Ewy Rosqvist (1929–2024) was a trailblazing Swedish rally driver who rose to international fame at a time when motorsport was almost entirely dominated by men. Through a combination of skill, endurance, and determination, she not only competed at the highest levels but proved she could outperform her male counterparts.
Her defining moment came in 1962, when she entered the gruelling Argentine Turismo Standard Grand Prix, one of the most demanding endurance rallies in the world. Driving a Mercedes-Benz alongside co-driver Ursula Wirth, Rosqvist delivered a historic performance: she won every stage of the race and set a new speed record. In doing so, she became the first woman to win a major international rally outright, a milestone that challenged long-standing assumptions about women in motorsport.
Before her breakthrough on the global stage, Rosqvist had already built an impressive résumé. She won the European Rally Championship’s women’s category three consecutive times from 1959 to 1961 and secured victories in several prominent Scandinavian rallies. Rosqvist’s success earned her factory drives with major manufacturers such as Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, further cementing her place in the sport.
Therefore, she was more than a worthy candidate for FIVA’s Hall of Fame, into which she was inducted in a very sublime event on Saturday, the 18th of April, at the Bil-och Teknikmuseet museum, at Köping, in Sweden, with board members of the Swedish Mercedes-Benz club in attendance, as well as Hans Anderson and Karl Ask from the Swedish ANF MHRF. FIVA’s Director of the Utilitarian Commission Timo Vuortio and Gautam Sen were the two representatives from FIVA to do the honours. Members of Ewy Rosqvist’s family – including her brother Gert Jönelid, his daughter Eva Jönelid; her nephew Jörgen Jönsson and his daughter Nellie Jönsson – accepted the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens Hall of Fame trophy on behalf of the late rally driver.
Image Credits: Karl Ask, Gautam Sen, Timo Vuortio