Lancia Fulvia Coupe (1969)

Lancia was crowned World Rally Champion 11 times between 1972 and 1992, making it the most successful manufacturer in WRC history. This glorious history started with Fulvia Coupe of the late 60s. Based on the Fulvia saloon range, Coupe was developed with rallying very much in mind. It got a pretty look, a special V4

engine in a lightweight body. Classic car collectors praised its overall versatility.

The highlight was the V4 engine. Two banks located closely with a V angle of merely 12 degrees so that only a single cylinder head is needed. Single overhead camshafts per bank was covered by the same cam cover like any conventional DOHC inline-4 engine. The result was more compact dimension than a straight four yet increased little production cost. 25 years later, Volkswagen copied that to make their VR6 engine.

The 1.6 HF version with 115 horsepower enabled good performance. In racing form, it was even tuned to 154hp. Since 1970, it was offered with a ZF 5-speed gearbox. Weight saving by means of aluminium alloy doors, bonnet and boot lid contributed to the impressive 900 kg kerb weight. Therefore, despite having less power than BMW 2002, the Italian car could out-handle the German opponent in challenging tight roads. Its victory in the 1972 WRC approved this.

Specifications

Model	Fulvia 1.6HF Coupe
Year of production	1969-73
No. produced	4,948
Layout, gearbox	Front-engined, Rwd, 5M
Engine	12deg V4, sohc, 2v/cyl.
Capacity	1584 c.c.
Power	115 hp
Torque	113 lbft
Weight	900 kg
Top speed	103 mph*
0-60 mph	9.4 sec*

* Tested by Autocar

Lancia Stratos (1974)

Styled by Marcello Gandini of Bertone studio, Lancia Stratos was one of the most dramatic looking cars ever built. Featuring curvy windscreen and wedge-shape body, it was thought to be more like a UFO than a car when it made debut in 1974.

The birth of Stratos was contributed mostly by Fiat, Ferrari and Bertone rather than Lancia itself. After taking over the troublesome Lancia in 1969, Fiat wanted to create a Lancia rally car for image boosting. It knew that designing a winning car was very difficult. Although Bertone studio was eager to design and build the mid-engined chassis, the power plant was still the main problem. Fiat had no suitable engine, nor Abarth can design one immediately. Luckily, Ferrari (another subsidiary of Fiat) supplied its Dino V6 to Lancia and the Stratos project finally came true.

In then, Dino 2.4 V6 was the best V6 in the world. Compact, powerful and smooth. Dohc per bank allowed 190 hp and 166 lbft from a modest displacement of 2418 c.c.. Mounted in the middle of the car, this gave Stratos advantage in handling over contemporary rally cars. The chassis was purely designed and built by Bertone. Basically, the cockpit section was constructed by steel monocoque while the front consists of subframes and the engine / rear axle section was a strong cage. Doors, engine cover and luggage lid were glass-fibre, other parts of the body shell were of steel sheets.

Since it was designed for racing purpose, it achieved few success as a road car, especially the build quality and comfort were quite ignored. However, in rally races, it had overwhelming success, including 4 Monte Carlo wins and a hat-trick of world championship.

Specifications

Model	Stratos
Year of production	1974
Layout, gearbox	Mid-engined, Rwd, 5M
Chassis	Monocoque + subframe, glass-fibre + steel body
Engine	V6, dohc, 2v/cyl.
Capacity	2418 c.c.
Power	190 hp
Torque	166 lbft
Top speed	140 mph (claimed)
0-60 mph	6.8 sec (claimed)

Lancia Delta Integrale (1988)

These are the final version - Delta HF Integrale Evolution

In motor racing world, this is the most fearsome rally car in history - it won 6 WRC manufacturer championships in a row between 1987 and 1992. In production form, it was probably the greatest "Driver's Car" in 1980s - most people even rated it above the almighty Audi Quattro. Car enthusiasts of the 80s will never forget Lancia Delta Integrale.

There was a long long history before the Integrale appeared, because the Delta range was launched as early as 1979. However, we are not going to waste time in describing the ordinary Delta hatchback (although it was the European Car of the Year 1980), nor we are going to talk about the early 140 hp Delta HF turbo. Let us concentrate on the best thing - Delta Integrale, which was launched in 1988 as the highest performance, rally purpose derivative of the Delta range.

Lancia created Integrale in order to homologate Group A rally's requirements - at least 5,000 road cars must be built. Compare with other Delta, the most noticeable external feature was the widened wheel arch extensions (and tracks) which not only added exotic feel but also enhanced cornering stability. The engine was based on the long-serving Lampredi-designed twin-cam straight four, with 1995 c.c. and a turbocharger like those used by Thema sedan, but higher boost pressure increased the power to 185 hp. The 224 lbft of torque made it virtually a street rocket.

