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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