Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo 1 Martini 6 from 1992, the icon of Rallys, in depth

Believe it or not, my expectations are very low. These cars burned into your childhood memory usually disappoint 30 years later and that is what I expect from this test of the Lancia Delta Integrale Evo 1 Martini 6. I grew up watching the Lancia Delta win everything and I had always dreamed of trying one, so that, despite the clear risk of disappointment, the illusion is much stronger. I cannot miss the opportunity to sit at the controls and see what it feels like. Let's go there.

Our Delta is unit number 36 of the 310 manufactured in this special Martini 6 series. It is a commemorative series launched in November 1992 on the occasion of the sixth (and last) consecutive world rally championship in the premier category then called Group TO.

There were six consecutive constructors' championships and four of them also for drivers and this car, which is an Evo 1, also known as "Deltona", is the culmination of the street versions of the Lancia Delta. I can't be luckier.

History of the Lancia Delta

Like the story of so many myths, that of the Lancia Delta begins in the most humble way: starting from the platform of a Fiat Ritmo and from a simple design by Giugiaro, Lancia presents the Delta in 1979 as a modest compact with a practical vocation. No one at the time could have imagined what would come next.

In 1986 and after several fatal accidents for participants and spectators, the FIA was forced to ban the legendary Group B from the world rally, because, with that level of performance, it was impossible to guarantee the safety of drivers and the public. It is the turn of the cars strictly based on their street version, Group A.

Lancia turns to the Delta and brings out the HF 4WD, the first version that combines a 165 hp turbo engine and all-wheel drive.

From there, and focusing on the series versions, we have the first Delta Integrale in 1987 with 185 CV, the Integrale 16V in 1989 with 200 CV, and the Integrale Evoluzione 1 that concerns us today, which was born in 1991 with 210 CV of power.

In January 1992, Lancia manufactured 400 commemorative units of its fifth consecutive Constructors' World Championship as the Martini 5 special series and, in November of that same year, launched the exact version we have with us today: 310 units of the Martini 6 special series, for celebrate the sixth consecutive title that, in addition, would be the last. Our unit is number 36.

The Delta family is closed by EVO 2, aesthetically identical but mechanically different from EVO 1 and already 100% catalyzed

Timeline of 4-wheel-drive Lancia Delta:

1986 HF 4WD 165hp

1987 HF Integrale 8V 185 HP

1989 HF Integrale 16V 200 HP

1991 HF Integrale EVO 1 210 CV

1993 HF Integrale EVO 2 215 HP

Martini special series:

January 1992 HF Integrale EVO 1 Martini 5 210 CV

November 1992 HF Integrale EVO 1 Martini 6 210 CV

Constructors' and Drivers' World Championship Chronology:

1987

Manufacturers: Lancia Delta Integrale

Drivers: Lancia Delta Integrale – Juha Kankunnen (FIN)

1988

Manufacturers: Lancia Delta Integrale

Drivers: Lancia Delta Integrale – Miki Biasion (ITA)

1989

Manufacturers: Lancia Delta Integrale

Drivers: Lancia Delta Integrale – Miki Biasion (ITA)

1990

Manufacturers: Lancia Delta Integrale

Drivers: Toyota Celica – Carlos Sainz (ESP)

1991

Manufacturers: Lancia Delta Integrale

Drivers: Lancia Delta Integrale – Juha Kankunnen (FIN)

1992

Manufacturers: Lancia Delta Integrale

Drivers: Toyota Celica – Carlos Sainz (ESP)

The Lancia Delta in its successive versions dominated the constructors' world championship between 1987 and 1992 with 6 consecutive victories, of which 4 were also drivers'. No other model in history has managed to match that mark, although it is true that the Volkswagen Polo WRC has a better win ratio over the total number of races held and 4 consecutive drivers' and constructors' championships. But not 6.

The exterior design of the Lancia Delta Integrale

Let's take a closer look at the design of this unit, which, as you will see, is full of special details.

Taking advantage of the fact that we have a Deltona from the latest series, in addition to seeing its design in detail, I am going to tell you some curiosities so that you can distinguish the different series and incidentally why it is called "Deltona".

The Delta is divided into 2 groups, those who really run and those who don't run so much. It is very easy to distinguish them: if it has double headlights, it really runs and if it has square headlights, at most it will be a 140 CV HF Turbo and front-wheel drive, which was a lot but was in another league.

From here, if we have a Delta with double headlights (which are the interesting ones) we can have it in three flavors:

* The first is the HF 4WD which does not have a widened body or a bulging hood.

* The second is the HF Integrale, with a body widened by 8 cm and a flat hood, brother to the HF Integrale 16V, which is the first to have a slight bulge in the hood to make room for the multi-valve cylinder head.

* The third flavor, which is the maximum splendor of the Lancia Delta, is the Integrale Evo with a 15 cm widening, bulkier bonnet with greater cooling, a new bumper with more air inlets and round headlights that have the same diameter.

The car that Lancia needed to compete did not fit inside the production vehicle on which it was based, hence how bloated and raw this car looks and hence the nickname "Deltona" that the Evo models received.

Before moving on to the profile, let's now stop at this HF symbol with a red elephant. What do the initials and the elephant mean?

The acronym HF, which stands for High Fidelity, originates from the Lancia High Fidelity Club, which was founded in 1960 and brings together the brand's most loyal customers, those who have more Lancias in their garage. When some of these clients began to compete in 1961, they liked to wear the symbol of their select club whose initials were HF on their cars. In 1966, Lancia adopted these initials on its Fluvia Coupé HF, consecrating those initials as identifying the best Lancia sports cars.

