Sensational Lancia Delta HF Integrale for sale
Two-owners, 26k miles and repainted in Rosso Amaranto to Bentley standards. Form an orderly queue
A major shakeup of the World Rally Championship is on the horizon. For 2027, the monstrous Rally1 spaceframe prototypes will be drastically pegged back, with wings clipped and power reduced to slash skyrocketing costs and bring them closer to production-based (and much cheaper) Rally2 cars like the Toyota GR Yaris and Skoda Fabia. As you might expect, that’s rubbed many rally fans the wrong way because the spectacle won’t be quite as awe-inspiring as it currently is. However, on the flip side, you could argue that some of rallying’s greatest eras have prominently featured slower-moving, production-based cars.
Take a look at the early 2000s, for example. There were four different champions representing three different teams between 2000 and 2004, and even when Loeb started dominating there were several occasions when drivers came close to toppling him. But the Group A era, which ran from 1987 to 1996, was arguably rallying at its finest. The cars looked just like the family hatchbacks, coupes and saloons you’d find at your local dealer, with the Mitsubishi Evo, Subaru Impreza and Toyota Celica among the most recognisable. All three would see success over the decade, but none of them nabbed as much silverware as the car you see here: the Lancia Delta.
Specifically, this one is an HF Integrale II, which appeared right at the end of the original Delta’s lifespan and Lancia’s factory efforts in the WRC. Its release in 1993 came off the back of Lancia’s sixth constructors’ championship with the Delta in 1992, and its fourth drivers’ title a year prior with Juha Kankkunen. And while factory support was dropped for the ’93 season, WRC legend Carlos Sainz still managed to bag a podium in the updated Evo II before the Italian marque bowed out of the championship for good at the end of the season.
While the Evo II’s upgrades weren’t enough to keep pace with the rest of the pack (it was a 14-years-old come ’93), it did make for a cracking road car. Changes over the Evo I, which itself was a huge upgrade over the 16-valve, included a new water-cooled Garrett turbocharger and Marelli ECU, lifting the 2.0-litre engine up to 215hp. The chassis meanwhile was left largely unaltered, though a new Momo steering wheel and standard Recaro sports seats did make it feel a little plusher than before.
Just three colours were available at launch - red, blue and white - though eagle-eyed Lancia lovers will have spotted that this particular car is finished in the deeper Rosso Amaranto reserved only for the limited-run Edizione Finale. According to the seller, the first owner was the head of a Bentley specialist and, after a few years of enjoying the car in its original red, decided to put it through the company’s paint shop for a full respray in the colour you see here. That would normally be cause for concern - but given the quality of Bentley paintwork, you'd put good money on this Delta’s finish being even better than the original Lancia effort. After all, red Deltas do have a habit of turning pink if left outside for too long.
Otherwise, it’s a completely stock car with 26,000 miles on the clock and the belts changed under current ownership. For a car that hasn’t been restored, it is in astonishing nick, as evidenced by the immaculate suede seats and carpets. It’s priced at £99,995, which seems to be the going rate for Evo IIs this sort of condition. And it’s a far cheaper way of bagging a car that looks like a Final Edition without forking out £185k for this example here. But if you can do without the Evo bits, this 16-valve looks extremely tempting at half the price.
I had five of various iterations when they were just (special) used cars.
Great cars of course, but absolutely not worth that type of money to me. Not that my opinion matters.
The one thing that blew my mind when I paid attention to them again a few years after moving on is how many rusted horrendously. I really thought that would be in the past.
Add to that the success and legendary status of the Integrale over, say, an Escort Cossie, Pulsar GTr, Golf Rallye etc and we end up at £100k.
It's just the going rate.
Having previously had an HF4WD, 8v, 16v and Evo in the past (last one was 15 years ago and sold for £10k) I could never justify such a price... but someone out there will for a minter like this.
I guess people will pay he going rate just because they think they need one in their collection but there's far better driving cars out there for the money in my opinion.
I had five of various iterations when they were just (special) used cars.
Great cars of course, but absolutely not worth that type of money to me. Not that my opinion matters.
The one thing that blew my mind when I paid attention to them again a few years after moving on is how many rusted horrendously. I really thought that would be in the past.
Add to that the success and legendary status of the Integrale over, say, an Escort Cossie, Pulsar GTr, Golf Rallye etc and we end up at £100k.
It's just the going rate.
Having previously had an HF4WD, 8v, 16v and Evo in the past (last one was 15 years ago and sold for £10k) I could never justify such a price... but someone out there will for a minter like this.
Not top cars, but want have's back then, I also owned 6 times a Nissan Sunny GTI-R which I found way better cars, ok after a tune and lowering and bigger wheels, but great cars.
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