Wednesday 2nd October 2013

Lancia Delta Integrale: Time for Tea?

The PH Adrian Flux competition winner has loved the Integrale for 20 years. See why here!

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So after much research and some missed opportunities, our Adrian Flux competition winner John Crook has his perfect Lancia Delta Integrale. And we're very happy for him, and only a little bit jealous.

And what better way to mark the occasion than with a video of what the Integrale does best? Choosing a clip of the Integrale rallying is akin to picking one containing a Veyron a drag race; so we studied a good few, just to be sure of getting the best...

Tarmac-spec wheels and tyres often make rally cars look extra mean, so the Tour de Corse kind of chose itself. And who doesn't love three-wheeling rally cars and a handbrake turn?

In a Repsol livery, the Integrale just looks fabulous, hugely aggressive and functional in the extreme. Not conventionally pretty like a Stratos, but certainly effective. And damn fast by the looks of things (even if the Lancias were beaten on this event by two Celica GT4s. Plus an Escort Cosworth).

But anyway, you can't win them all. Watching Integrales rally as a child was the reason John wanted an Integrale. On this evidence, it's impossible to disagree.

[Picture: LAT Photographic]

[grale23]

What a car.....iconic, great to look at, and a good investment...albeit one with no rust !! On my 4th one ,which i will bury with me ..lol !

Edited by grale23 on Thursday 3rd October 09:24

[zeb]

Never quite as evocative as the escort cosworth of the same period for me but yes.....for men of a certain age the integrale is an out and out classic

[GranCab]

[TobesH]

That just makes me want to go out now and buy one...

[Hedski]

I want..... Everybody raves about the Quattro noise but I love the rasp of the Integrale Evo's. Pity the only one I looked at so far with the idea of buying had rust above the tailgate and required a lead plate to fill the gap. Maybe some day......

[NGK210]

Excellent! Thanks for posting

BTW, Harry Metacalfe's done a nice HD vid about his Evo II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI--8IH5XJw

[truck71]

Most successful rally car ever? May have been at the time it won it's last WRC.

[Google [bot]]

NGK210 said:

Excellent! Thanks for posting

BTW, Harry Metacalfe's done a nice HD vid about his Evo II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI--8IH5XJw

Very good, thanks.

[carinaman]

Despite the precipitation, a red one passed me earlier. So that one's getting used and not a garage queen. Why am I smiling typing about a car I saw a couple of hours ago? Most strange.

[Krikkit]

NGK210 said:

Excellent! Thanks for posting

BTW, Harry Metacalfe's done a nice HD vid about his Evo II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI--8IH5XJw

Awesome.

The 'grale has to be on my top-10 favourite cars, absolutely love it.

[Steamer]

"Hands up everyone that has recently scoured through the PH Classifieds / Ebay?!...


.... Only to slump back in their chair kicking themselves for not buying 10 years ago!!"

[carinaman]

Were they more affordable ten years ago? I am sure I'd have seen Walkers advertised stuff then and thought nice, but as ever not cheap or affordable.

I remember looking at their advert for that Hyena they had a few years ago and Intergales weren't exactly cheap then.

I think I've seen some a low as £3K over the years, but obviously they'd be the ones needing work. Are all those ones that are elderly and needing work suddenly £10K or something?

Walkers has only ever been a window shopping place for me, and I invariably look at their other stock.

Edited by carinaman on Wednesday 2nd October 18:16

[soad]

Fap Fap Fap! Music to my ears.

[smilo996]

Seems to me that Lancia took a very ordinary and pretty dull car and turned into a muscular, snorting and hugely capable world beating car. It wiped the flour with prety much everything including the Audi Quattro. The Evo diary sums it up nicely.

46 WRC victories over 5 years. As it got more sophisticated so did the name.

My brother was lucky enough to have and Evo 2 in Red, one of two in North America. He used to bait corvettes and essentially anything. people were amazed, how this funny little family hatch could do the things it did.

[viggyp]

truck71 said:

Most successful rally car ever? May have been at the time it won it's last WRC.

Even after 15 years they were pulled from rallying, they were still the most successful.

[Behemoth]

I've never understood the Evo obsession. You'd have thought it was the only Integrale made. In fact, there were plenty of earlier variants, winning the WRC all the way back to the HF 4WD. Beautiful cars, every one, Evo or non.

[diddly69]

Great video and at the end finishing the stage in reverse it would seem

[Baryonyx]

The Integrale is hardly shamed by being trounced by the GT4 and the Escort Cosworth, they were newer and technically superior cars.

[NGK210]

smilo996 said:

... It wiped the flour with prety much everything ...

[truck71]

viggyp said:

truck71 said:

Most successful rally car ever? May have been at the time it won it's last WRC.

Even after 15 years they were pulled from rallying, they were still the most successful.

Thought it was, incredible record- so sad where Lancia have gone since.