Rally icon- Lancia Delta Integrale 16V

With the rushed demise of Group B rally regulations in 1986, manufacturers wishing to compete at the top level in ‘87 needed to think quick.  The Group A rules were more production based.  However, turbocharging and four-wheel drive were still allowed.  Many fumbled through their model lists seeking solutions.  Unfortunately for them, rally stalwarts Lancia had one from the start.  Enter the Delta.

Lancia’s Delta was originally introduced in 1979, a compact 4 door hatch designed by Giorgietto Giugiaro. Originally offered with 1300cc and 1500cc Fiat based engines, along with a turbodiesel, the Delta remained inconspicuous in its formative years, a neatly designed and capable run-around.

A precursor of things to come was shown at the 1982 Turin motorshow. The Lancia stand displayed a “Delta 4×4″ concept, intriguing bystanders who no doubt had noted the all-paw Audi Quattro’s rapid ascension to the rallying throne. That same year saw Lancia return to the stages themselves with the Martini liveried, Montecarlo based 037. Mid-engined but only rear-wheel drive, the supercharged 037 was nimbler and more responsive than the Quattro if not a match for outright pace on most surfaces. It was also more reliable, actually winning the manufacturer’s championship in 1983 as Audi struck trouble with its A1 evolution. But the writing was on the wall and the 037 lagged behind in 1984 before becoming completely obsolete the next season.

Back in the production car world, Lancia had introduced their famed HF badge to the nose of a Delta for the first time in 1983, with the 1600HF turbo. Initially producing 130bhp, but driven only through the front wheels, the little Lancia was well received as a capable handling hot hatch. At that stage Lancia had no plans for an all-wheel drive production car, but their rally program demanded another set of priorities.

Group B was a liberal formula, only requiring 200 ‘production’ units of the model for homologation with almost unlimited technologies permitted. Peugeot had introduced the first bespoke Group B monster, the mighty mid-engined, all-paw, turbocharged T16. This layout was clearly the future for any rally manufacturer worth its salt. Lancia themselves had started developing a vehicle to this template in 1983, introducing the ‘Delta’ S4 in December 1984. As well has having the requisite turbo, the S4’s 1759cc inline 4 also utilised a supercharger; a wonderfully Italian way of overcoming throttle lag. A space-age projectile under a lightweight shell loosely based on a road going Delta, the S4 won on debut in the RAC of 1985 with Henri Toivonen at the wheel.

Tragically, it was Toivonen’s fatal accident (that also claimed co-driver Sergio Cresto) in the Tour de Corse of 1986 that sounded the death knell of Group B rallying, which was already on shaky ground after the death of 3 spectators in the earlier rally of Portugal. Group A was to take over for 1987, requiring 5000 units for homologation and tighter control of safety standards, power outputs and minimum weights.

Off the back of the S4 project, Lancia had finally introduced an all-wheel drive version of the Delta, the HF 4WD which debuted in May 1986. It took the 1995cc twin cam 8 valve engine from the Thema and added a Garrett turbocharger to produce 165bhp (123kw) @ 5250rpm. Again, it was not originally intended as a rally car, but the dramatic shakeup of regulations provided an opportunity that was too good to pass up. Martini Lancia duly fronted at the 1987 Monte with a brace of HF 4WD’s and promptly finished 1-2, with Miki Biasion ahead of Juha Kankkunen. It was to become a familiar story throughout the season, Kankkunen, Biasion and Markku Alen finishing 1-2-3 and giving Lancia the Manufacturer’s championship, the first of 6 on the trot for Delta based vehicles.

November 1987 saw the local market release of the now mythical integrale (note the small ‘i’), literally meaning ‘complete’. It certainly was an improvement, with enhanced cooling (larger intercooler, radiator and oil cooler) and an increase in max turbo boost to 14psi with a throttle determined overboost facility. The road version now produced 185bhp (138kw) @ 5300rpm to go with a stump-pulling 224lb ft (303nm) of torque. Drive was split f56/r44 via an epicyclic centre differential, with an open front diff and Torsen rear. Road testers raved about the total traction the integrale provided on any surface, which combined with the cracking engine/gearbox combination and lithe dimensions to ensure this Lancia was as fast as anything on the road in ‘real life’ driving. Autocar was convinced- they pitted one against a contemporary Ferrari Testarossa, severely embarrassing Enzo’s flat-12 in the process.