This is only half of the story. Without the magnificent 4-wheel drive system, Delta would not have been such a great "Driver's Car". The system had two LSD (Limited Slip Differential). The center one was a Viscous-Coupling differential lock, the rear one was Torsen LSD. Normally 56% torque was transferred to the front wheels ... well, forget these complicated specifications, what you need to know is how well it performed: the Integrale was always praised of plenty of traction, with fast and communicative steering, crisp body control and pretty well damping. It was described as the fastest "A to B" car then. (of course excluding those limited production Group B cars) Given a twisty and damp B-road, Integrale could beat any supercars, believe or not !

It delivered so much driving fun that no one had ever experienced ... not in a Ur Quattro, not in the subsequent Escort RS Cosworth, not in Celica GT4 ... today's Subaru Impreza or Lancer Evo (starting from IV) might come close to it, but after all, this is a full decade later. One can see how brilliant the Delta was.

History of Integrale

Delta HF Turbo

Unlike other rally cars, Lancia Delta was not originally intended to be a racing car. When it was launched in 1979, it was no more than a conventional cheap hatchback. In 1984, a turbocharged version called "Delta HF turbo" arrived. With 130 hp and 141 lbft, plus the necessary tuned suspensions and bigger tyres, HF turbo became the highlight of the Delta series but still lack the true sparkle to revive Lancia's dynamic image dated back to the years of Fulvia and Stratos.

Delta HF Turbo i.e.

2 years later, a revised HF turbo called "HF turbo i.e." was introduced. It used lighter pressure Garret T2 turbo rather than the previous T3 so that the maximum torque came 500 rpm earlier. In addition, the replacement of carburettors by Weber electronic fuel injection and ignition system helped increasing the power to 140 hp. The result was a better car, but still confined to the GTI category.

Delta S4 and Delta HF 4WD

In 1985, Lancia motorsport used Delta S4 as their Group B competition cars. The S4, with spaceframe chassis and mid-engine, was actually an unique car covered with Delta's body. Although dominating the world championship, serious accidents involving the death of driver Toivonen and spectators led to the cancellation of Group B category at the end of that season. As a result, FIA proposed a slower, less-powerful and cheaper category called Group A to replace Group B. All Group A cars should came from production cars which had a total production of at least 5,000 cars, and limited modifications were allowed.

This gave production Delta a chance. Management decided to push the Delta to their top spot of motor racing. As a result, Delta was immediately benefited by some technology used by S4, especially was the 4WD system. The result was Delta HF 4WD, which was powered by the 165 hp 2.0 turbo motor sharing with Thema turbo i.e.. Its 230 hp race version debuted in 1987 World Rally Championship and immediate won both the driver and manufacturer titles.

Delta HF Integrale

As described in the above main article. Wider tracks, 20 hp more power.

Delta Integrale 16V

In 1989, Integrale was added with a 16-valve cylinder head, together with a smaller turbine (but bigger boost pressure due to the modification to wastegate) to improve engine response. Power increased to 200 hp while peak torque down by 4 lbft but appeared 500 rpm lower. Stiffer suspension setup reduced body roll and improved steering response, while more torque transferred to the rear wheels (53%, compare with 44% in Integrale) reduced understeering. ABS was a new feature, although the brakes were already powerful enough.

Integrale 16V was slightly quicker than its predecessor, while the chassis became more performance-biased than ever. Not everything was good, because road testers found the tout setup deteriorated ride and demanded more driving skill.

Delta Integrale Evolution

The final evolution came as late as 1991, in which the Delta series had survived for 13 years. This ultimate Delta was boosted by 15 hp, bigger brakes and wider tracks. Since Lancia’s management had no intention to continue racing with the next generation Delta, this car, which squeezed out all its remaining potential, had to struggle in the whole 1992 season to fight against Toyota Celica GT4 and Subaru Impreza WRX. Although it lost the driver champion title to Toyota, at least the manufacturer champion title was retained.

Specifications

Model	HF Integrale	Integrale 16V	Integrale Evolution
Year of production	1988	1989	1991-94
No. made	7,415	15,589	12,118
Layout	Front-engined, 4wd	Front-engined, 4wd	Front-engined, 4wd
Gearbox	5M	5M	5M
Engine	Inline-4, dohc, 2v/cyl, turbo	Inline-4, dohc, 4v/cyl, turbo	Inline-4, dohc, 4v/cyl, turbo
Capacity	1995 c.c.	1995 c.c.	1995 c.c.
Power	185 hp	200 hp	215 hp
Torque	224 lbft	220 lbft	220 lbft
Weight	1267 kg	1290 kg	1350 kg
Top speed	128 mph*	129 mph*	134 mph*
0-60 mph	6.4 sec*	6.3 sec*	6.0 sec*

* Tested by Autocar