By Cam Tait / Tuesday, April 23, 2024 / Loading Comments
For years, the Lancia Delta Evos with boxed bows were only within the success of rally enthusiasts with bottomless pockets. A first- or second-generation Evolution can easily generate close to £100,000 in savings, while the indeed rare products (the Martini 5, Final Editions and Club Italias) demand the amount of cash that a real rally car could have bought you not so long ago. It’s not surprising, given how similar they are to rally machines and their relative rarity (no one mentions the “r” word), but thankfully there’s a world of popular Deltas outside of the Evos race that are more readily available, if only through a tiny bit.
Before a true Delta walked rally-level (not counting the S4, which is only a Delta), the most elegant versions were the front-wheel drive. Lancia introduced the overheated HF, for High Fidelity, in 1983 with a 1. 6-liter turbo engine. The engine reaches 130 hp to propel it forward, before the arrival of a warmer HF Turbo two years later that increases the power of a Golf GTI Mk2, exceeding 140 hp. However, the Delta became famous with the arrival of the HF Integrale 8v, which looked more like Group A rally cars with permanent all-wheel drive, a Torsen limited-slip rear differential, and a hard-hitting 185hp turbocharged 2. 0 engine. . one-liter engine.
Then came the HF Integrale 16v, much like the one you see here. This is arguably the starting point for the Delta’s ‘normal’ rally levels, with the 16v serving as the homologation level for Lancia to introduce its new engine into its WRC. The doubling of valves, along with larger injectors and an improved Garrett turbocharger contributed to a 15 hp increase, bringing the overall force to a grand round of two hundred hp. The torque distribution has also been changed, moving from a more forward-facing setup on the 8v to a more rearward setup on the 16v. All of this had a drastic effect on acceleration, reducing the 0-100 km/h from 6. 6 seconds in the 8v to a corresponding time of 5. 7 seconds for the Evo. It’s no wonder that Lancia has won 3 constructors’ championships in the WRC. ‘ championships with the 16v.
Admittedly, the 16v is rarely as muscular as the Evos that followed, but it’s still an insignificant thing with its extendable bows, dual escapements, and those painfully cold dark grey split alloys. Much of the design has been carried over from the 8V, although the hood has the Delta bulge separated to accommodate the larger 16V header. The interior hasn’t been modified for launch models like this one, so you still see the Martini-style diagonal stripes on the Recaro cloth seats. They are found broken and discolored in cars that have been used a lot (they are now 35 years old), but in this example they are immaculate.
The same goes for the rest of the car, with the alloy wheels, Rosso Monza paint and, most importantly, the bodywork all in immaculate condition. Which is to be expected for a car that has only driven 23,696 miles since 1989 and that have been “completely put away in car” when they weren’t in tatters on a country road like Miki Biasion on a special stage of the RAC Rally. This is clearly seen in the photos, because a Delta abandoned in the wind and rain is a Delta for a long time. .
You know where it’s going, right? A special collector’s quality approval, to UK specifications (although the wheel is still on the left), in red and with no visual symptoms of corrosion. All yours for £52,495. On the plus side, it’s still £30,000 less than the cheapest Evo indexed at the time of writing, and the only Delta sold unless it’s this HF Turbo ‘awarded’ for £33,000. So the 16v is still one more option to Evo’s special offers, but it’s not as widely available as it used to be. A story that is very familiar in those days.
Engine: 1,995 cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged Transmission: Five-speed manual, all-wheel drive Power (hp): two hundred at 5,500 rpm Torque (lb-ft): 228 to 3,000 rpm MPG: N/ACO2: N/AYAN Dial Number: 1989 Recorded Mileage : 23,696 New Price: N/ALE Yours for: £52,495
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