ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE
Autocar UK|October 26, 2022
 An Integrale can make any road feel like a rally stage. Alex Wolstenholme reports
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE

Sometimes, greatness can’t be rushed. Lancia’s humble Delta family hatchback had been around since 1979, but it wasn’t until 1987 that the now-famous Integrale badge was applied to the road car. And for the next seven years, it signified the pinnacle of the hot hatch, with supercar-embarrassing performance on the road and world beating pace on the rally stage.

The Delta had already shown it self to be a competent performer, with HF variants in 1983 and the turbocharged HF 4WD in 1986. When Lancia decided to take the Delta rallying in the new 1987 Group A class, the wick was turned up once

again for the road-going models. As per the rules, 5000 homologated road cars had to be built each year to comply with regulations, but by 1993 demand had pushed Integrale production to nearly 45,000.

HF High Fidelity) lettering and its galloping elephant mascot had signified fast Lancias for almost 25 years and, in the words of Gianni Lancia, that was because once an elephant starts running, nobody can stop it”. And the Integrale only took this further: in 1987, 1988 and 1989, it wrapped up the drivers’ World Rally Championship in dominant style, and even in 1991, it beat the mighty and modern Celica GT-Four to a surprise fourth championship.

Denne historien er fra October 26, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 26, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA AUTOCAR UKSe alt
The venomous nature of the Cobra
Autocar UK

The venomous nature of the Cobra

Last week, Matt Prior drove a totally new kind of AC Cobra. This is a car with one of the strongest allures of all - but also an incredibly complex and controversial history.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
SKODA KAMIQ
Autocar UK

SKODA KAMIQ

A long getting-to-know-you trip to Spain reveals all

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH
Autocar UK

THE SEVEN-YEAR TITCH

Outgoing baby Jag is plush, practical and now eminently affordable

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
'Our time has come'
Autocar UK

'Our time has come'

Honda may be late to the EV party, but a barrage of bold new battery-powered cars is on the way. JAMES ATTWOOD speaks to boss Toshihiro Mibe at its R&D base to find out what's in store

time-read
8 mins  |
October 23, 2024
Lion kings
Autocar UK

Lion kings

Plush, powerful four-door cars are an endangered species - and now Peugeot has called time on its latest, the 508 PSE. STEPHEN DOBIE compares it with its most significant ancestor, the 505 GTI

time-read
6 mins  |
October 23, 2024
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
Autocar UK

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

Wolfsburg gives the lesser-known Golf PHEV a big-impact refresh

time-read
7 mins  |
October 23, 2024
PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS
Autocar UK

PORSCHE PANAMERA GTS

Stuttgart's latest 'bahnstormer targets driver appeal over outright punch

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO
Autocar UK

MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 PRO

Hardcore variant of V8 sports car engineered with track days in mind

time-read
3 mins  |
October 23, 2024
TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI
Autocar UK

TESLA REVEALS ROBOTAXI

Firm unveils Cybercab coupé and 20-seat Robovan in autonomy push

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024
DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP
Autocar UK

DACIA PLOTS AMBITIOUS EXPANDED EURO LINE-UP

Firm teases something different’ ahead of impending C-segment reveal

time-read
2 mins  |
October 23, 2024