Lancia: 30 Years of Glory
STORY | Jack Scarpino
PHOTOGRAPHY | Hunter Courtin
They were never the fastest cars on the road or the most popular posters on the wall, but for nearly three decades, Lancia ruled the world of rally. Founded in 1906 in Turin, Italy, Lancia built a reputation as a company that looked at car building differently. From its earliest days, Lancia pushed automotive technology forward, debuting technology decades before its competitors. Innovations like unibody construction, the five-speed gearbox, the first production V6 engine, and independent suspension all saw their introductions in Lancias before the 1950s. This commitment to experimentation, combined with the Italian tradition of motorsport, led Lancia to build some of the most successful and unique competition vehicles of all time.
After finding some racing success in the 1950s, Lancia pivoted away from competition to focus on the production of road cars. But in 1965, Lancia acquired the privateer team “HF Squadra Corse,” which had been rallying the front-wheel drive Fulvia to some success, and the automaker’s competitive streak picked up once again. Between 1965 and 1973, the Fulvia won the Italian Rally Championship every year but one, and in 1972 Lancia scored enough points two races before the end of the season to seal their overall win in the International Championship for Manufacturers (which became the World Rally Championship the following year). Between 1973 and 1992, Lancia absolutely dominated in the highest echelons of rally racing. Thirty years on and Lancia still holds the record for most manufacturer championships with a spectacular 10 wins.
LANCIA FULVIA HF
In 1963 Lancia debuted its Fulvia line of cars. Comprised of a four-door sedan, a coupe, and a Zagato-designed fastback, these high-end, front-wheel-drive cars were developed for the city, with all the engineering mastery Lancia was known for composed in a tiny package. Under the hood, Lancia developed a unique narrow-angle V4, mounted ahead of the front axle. Originally displacing just over one liter, the Fulvia’s engine had a single head shared between both banks of cylinders that breathed through a single Solex carburetor. The Fulvia has a fully independent front suspension and came standard with four-wheel disc brakes, both of which were a rarity on standard production cars at the time. Although the Fulvia was far from the most powerful car available at the time, these design choices made it extremely nimble and proved to be an excellent framework for creating a spectacular competition car.
Upon Lancia’s acquisition of HF Squadra Corse, the company set out to turn the Fulvia into a contender in the rally space and in doing so, developed the Fulvia 1.3 HF. To create the HF, Lancia increased engine displacement to 1.3 liters and replaced the doors, hood, and decklid with lightweight aluminum panels. This brought output to more than 100 horses and weight down to just under 2,000 pounds, making the Fulvia HF uniquely capable on tight rally roads. Over two years of production, Lancia built just 882 Fulvia 1.3 HFs and few original cars remain to this day. This example shown here was provided by a local collector and, under the care of Shannon Low, it has been upgraded to an even higher specification over the years. A hotter set of race camshafts, a flow balanced head, and a blueprinted engine bring the power to over 120 horsepower in this example. The Fulvia’s unique engine design gives the car a special sound when underway and, thanks to the dual Dellorto carburetors, makes all of the pops and crackles you could ever want when you get off the throttle. According to Lowe, the car features none of the handling characteristics you would expect from a car with a front-wheel-drive layout. A large swath of woodgrain dominates the minimalist interior, with all the dials laid right in front of the driver, and that classic Italian thin-rimmed wood steering wheel provides excellent steering feedback. When driving the car, the steering is light enough to change direction with a single finger and the engine is eager to pull right to its redline in every gear.
LANCIA STRATOS HF
With the changeover from the International Championship for Manufacturers to the World Rally Championship in 1973, Lancia could see the Fulvia losing its edge over the competition. Knowing that they needed a car with more power while retaining the nimble, tossable nature of the Fulvia, Lancia brought in famed Italian design house Bertone. Known for pushing the limits of design with their prior projects, Bertone took Lancia into a whole new realm with the Stratos HF. The original brief called for the first car designed from a clean sheet for rally use, and the collaboration exceeded expectations with what is widely considered one of the most beautiful and striking car designs ever created.