The HF 4WD won the first 2 rallies of 1988 before the integrale took the reins, homologation being approved in time for the Portugeuse round. The Lancia team ended up winning 10 of 13 WRC events that year (though only competing in 11 of these, as they chose to miss the Ivory Coast and New Zealand rounds which were only eligible for driver’s points) as Miki Biasion won his first world championship.

Thanks in part to these triumphs, the integrale was also a success on the showroom floor. This encouraged the rally department still further, as it assured them that they would have no real issues with gaining homologation on any subsequent variants. Come the end of 1988, this was vital as Japanese giants Mazda, Toyota and Mitsubishi had been constantly developing their machines with more sophisticated traction management and new generation engines until they were showing enough potential to threaten the integrale’s supremacy. Work began on a 16 valve version of the integrale, allowing it to produce more power, hitting 200bhp (144kw) at 5500rpm with 17 psi boost but providing slightly less torque, 220lb ft (298nm) at 3000rpm. The 16v satisfied 5000 production units in time for the last rally of 1989, in San Remo. Toyota’s Celica had emerged as the most likely to knock the Lancia off its perch, handing the 8 valve cars a defeat in their last works rally appearance. The 16v redressed the balance in Biasion’s hands, giving him a second consecutive driver’s championship. Interestingly, the debut of the 16 valve was celebrated with a new Martini livery for the team, with red being the primary colour. This scheme was only to appear the one time before reverting back to the ubiquitous White livery of before, as celebrated by our feature car, a late 1988 build integrale 16V.

“It was one of those cars that when I saw, I was convinced that I had to have one, some day,” explains Shayne Williams as we blatantly ogle his ‘grale. “I remember watching the small snippets of rally coverage you would get on the TV, seeing the Lancia name always on top. I have loved them ever since.”

A man with a decidedly Latin taste in cars (he also owns a lovely silver Fiat Dino Coupe), Shayne let it be known to the small but passionate group of Australian based integrale devotees that he was after one. “I looked at a couple that were already here including a later model evolution model (that replaced the 16v in late 1991 and came with further modifications including a wider track and bolder bodywork) but the guy that owned it, who was all of 6 feet 11 inches, just wasn’t ready to part with it!” he laughs. Shayne now counts that man, Shannon, as one of his closest friends. His height came up when I climbed into the passenger seat and nearly hit the roof in the process. Apparently the trick is to set the seat right back, which holds 2 advantages: You can fit in, and back seat passengers can’t! Shayne can also empathise with not being able to let go, after finally locating this 16v in Japan: “It would take a heck of a lot for me to sell it on,” he says as if the very thought repulses him.

In his two years with the car, it has been kept in wonderful condition, still in its original left hand drive configuration. Lancia only ever made the 4WD Delta’s in LHD form, though there were a couple of approved dealers in the UK that could offer RHD conversions. The main issue with these conversions is that there were never any specific steering racks made so the natural fluidity felt through the wheel is compromised somewhat.

Shayne had plans to turn the car into a tarmac rally beast, but the necessity of altering the car on safety grounds proved enough to put him off. “To have to strip it down and put a full cage in, when it was in such lovely condition and drove so nicely as a road car…I felt that I should just leave it and enjoy as is,” he recounts. “My long term plan is to find one that isn’t in as good basic condition and modify it for more serious motorsport use. This one, I intend to keep it as is and just enjoy it on the roads, at club days, touring assemblies, public displays and things like that.”

The car itself certainly attracts enough interest wherever it goes. Shayne recalled a story of Glenn Ridge becoming smitten upon seeing it parked up at the Lake Mountain Sprint one year. “He kept asking if I could bring it over for the Mount Buller Sprint later in the year and asked if he could drive it up Buller when the road opened between stages,” he laughs. “I saw him later and said ‘Got your overalls, got your helmet?’ and Glenn was like ‘Yep, can I have the keys?’ and I just laughed and said ‘No way!’”

It does really get under your skin, seeing something like this out on the road. As we drove along a 3 lane highway for some photos, people were honking and pointing, waving and smiling. And, somewhat disturbingly, swerving as their attention swayed. Happens all the time apparently, thankfully without major incident.

