The Lancia Delta HF Integrale is a legend among car enthusiasts, but not everyone is a fan of the boxy hatchback body. One man in particular, Paul Koot, saw the prospects of the rally-dominating Lancia in something more elegant.
The result was Zagato’s Lancia Hyena, a car that shouldn’t have existed. However, it is, and now one of only 24 examples ever made may be yours if you have about a quarter of a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket. .
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Koot was a Dutch collector and importer of Lancia. In the early 1990s, he contacted Lancia and Zagato to collaborate on the construction of a sleek coupe in the style of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Zagato. The result was a concept introduced in 1992 and, as it turned out, popular, production would be a serious obstacle.
Fiat (which owns Lancia) was unwilling to finance the project, so Koot bought ready-to-run HF Integrales and then asked Zagato to dismantle and rework them. Naturally, this made the finished product more expensive. According to RM Sotheby’s, a new Hyena sold for $75,000. . . That would be equivalent to about $160,000 today.
Of course, underneath the slender, burly skin hides a serious artist. The Hyena produced 250 hp (186 kW) when it was new, which is more than the Delta HF Integrale. It also weighed about 440 pounds less, can go from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 96 km/h), 0. 3 seconds faster than the Delta. However, this specific example offers even more performance.
It underwent a full recovery in 2021, adding a new painting task at Grigio Alloy and remapping the engine to the claimed 320 hp (238 kW). In addition, it has improved the suspension and brake parts to make it as capable a driving car as ever. It has only 19,407 miles (31,234 km) on the odometer at the time of cataloging, so it still has plenty of miles left as it stands. Be warned, the retail value is $250,000 at RM Sotheby’s.
What do you say, is it a moderate thing considering its pedigree and rarity, or would you spend your hard-earned money on something else?