When it came to finding an engine for the Stratos, Lancia tried a number of powerplants from its lineup, but nothing provided the characteristics that they wanted. At the same time, Ferrari was winding down production of the Dino and, after some creative negotiation, Lancia secured 500 Ferrari 2.4-liter V6s for its new rally car. In 1973, Lancia passed the homologation process for the Stratos for the 1974 World Rally Championship season and the car won the series every year between 1974 and 1976. Even as Fiat, Lancia’s owners, began to phase out the Stratos in favor of the Fiat 131 Abarth, privateer racers continued to win World Rally Championship races in the Stratos as late as 1979.
This immaculate Stratos is under the care of Griot’s Motors in Tacoma and presents like a brand-new car. For all that power and prestige, the Stratos is a deceptively small car in person, with an 85.8” wheelbase and a roof that rises to just over 3.5 feet off the ground. Even surrounded by other world class cars, the glowing orange paintwork on the Stratos draws the eye, especially when complimented by a set of gold Campagnolo wheels. The entire rear of the car is a single unit and opens to reveal the twin-cam Ferrari engine nestled within the rear subframe. Space is at a premium inside the Stratos, with a pair of tan suede bucket seats atop an orange carpet dominating the landscape. Interior design was clearly not front of mind when the car evolved from its racing version, as the windows are on a lightweight sliding mechanism and only open about half-way, and the single-piece fiberglass door cards are molded so a racing helmet can be stored in each door.
LANCIA 037 STRADALE
In 1980, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile announced a new racing class known as Group B. Starting in the 1982 season, Group B had limited technological restrictions on the vehicles entered, requiring only 200 cars to be built for full homologation. This new set of rules let manufacturers’ imaginations drive the ship, resulting in some of the fastest and most fascinating race cars ever produced. Lancia’s first entry to this class was the 037 Stradale. What looks like an updated version of the Stratos was in fact a clean-sheet design, produced in a partnership between Pininfarina, Abarth, and Dallara. The 037 shape was loosely based on the Lancia Montecarlo but featured a full Kevlar body and a longitudinally mounted, supercharged inline-four behind the driver. After a rough 1982 season plagued with mechanical issues, the 037 went on to win the 1983 Group B Manufacturers Championship for Lancia once again, competing against the far more advanced Audi Sport Quattros. Lancia was the final rear-wheel-drive holdout in Group B with the 037 but with the competition developing more capable all-wheel-drive cars, the 037s racing career had come to an end.
Between 1982 and 1984, Lancia produced 207 road-going 037 Stradales for rally homologation. The Stradale strikes a unique balance between streetcar and thinly veiled race car; upon opening the featherweight door, you step down over an integrated roll cage and into remarkably plush velour seats. Although the car is diminutive on the outside, once settled in the seats, there is plenty of room for two occupants. This car is owned by the Rimmer Collection, handled by collection manager Sean Medcroft. First impressions of this car would lead you to believe it is a temperamental, harsh race car with little more than some comfy seats and carpet separating it from its race car brethren, but Medcroft is quick to dispel that notion. “It is a very raw experience,” Medcroft grants, “but the suspension is compliant, and the car is easy to drive.” Even though the engine displaces a mere two liters, its buzzy, aggressive sound dominates the cockpit while driving and the supercharger whine adds an extra layer of excitement to the experience.
LANCIA DELTA S4
Group B’s largely open rulebook meant that manufacturers were able to experiment with different drivetrain layouts and engine choices. In 1983, Audi brought its highly modified Sport Quattro to the Rally Championship and almost immediately made rear-wheel-drive Group B cars obsolete. With a turbocharged inline-five cylinder positioned well over the front axle and an advanced all-wheel-drive system, the car was absolutely dominant on loose surface sections while providing extra handling confidence on tarmac. With just a few years of racing under the 037’s belt, it was time for Lancia to develop its answer to the all-wheel-drive revolution. For the 1985 season, Lancia created the Delta S4. What is known as a “silhouette” car, the S4’s design was based on the current Delta model in production but in reality, shared nothing with the road car. Cut down from four to two doors, the Delta S4 was powered by a truly cutting edge “twin-charged” inline-four engine mounted in the middle of the car. Designed to overcome the notoriously laggy turbocharging of the time, twin-charging offered a supercharger to provide boost in lower rpm situations, while the turbo provided a second kick of power after 4,500 rpm. Producing nearly 500 horsepower in race trim, the engine sent power to all four wheels through a unique Hewland all-wheel-drive system.
