Automobiliac in Italia
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 8:49PM Last week I found myself wandering the streets of Padova, wondering the whole time where the temperate Italian weather I had expected was to be found. On the contrary, the air was suffused with a damp chill that cut to the bone. But on rounding the corner into one of the town's many historic Piazzas, I saw something that improved my circulation: This Lancia Delta HF Integrale c. 1989.
As hot hatches go it doesn't really get much better than this. First, I had never really seen one in person before, since only a handful exist in the states - brought in through gray market channels. The car has a compact, powerful stance, and its boxy features are so blunt and brutal that they combine to impart a rather thuggish beauty. And that's just the beginning of the story, because these little cars were created mainly to Homologate Lancia's all-conquering Groupe A Rally cars. Featuring 4 wheel drive and a 2 Liter 16 valve 4 cylinder offering 185hp unmodified --modified turbo cars can be bumped all the way up to 750hp-- they could sprint to 60 mph in about 6 seconds, which was quite fast for the time. This car was probably one of the best and most exciting cars Italy produced during the 80s. A genuine Rally car for the road. Wish I could take one home with me...
Click the photo to see the rest of the shots.
Italy, Lancia in Street Sightings
Reader Comments (3)
here's a question: especially re the Maserati pic. How come European cars generally have so much more style than American or Asian cars?
Hi, Kashif alerted me to your recent discovery. He just got back from Dubai where I recently purchased an Evo 2, one of the last made, and one of only a handful in the Middle East. The Evos are more visually arresting and slightly quicker and better handling than the earlier 16V which you photographed, but as the name suggests they are just an evolution of the model rather than a radical upgrade. Mine is a limited run of 220 in giallo ginestra, of which who knows how many remain alive and uncrashed.
You can see it on Pistonheads at:
http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=99655
Happy motoring!
Harris
Thanks for the note Harris! Awesome cars you have there!