PHOTOGRAPHER MATT HOWELL TAKES A step back, which is unusual for him, and hard to do because he's standing against a wall. For a moment I wonder if he's lost his footing but the look on his face says not. I understand his concern later when I see the shot in the back of his camera: the Integrale heading towards him had clear air under its right-hand wheels.
Thing is, from the driver's seat I had no sensation of anything dramatic happening. I chose this bit of road because it is almost stepped by subsidence and I thought the car might look good compressed into it. The really curious bit was that the faster the Integrale hit the bump, the smoother it felt. In the final shot it was pulling hard in third gear.
That's rally cars for you, and make no mistake, it may be painted dark metallic green and have a stylish, fully trimmed interior, but mechanically this is pretty much a fully-fledged rally car. It's called the Stradale and it's the work of Dutch Lancia specialist Maturo, builder of rally cars and restorer of Integrales, who we featured in issue 308. As the Stradale name suggests, this is a road-spec version of the company's Group A Delta Integrale recreation, but it's quite a bit more exotic because it has body panels fashioned from carbonfibre. It causes quite a stir wherever it goes.
We rendezvoused earlier at the marvellous Bwlch Mountain viewpoint in south Wales on a glorious, bright morning. Zion Geeratz, project manager of the Stradale, hopped from a period-correct, Martini-liveried van and looked around, a big smile on his face. This is the natural environment for our car,' he said.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
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HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