To comply with Group B rules, Lancia said it built 200 Delta S4 Stradales for homologation purposes, although the general consensus is that fewer than 100 examples made it to production, with the fabled creative Italian accounting for the rest. Between 1985 and 1986, while the cars were in production, an S4 would run you about the same cost as five of the highest end Delta Turbos at the time and sales were slow. This silver car is another member of the Rimmer Collection handled by Sean Medcroft and has covered less than 3,000 km total. The first thing that strikes you when inspecting the car is the lengths that Lancia took to turn this race car into a proper road car, with swaths of red Alcantara lining the seats and lower dash, and modern conveniences like power steering and air conditioning. Medcroft calls attention to how much more refined the S4 is compared to the 037, going so far as to say it was “a car you can comfortably take on a road trip.” He also mentions that the more powerful twin-charged engine feels crisper than the 037 and the two forms of forced induction provide a more linear powerband all the way to redline.
For all the creativity the Group B rules allowed manufacturers, safety was of minimal concern. After numerous catastrophic crashes, the Group B class was canceled after the 1986 season. From here on, manufacturers’ build freedom was limited by the requirements of Group A, which required production of over 5,000 units to homologate new rally cars.
LANCIA DELTA HF INTEGRALE EVO II
After Group B’s demise, manufacturers scrambled to put together a car that would be eligible and competitive in the new top Group A class. Luckily for Lancia, the Delta HF Turbo was already in production and a natural fit for the class. Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, a version of the Delta Turbo was available with all-wheel-drive and Lancia essentially picked up where they left off. They found immediate success with the car and took home a Manufacturers Championship in 1987. As they continued to improve the car season after season, they racked up wins; between 1987 and 1992, Lancia was undefeated in the Manufacturers Championship. Improvements developed in rally models quickly found their way into the road cars. The now-iconic box flares allowed for wider wheels and more suspension travel; a larger rear wing helped the car on tarmac stages; and an upgraded 16-valve head meant more power at the top end. Developed to meet Group A’s rules, road-going versions of the rally car were far easier to produce than their Group B counterparts, and between 1987 and 1994, Lancia produced over 44,000 Delta Integrales for public consumption.
As technology progressed in rally, Lancia continued to unveil updated versions of the road car. Starting with the eight-valve, new road versions moved in concert with the race car, culminating in what became known as the Evo I and Evo II. The Evos are a combination of everything that makes the Delta Integrale so sought after: a lowered suspension with the wheels perfectly filling out the box flares; an aerodynamic bodykit with a deep front airdam and massive rear wing; a turbocharged 16-valve inline-four in its highest state of tune; and heavily bolstered Recaro sport seats covered in Alcantara or leather. This white Evo I is owned by George Robusti out of Portland, Oregon. Robusti spent his early years living in Italy and was captivated by Group A racing and the Delta Integrale in particular. After searching for years, he found this white Evo I in the UK around 2018 and imported it to the US himself. For Robusti, the car is a dream to drive, and he is particularly fond of the interior that “smells like an Italian wallet.” Whether going for a quick drive around town or a blast on some curvy roads, Robusti frequently finds himself walking past the other cars in his garage and grabbing the keys to the Integrale.
After Lancia pulled out of the World Rally Championship in 1992, privateers continued to race the Delta Integrale for one more season before Lancia’s rally era drew to a close. In under 30 years, Lancia set a record that still stands today as the most successful manufacturer in World Rally Championship history, and the beauty, engineering ingenuity, and heritage of these cars continues to inspire enthusiasts and racers alike.
