LONDON  - Finland's Marcus Gronholm gave world champions Ford their first British rally win in 27 years on Sunday.

Gronholm, who led through all three days of the season-ending race, finished one minute 35.5 seconds ahead of Austrian Manfred Stohl's Peugeot.

Norwegian Subaru driver Petter Solberg was third, a further 19.7 seconds back.

It was former world champion Gronholm's seventh victory of the season and meant he finished one point behind Frenchman Sebastien Loeb in the drivers' standings.

Loeb was crowned champion for the third successive year in October,
even though he has not raced since breaking an arm in a fall off a mountain bike the previous month.