Regarding the elephant with its trunk raised, it is a symbol of prosperity and good luck in Oriental culture, especially in India. It is known that Giani Lancia adopted it as an amulet for his racing cars and that it appears for the first time together with the initials HF on the Lancia Fluvia Coupé HF, although in that case there were four elephants that passed in front of the letters.

And this is all that can be said by looking at the front of a Delta, which in the case of our unit is truly impressive due to the brutality of its design, the widening of the tracks, the bulging hood, and the defense full of air inlets.

If we turn to the profile we find again straight lines and above all perfect proportions. The Delta measures just 3.90m long and 1.38m high without the spoiler, so it's smaller than today's Toyota Yaris. It's tiny.

The wheel arches are widened by 7.5cm on each side, adding 15cm to the original width of the car, which is outrageous. The 5-bolt wheels are also a novelty in the Integrale Evo 1, since until then they had 4 bolts (another way of distinguishing an Evo from the previous ones).

Our unit is equipped with 17″ wheels, but the standard ones were 205/50 R15, which today could carry any utility with just over 100 HP. They are really tires, built as a closed mesh for aerodynamics and shock resistance, but they have the limitation of not cooling the brakes too much. That is why vents were used in asphalt rallies in the front end, to evacuate the heat from the brakes.

It is curious that the front door is the only piece on the side that corresponds to the original Delta since it is not widened at any point, probably to avoid complications with opening and closing and to save costs. Seen from the profile, the rear wing looks like a speed brake positioned in such an aggressive position.

At the rear, the existence of a single exhaust is striking, as the tailgate of the original Delta and above all the “Martini Racing” sign on the spoiler so that our pursuers know that they are behind a very special vehicle.

The engine of the Lancia Delta Integrale Evo 1

All the engines of the Lancia Delta with all-wheel drive share the same block of 1,995 cm3. What is changing in the successive generations is all the electronic admission and management, but the block has always been very reliable and has never been modified.

In the case of the EVO 1, they have the cylinder head cover painted in red as a novelty and reach 210 CV of power. It may not seem like much today, but with just 1,300 kg of mass, this car flies

The top speed is 220 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is completed in 5.7 seconds, a dizzying figure for a compact in 1992.

But the most important thing is that this magnificent engine is connected to an all-wheel drive system with a Ferguson-type viscous coupling center differential that distributes torque 47% in front and 53% in the rear, and also has a Torsen-type self-locking rear differential.

Lancia Delta Integrale interior design

Starting with the points of contact with the car, the seats are Recaro semi-basket in a blue color specific to this version that, in fact, is prepared to install 5-point harnesses, although the car comes with conventional seat belts. in red.

The steering wheel of our unit is not the standard one, it is better. It is a Momo steering wheel in the colors of Martini Racing whose 3 spokes help bring it closer to the driver and make up for the lack of depth adjustment of the steering column.

Under the gear lever, there is an identification plate with the number of the unit, in this case, 36, of the 310 that were manufactured in this special series. The lever itself is nothing special, it is black and plastic, without more.

The pedals are close together and the throttle has a slight extension to the left to make heel-to-toe easier.

In the instrument panel, a work of art of Italian racing design, the attention is drawn to the abundant gauges that include a turbo pressure gauge and oil pressure and temperature gauges. It is the clocks, the steering wheel, and the seats that are responsible for introducing a racing environment into this car since the rest are quite bland elements and common to any Delta.

Driving the Lancia Delta Integrale Evo 1

The critical moment has arrived, the time to get behind the wheel of this machine. It is a moment longed for and feared in equal parts because I have wanted to try one for 30 years but the fear of disappointment is enormous... will it be up to the occasion?

The first is the noise. The engine is not particularly loud at low revs, but the car creaks everywhere, giving the impression that the dashboard plastics almost rub against each other at the slightest movement of the car. It sounds like a maraca. But when you start squeezing the engine and chassis, those finish creaks fade into the background and the racing feel pervades everything.

The engine pushes very little until around 3,000 rpm, behaving like a normal atmospheric engine, but then it has two abrupt steps, the first at that 3,000 rpm, in which the turbo starts to blow suddenly and delivers a mountain of torque. rather abruptly, and a somewhat softer second step between 5,000 and 6,000 revs, a range in which the car pushes a little more while already asking for the next gear.

The gear-shifting process is truly special, as the turbo wastegate makes a deafening noise as you depress the clutch, releasing excess pressure as we engage the next gear and start over. It is totally addictive.

The chassis accompanies this racing sensation and the driving feel is the closest thing to a kart. The steering is ultra-direct and ultra-precise (despite the years) and the level of hydraulic assistance seems perfect to maintain a high resistance on the steering wheel and transmit all the wrinkles in the asphalt to your fingertips. There are no addresses like that anymore.

Perhaps the only drawback that can be put to the car is the feel of the brake: spongy, long-distance, and apparently lacking in bite. You have to step on it hard so that the car loses speed quickly, but I like brakes that are regulated by pressure on the pedal, not by travel. The clutch is hard but not as hard as you might imagine, and the car drives very easily.

The behavior is slightly understeering to the limit, and it makes me think that it would be necessary to round the curves with the accelerator (something that I would not think of doing with such a museum piece and on the open road) so that the oversteer comes to work and helps us to put the car where we want.

Conclusions

The first thing I have to admit is that I have fulfilled a dream, this car obsessed me since I was a child and, finally, I have been able to test one.

It is a spectacular car due to its design, performance, and history and, surprisingly, it has also revealed a superb behavior that I did not expect even in my wildest dreams, reaffirming in my head the idea of an absolute motorsport myth with which I faced this test.

It has far exceeded my expectations.

 

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