The Lancia Delta Integrale
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
In recent years much has been made of Alfa's limited success in the European touring car arena and anyone who follows Formula 1 will know that after struggling for far too many years, Ferrari and Michael Schumacher secured the constructors and drivers crowns in 2000. But ask yourself this do they dominate their sport? Have they ever dominated their sport? Lancia has.
The Lancia Fulvia won rallies, the rules changed, Lancia produced the Stratos it won rallies, the rules changed again, and they produced the 037 and the Delta S4 and won rallies. Following the tragic death of Henri Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto in a Delta S4 in the 1986 Corsica Rally, the rules changed again and Group B rally cars were banned. Shaken but not stirred Lancia went back to their drawing boards and returned in 1987 with yet another new rally car, the Delta HF turbo 4x4.
The Delta HF 4WD developed into the Integrale in '88 and together they rewrote the rallying record books.
Lancia where no stranger to rally championship wins prior to the Delta, but with the HF Turbo and Integrale they won the World Rally constructors championship every year from 1987 through to 1992 and only missed out on the drivers championship during this period in 1990. It is also worth noting that this was not due to work of one supremely skilled driver. Lancia's wins were secured by a number of drivers with the Drivers championships in this period going to Juha Kankkunen (87,91), Massimo Biasion (88,89) and Didier Auriol (92)
Many people are now enamoured with the current flock of Japanese steroid popping super saloons. The Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Gallant are fine cars and far more reliable than a Lancia could ever hope to be, but until their recent class A pill popping antics, the Integrale was the benchmark by which they were judged, 5 years after its own production ceased.
The Integrale is a phenomenal car and A to B over a bendy road there are still few cars to beat it.
