Lancia Delta Integrale

Rédaction : Albert Lallement

A SUPER CHAMPION

Eight years after the launch of the basic saloon, Lancia presented the Delta HF Integrale at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 10 September 1987. In the meantime, the Lancia Delta had been through a number of changes.

At the previous year's Turin Motor Show, a resolutely sporty version with four-wheel drive was launched called Delta HF 4WD (Four Wheel Drive). This model, intended for the general public, was not derived from the rear mid-engined Group B Delta S4 that had successfully competed in the World Championship in 1985 and 1986. Yet the racing version of the Delta HF was the rightful successor to the previous Lancia Stratos (1974-1981) and 037 Rally (1982-1986), winning the Constructors' World Championship title without interruption from 1987 to 1992.

Didier Auriol and Bernard Occelli won the 1992 Monte Carlo Rally at the wheel of their Martini Racing Lancia Delta HF Integrale. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.

The Delta (type 831) was introduced at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, at a time when the Fiat Group was being radically restructured. Lancia became part of Fiat S.p.A.'s nine holding companies, but maintained a certain degree of autonomy, with the mission of continuing the “ high end ” objective of its range, as it had since joining the Fiat Group in 1969. Lancia was managed in 1976 by Carlo Righini, engineer and former Deputy Managing Director of Fiat, and as soon as he arrived he initiated the project for a new medium-sized car. It was during this period that the new Lancia Delta was developed, one of the greatest commercial successes in the history of the brand.

Starting with a compact, modern and elegant saloon, Lancia created a sporting bomb with the Delta HF Integrale. Pictured here the Evoluzione version from 1991. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.

RETURNING TO THE FRONT OF THE SCENE

The Delta marks Lancia's return to a segment of the automotive market where it once played a leading role with the Aprilia and more recently with the Fulvia. A compact, medium-sized saloon with a distinct personality in terms of its design, technical solutions and equipment, placing it well above its competitors. With the Delta, Lancia's engineers made an unprecedented effort, one that would not be repeated in the years to come, raising the quality of manufacture to the level that the Turin-based brand had known in the past. The first five editions of the Delta were available in a two-volume body, or three-volume body for the Prisma version introduced in 1982, with engines ranging in displacement from 1,100 to 1,600 cm 3 . A more sporty engine was not available until 1982 with the 1600 GT version with 105 bhp, followed by the HF Turbo version with 130 bhp in 1983.

The engine of the HF Integrale is that of the Lancia Thema Turbo. This 4-cylinder with 16 valves is taller than the previous one, therefore the bonnet is equipped with a bulging bonnet. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © © Lancia D.R.

A MULTITUDE OF EVOLUTIONS

In 1986, the Lancia Delta took a major step forward with the introduction of four-wheel drive, inspired by the Delta S4, which had been competing since the previous year. This Delta 4WD (type 831.B5.000) featured a 2-litre, 4-cylinder engine developing 165 bhp.

The Delta HF Integrale (without accent, Italian style), launched in 1987, was the starting point of a series of high-performance models. On the HF Integrale, the engine produced 185 bhp at 5,300 rpm, then on the next version, the Delta HF Integrale 16v (type 831.C5.000) presented at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show, the engine, which now had 4 valves per cylinder, increased its power to 200 bhp. A new version was released in 1991, the Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione, offering 210 bhp at 5,750 rpm, followed by the Evoluzione 2 with 215 bhp. Several special and limited series followed, of which the Edizione Finale in November 1994 (250 units produced) marked the end of production for this model, with 525,231 units built, including 46,586 units of the HF 4WD and Integrale versions.

SIX TIMES WORLD CHAMPION

In 1985, as the end of the career of the Lancia 037 Rally loomed, the new Delta S4 with all-wheel drive was entered in Group B, where it won once in 1985 and three times in 1986. For 1987, Group B was banned from the World Rally Championship. It was replaced by Group A, requiring the production of 5,000 units of a model in order to be homologated. Because 2,300 examples of the Delta HF 4WD had already been built in 1986, a new series of 2,700 units went into production in 1987, winning the World Rally Championship with 9 victories. The successor Lancia HF Integrale won five consecutive world titles from 1988 to 1992, with a total of 35 victories. At the same time, Juha Kankkunen won the World Championship for Drivers in 1987 and 1991 and Miki Biasion in 1988 and 1989. The Delta HF also won the European Championship for Rallies from 1987 to 1991 and again in 1993, as well as the Italian Championship from 1987 to 1993. At the end of 1991, Lancia announced its official withdrawal from competition and the termination of its partnership with Martini Racing. However, for the 1992 season, Lancia handed over the factory cars to the private teams Jolly Club, A.R.T. and Grifone providing assistance during this final season.

The Lancia Delta is the result of the fruitful collaboration between in-house engineer Sergio Camuffo and the Italdesign design office of stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.

DATASHEET

Lancia Delta Integrale 16v, (1989)

• Engine: Lancia Type 831.C5.000, 4-cylinder in-line, transverse front

• Displacement: 1,995 cm3

• Bore x stroke: 84 mm x 90 mm

• Power: 200 hp at 5,750 rpm

• Fuel supply: Weber-Marelli electronic injection + Garrett T3 turbocharger

• Ignition: Weber-Marelli I.A.W electronic

• Distribution: 2 overhead camshafts, 4 valves per cylinder

• Transmission: permanent four-wheel drive, 5 gears + M.A.

• Tyres: 205/50 VR13 (front and rear)

• Brakes: ventilated discs (diameter 281 mm front and 251 mm rear)

• Length: 3,898 mm

• Width: 1,685 mm

• Height: 1,365 mm

• Wheelbase: 2,475 mm

• Track Front: 1425 mm

• Rear track: 1405 mm

• Weight (empty): 1,250 kg

• Maximum speed: 220 km/h

Giorgetto Giugiaro

The Delta is the first bodywork designed by Italian stylist Giorgetto Giugaro for Lancia. However, the Italdesign studio which he created in 1968 had already collaborated with the other brands of the Fiat group. We owe him, among others, the lines of the Alfa Romeo GTV, Alfasud and 156, or even the Fiat Dino, Panda and Uno. His greatest successes also include the DeLorean, the Lotus Esprit, the Maserati 3200 GT and the Volkswagen Golf. Born in 1938 in Garessio, he apprenticed at the Fiat design office and, in 1959, he was recruited by Bertone, then by Ghia in 1965 before founding his own design office three years later. In 1999, he was named “Designer of the Century” by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation, for his influence in the automobile industry. Lamborghini acquired 90% of the capital of Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. in 2010.