Lancia’s positioning in the current international automotive scene is almost discouraging: a house of such noble traditions relegated to offering only one model, a small city car, on the market for several years. These are undoubtedly unquestionable industrial choices, but it is challenging to think that a house with such a blazon and a past of absolute technical and sporting excellence deserves such a fate. Some of the solutions commonly found on all cars today, such as load-bearing bodywork and independent suspension, first appeared on Lancia cars, which combined extremely sophisticated and cutting-edge technology with a tradition of quality, elegance, and charm.
The Lancia brand has always been associated with class, discretion, and refinement concepts. It is no coincidence that such renowned cars as the Lambda, Augusta, Aprilia, Aurelia, or Flaminia, for example, have always been preferred by clientele in line with the same prerogatives, such as Maestro Toscanini and the tenor Caruso, Greta Garbo or Prince Rainier of Monaco, Marcello Mastroianni and Brigitte Bardot, Anita Ekberg and Gary Cooper, as well as, and as proof also of the great technical content, bitter rival drivers Nuvolari and Varzi. In the history of racing, the Lancia brand also holds a place of absolute prominence. After having excelled in the 1950s in all specialties, winning the most emblazoned races in the Sport, rally, and Formula 1 categories, Lancia suddenly withdrew from racing following the disappearance of its leading driver, Alberto Ascari, in an accident, moreover, which occurred while he was testing a Ferrari entrusted to another racer.
Ferrari itself would win the world championship the following year using its cars designed by Lancia, which Ferrari had taken over after the unexpected retirement, proving the absolute excellence of the design. But already in the early 1960s, following repeated successes in rallies by private drivers, Lancia began to reconsider the decision it had made until it formed an official Squadra Corse, with activity limited, however, to the rally world alone, which was considered less economically demanding and with more immediate repercussions on sales of current production cars.
With the Flavias, Fulvias,
Stratos, 037s and Deltas, Lancia became the team to beat par excellence, writing some of the most important and exciting chapters in rally history, such as the beauty of 15 world titles won between ’72 and ’92, a dominance interrupted only by the group’s decision to withdraw – once again – the team from racing. The last car employed in this exhilarating adventure was the most successful, even capable of winning the world championship the year after the withdrawal from the competition. Ironically, it was derived from a quiet middle-class car with a mild and elegant character. This was the Delta, introduced in 1979 and derived from a rib of its cousin Fiat Ritmo, of which it was supposed to be the more refined version, aimed at a more demanding clientele, such as Lancia’s.
It was necessary to fill the void left by the Fulvia, and to do so, the group entrusted the task to Giorgio Giugiaro, in the hope that he would repeat the exploit achieved with the Golf, which enabled Volkswagen to transform itself from the factory producing a single, now obsolete model (the “Maggio- lino”) to the international giant we know today. And indeed, Giugiaro re-proposed the angular, geometric lines with minimized overhangs that had already made the Golf a success, enriching them with additional geometric motifs, innovations such as resin bumpers integrated and matching the bodywork, and refinements and equipment of a higher class. The result was a shape of extreme simplicity, but one that exuded an aura of prestige and discretion, beginning with the elegant new Lancia grille inserted between the front headlights. The Delta was immediately elected “Car of the Year” in 1980 by an international jury and met with a fair amount of success as a mid-upper class sedan, in the groove already traced by its progenitors Appia and Fulvia.
Its fate suddenly changed when Lancia, race-winning with the 037 had to face the new Audi Quattro, which had surprised the rally world by being the first to introduce all-wheel drive on four wheels. First, Lancia designed an all-new car with Formula 1 technology, tubular chassis, mid-engine with twin superchargers, and monstrous power. Its name was “Delta S4,” although the production Delta was only vaguely reminiscent of it; it was designed to race in the famous “Group B,” in which cars produced in only two hundred examples were allowed to race. They, therefore, consisted of real monsters with impressive performance, especially considering that they were intended to race not on the track, but narrow hairpin bends and mountain roads, often unpaved or snow-covered, amidst houses, trees, and spectators.
In 1986, following a large number of fatal accidents, Group Bs were banned from competition. Lancia, which in the meantime had introduced to the public a turbocharged 4×4 version of the production Delta to capitalize on the successes of the S4, suddenly found itself with the ideal car to compete in the remaining “Group A,” intended for vehicles built with more than five thousand examples. This car, the Delta HF 4WD equipped with the 2-liter twin-shaft engine from the turbocharged Thema, would win the world championship on its debut, taking advantage of the S4’s transmission scheme but being able to have less than half the power of that one. From this moment on, the Delta saga would be the protagonist, through successive evolutions, of a unique and exciting history, routing the competition with six consecutive world constructors’ titles, four drivers’ titles, 46 overall victories out of 66 participations and constituting a palmares that is still undefeated to this day.
The HF 4WD was still typically Lancia even in its aplomb, differing from the production car only in its round rather than square headlights, timid side skirts, and twin exhaust pipes; a choice in line with Savoy discretion and the company’s philosophy of banishing all ostentation, under the banner of being and not appearing. It is no coincidence that in those years, the image of Lancia (and in particular of the Delta) was linked to a commercial that became a true 1980s cult, with the famous claim “Oui, je suis Catherine Deneuve,” whispered by the refined French actress as she stepped out of a Delta LX. The styling and equipment of the later versions would adapt to the demands of racing, which dictated the widening of track widths, the increased sizing of mechanical parts, and the need to make cooling devices compatible.
Gradually more and more muscular and aggressive, but seductive and in their way elegant versions would result, accomplice perhaps to the winning image and immense prestige meanwhile won by the Delta. The HF would then be followed by the HF Integrale, with enlarged fenders, new air intakes, and more power, and then the HF Integrale 16V, 4 valves per cylinder, bulge on the hood, and a further increase in power; the two Evoluzione versions would follow, commonly called “Evo,” with even wider fenders and track, differing mainly in the presence, in the last one, of the catalytic converter. The Integrals are at the pinnacle of the Delta universe, the most desirable and coveted, thanks to the exceptional albeit sometimes brutal performance, the proverbial ride quality, and the extraordinary road holding, although to drive it to the limit, one needs to be an experienced driver…
The Integrale is a true Queen; as such, it certainly does not give confidence; it demands attention and respect, which it compensates for by eliciting honors and admiration everywhere, like a proper international cult object. The highly sought-after Evo versions, especially those declined in special limited-edition editions, have reached very high va- lutations, often exceeding 150 thousand euros, except for official examples that have raced, which often exceed half a million, as is also the case for the sporadic S4s that occasionally change hands. For those who prefer to combine the charm of yesteryear with state-of-the-art technology, multiple world rally champion – precisely with the Delta – Miki Biason, together with first-rate ex-Lancia technicians, produces in limited numbers, a small batch of “Evo 3,” that is, that model that was under study precisely when Lancia left the competition and was therefore never commercialized.
Biasion’s signature 8 “definitive” Deltas, named “Evo Martini Racing,” are the result of revisiting existing Integrals, updated with Group A specifications but using modern materials, state-of-the-art paintwork, and current electronic control units. The result is the increase with a huge leap upward of all the main features, handling, safety, brakes, horsepower, performance, balance, comfort, and….lastly, the price; we are talking about figures over 300 thousand euros, in the almost impossible eventuality of finding available examples yet.