Along with being active in the Historic Rallying Association (HRA) and Fiat clubs, Shayne has been instrumental in founding “Club Delta”, dedicated to the little beasts. They combine drive days and static displays, sometimes including other Italian exotica. “We just want to get word out about how great these cars are, as outside of the real car nuts, no-one knows what they are!” he says. “There are guys in the HRA and Fiat clubs that know the history of each rally car! But Club Delta wants to bring them to the masses.” Their convoys have attracted the attention of an event promotions company who are keen to help out to make 2009 an exciting year for Club Delta. Some may think that keeping the ‘grale a relative secret in Oz is a good thing, to be shared only among the learned few, but Shayne is the opposite and with like minded club members we can only hope to see a spike in ‘grale numbers on our shores.

When it comes time to take the car out, I unfortunately have to follow in Ridgey’s footsteps, and be a passenger only. While Shayne is protective of the car, insurance precludes anyone else from driving it. Even simply to import one, you must have a CAMS level 3 licence or above. Not to worry, I clamber in through the right hand side and relax into the very eighties interior. The engine, of course based off the famous Fiat twin cam, has a lovely throbbing note to its idle which is amplified with each spike in revs. Though you can tell it is turbocharged, the spooling sound of the Garrett does not overwhelm the motor’s base personality like turbos sometimes do. There is a modified ECU in this car which brought about a 25% power hike at increased boost of 23psi, to go with a fat slug of extra torque. To say it keeps up is a vast understatement…

Once underway the combination of left hand drive and the necessity of remaining on the left side of the road doesn’t phase Shayne too much. His Dino is also LHD and he looks more than comfortable threading the Lancia past mortal cars parked randomly along the leafy streets, avoiding the dropped jaws of passers-by. This car is mechanically unmodified save for a slight re-chip which boosts power slighty but significantly fattens the torque curve. And the detailing…that Martini livery took lots of perfecting, and lovely touches such as Martini branded driving gloves can be found in the console.

A significant change between 8 and 16v cars was the redistribution of torque between front and rear, the 16v offering a rear biased 47/53 split. This coupled with power steering and optional ABS brakes brought the integrale back to the forefront of road car technology. Understeer was greatly reduced, allowing a ‘more sporty drive’ according to Lancia’s press of the time. In the real world, Shayne agrees: “Torque steer is just never an issue. The steering is very well balanced, providing a light enough effort with maximum feel, excellent for an all-wheel drive. The short wheelbase and narrow track compared to the evo cars make things a bit more interesting in the wet, particularly with these larger wheels (17 inch compared to the standard 15- Shayne has 3 sets with tyres to swap with depending on his mood) but you just have to respect that when cornering with the power down.”

According to Shayne, the other major interfaces share a similar feel of detailed control, the gearbox sporting a longer throw than that of a modern rally warrior, while ultimate braking power also misses out on the last 15 years of progress in the field. For its day, however, the Integrale experience was unsurpassed and it rightly formed the template from which the next generation of rally cars bounced forward from. Even today, the ride has a suppleness that belies its ultimate grip. And the engine response, with an 8.0:1 compression ratio, would still be hard to beat today. With a rich seam of torque from 2000rpm upwards its rate of acceleration in road conditions is as much as one would ever need. Combined with that immense traction, conveyed to its occupants as if it is grating into the tarmac to find purchase, and its easy to understand how dominant it was in the rally world. How much fun it must have been to bait the supercars that abounded in the little Lancia’s heyday. After embarrassing, hmm, let’s say a Countach, on the road, one can easily imagine strolling up to its distraught driver and asking for a re-run, only this time on gravel. After all, it would only be fair…

The 16v’s rally career spanned the whole of 1990 and 1991, winning both manufacturers championships and the driver’s title in ‘91 for Juha Kankkunen. Though it’s replacement, the HF Integrale more commonly known as the evo, continued into 1992, the works Martini outfit had officially withdrawn, leaving the running of the new “Deltona’s” as they were known to privateer team Jolly Club. Auriol won 6 of the 14 rounds and Lancia won their final WRC manufacturer’s championship, but Delta was at the end of its development curve and went winless in Carlos Sainz’s hands in 1993 before retiring to the history books as the most dominant rally car of its time.

For more information on Club Delta either contact us, or if you have a facebook account check out the following:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17569939115

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