- This special Lancia is pretty much the last of the rally breed.
- With a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, it’s Italy’s answer to models like the Subaru WRX.
- This one has been carefully redesigned by none other than Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles, whose passions clearly run deeper than the V-8 muscle cars he’s most associated with.
It’s no secret that Stellantis’ lead designer, Ralph Gilles, is a fan of Detroit muscle. He designed the Chrysler 300C, was head of the SRT performance and motorsports division, and has also been known to track the Viper ACR and cruise the streets in a 1000hp 1968 Dodge Charger. Hellephant. But Gilles’ passion for speed extends far beyond big, brash Dodges.
This 1990 Lancia Delta Integrale, up for auction on Bring a Trailer (which, as Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), is a dose of turbocharged rally madness from the Stellantis sub-brand that has all but been forgotten. This is the Italian counterpart to the Subaru STI or Mitsubishi Lancer Evo with four-wheel drive. This simple little shoebox is fierce, tough and built to tear up any back road, and its previous ownership by Gilles shows that he’s a true car enthusiast.
The Delta started out as a fairly basic compact family hatchback, with boxy styling from Giorgetto Giugiaro. As Subaru and Mitsubishi later did, Lancia transformed the Delta into a rally performance machine by adding boost and four-wheel drive for the Integrale model. The result was incredibly successful and included six straight wins in the WRC Constructors’ Championship, picking up where the mighty Stratos and 037 had left off.
This 1992 example is a Delta Integrale Evoluzione, and it’s technically the last year of homologation rally cars, as Lancia stopped rally development after its WRC victory in 1992. Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine , which was good for just 210 horsepower in factory trim, but was upgraded with a rebuild that included new camshafts, a reprogrammed ECU, and a high-flow exhaust system.
Box flares can make any car look cooler, and here they enhance Giugiaro’s original design to no end. Rally-style 15-inch Speedline wheels shod with ultra-high-performance Kumho 225-series summer tires complete the look. With adjustable coilovers, the stance of this car is simply perfection.
The odometer reads the metric equivalent of 63,000 miles and the car is accompanied by service papers and numerous spare parts. A recent refit and new clutch mean this little Italian terrier is just waiting to be let off the leash.
In a wonderful overlap with Gilles’ Hellephant charger, this Delta Integrale sports a small elephant badge on its grille, like all the sportiest Lancias since 1960. It is the mascot to represent the brand, symbolizing Gianni Lancia’s famous quote: “Once an elephant starts running, no one can stop it.”
But you can catch one. Head over to Bring a Trailer to bid on a machine that is both part of rallying history and has also been lovingly cared for by a great designer who is also a true speedhead.
The auction ends on March 13.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He grew up cracking his knuckles on British cars, came of age in the golden age of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machines, whether Walter Cronkite’s racing career or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift in a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to forever buy Hot Wheels.
