Lancia Delta
For an entire generation brought up on Sega Rally and Tony Mason on Top Gear, the Lancia Delta is simply a fire-breathing, gravel disturbing rally monster. But actually, before the racing gurus at Abarth got their hands on it, it started out as a simple, albeit forward-thinking, upmarket family-car. Even without its performance-oriented iterations, the Delta was a considerable success for the marque, selling over 100,000 units in its first two years in the showrooms and winning the European Car of the Year in 1980. There are three generations of the Delta; the first giving birth to the legendary integrale progeny, a second based on the Fiat Tipo (never seen on RHD shores) and, more recently, the third instalment which, in the UK, suffered the ignominy of being badged as a Chrysler.
1990 Lancia Delta 1.6 HF Turbo
Before the HF integrale was gifted the flagship of the Delta range, the HF Turbo offered drivers the hot-hatch experience. This 1990 example we advertised back in 2018 was the perfect example to prove the 1.6, FWD HF Turbo is more than just a “baby-integrale”. By today's standards it offered a pretty no-frills ride (no power steering, no ABS, plenty of old-school, teasing turbo lag) but, my word, it also delivered no shortage of fun. 138bhp, 141lb-ft of torque and 0-60mph in 8 seconds...in 1990! Such an incredibly assured little car, it deserves to be judged on its own merits rather than as a precursor to its 4WD siblings. Plus - Martini stripes. ‘Nuff said.
1988 Lancia Delta HF integrale
We had this car ourselves for a good few years back in the early days of italicar. A 2.0 8v model that had been extensively modified by a Lotus employee. He seemed to enjoy slinging any random experimental thing from their performance parts bin on to it - huge turbo, trick suspension and AP Racing brakes straight from NASCAR (honestly!). By the time we had finished our time with it, it was producing 297bhp and 320lb-ft of torque at a manageable level of boost (with the rolling road print outs to prove it too). It was a headache, no doubt about that, but it was also by far the most insanely quick car we’re yet to drive on a B-road. Nothing else comes close to pushing an integrale to its limits. Now residing in Denmark, this ‘grale can also lay claim to the most white-knuckle test drive we’ve ever had when selling a car - memorably enhanced by having picked up its new owner fresh from Norwich’s beer festival the night before!
C̶h̶r̶y̶s̶l̶e̶r̶Lancia Delta S by Momo Design
We sadly missed the Nuova Delta in RHD guise and the third generation Lancia Delta was, thanks to some “genius” marketing type, only sold here with a Chrysler badge plastered on its quirky yet handsome nose. Sharing a platform with both the Fiat Bravo and Alfa Romeo Giulietta, it was a clever crossover between an estate and family hatchback which deserves a much wider appreciation.
We could barely bring ourselves to allow a car to pass through Renson Close having been vandalised with a Chrysler badge, so we completely re-Lancia-ified this one before selling it. 1 of just 27 S-Series special editions in the UK, these were styled by MOMO design and included unique extras (half leather, interior, dark shadow 18" wheels, yellow detailed instrument cluster and more). It certainly turned heads, particularly after we’d replaced the Lancia badges! We really clicked with this car and it’s a crying shame there aren’t more out there for us to return to their roots.
