 | 59 | ||
| Team Chardonnet | Bernard Darniche | Lancia Stratos HF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 40 | ||
| Rothmans Rally Team | Björn Waldegård Ari Vatanen | Ford Escort RS1800 Ford Fiesta | 9 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 66 | ||
| Toyota Team Europe | Ove Andersson | Toyota Celica 2000GT | 9 | 2 | - | 26 | 20 | ||
| Masport | Hannu Mikkola Blair Robson | Ford Escort RS1800 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 35 | ||
| DT Dobie Team Datsun | Shekhar Mehta Harry Källström Rauno Aaltonen Mike Kirkland | Datsun 160J | 4 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 34 | ||
| Jolly Club | Tony | Lancia Stratos HF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 20 | ||
| N. I. Theocharakis | Timo Salonen Harry Källström Iórgos Moschous Evangelos Gallo | Datsun 160J | 4 | 4 | - | 17 | 37 | ||
| DT Dobie Daimler-Benz | Hannu Mikkola Andrew Cowan Björn Waldegård | Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0 Mercedes 280 E | 5 | 3 | - | 17 | 31 | ||
| Conrero | Dario Cerrato | Opel Ascona B | 1 | 1 | - | 14 | 8 | ||
| Renault Elf Calberson | Jean Ragnotti | Renault 5 Alpine | 1 | 1 | - | 13 | 10 | ||
| Fiat France | Michèle Mouton Jean-Claude Andruet | Fiat 131 Abarth | 2 | 2 | - | 12 | 14 | ||
| Audi Motorsport | Harald Demuth Freddy Kottulinsky Franz Wittmann | Audi 80 GLE | 10 | 7 | - | 11 | 10 | ||
| Lancia GB | Markku Alén | Lancia Stratos HF | 1 | 1 | - | 11 | 8 | ||
| Team Lopes Correia | Joaquim Santos Joaquim Moutinho | Opel Kadett GT/E | 2 | 1 | - | 9 | 3 | ||
| Dealer Team Vauxhall | Pentti Airikkala | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HS | 1 | 1 | - | 7 | 4 | ||
 Biamar | Václav Blahna | Škoda 130RS | 2 | 1 | - | 6 | 3 | ||
| Autoexport Moskva | Nikolay Elizarov Sergey Vukovich | Lada 21011 | 3 | 2 | - | 4 | 3 | ||
| Nylex | Paul Adams | Ford Escort RS1800 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 10 | ||
| Ford Australia | Greg Carr | Ford Escort RS1800 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | ||
| British Leyland Cars | Per Eklund Graham Elsmore Simo Lampinen | Triumph TR 7 V8 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | ||
| Marshalls | Jean-Claude Lefèbvre | Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| FSO | Andrzej Jaroszewicz | FSO Polonez 2000 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| Aleuropa | Vítor Oliveira | Opel 1204 SL | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| Fiat Kenya | Robin Ulyate | Fiat 131 Abarth | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| Kassidopoulos | Manolis Halivelakis | Toyota Corolla | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| Toyota Team Great Britain | Tapio Rainio | Toyota Celica 2000GT | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
 Opel Dealer Team Holland | Anders Kulläng | Opel Kadett GT/E | 5 | - | - | - | - | ||
| GM Dealer Team New Zealand | Pentti Airikkala | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HS | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| GM Portugal | Mêquêpê | Vauxhall Chevette 2300 HS | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| Opel France | Jean-Louis Clarr | Opel Kadett GT/E | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| Saab Scania | Stig Blomqvist Ola Strömberg | Saab 99 Turbo | 2 | - | - | - | - | ||
| Talbot France | Jean-Pierre Nicolas | Talbot Sunbeam Lotus | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||