Today’s Lancia is one of the company’s final unique product offerings. In the finest tradition of creating a sleeper, the good people at Lancia took their practical Delta hatchback to new planes of existence. Presenting the 1990 Lancia Delta HF Integrale.
The Delta started out as Lancia’s small family car offering. More affordable than the Beta, it also was available only in five-door hatchback guise. When it entered development in the mid Seventies, there was already a small, family car-shaped hole in Lancia’s lineup (the company lacked such an offering ever since the Fulvia Berlina bowed out in 1973). The Italians turned, suitably, to Italdesign to pen the shape of the Delta, tasking legend Giorgetto Giugiaro with its creation.
Built with handling in mind from the get-go, the Delta was fitted with a MacPherson suspension setup. It borrowed the basic engines from Fiat’s Ritmo, but Lancia’s engineers made some revisions. In order to fit with the more upscale Lancia image, carburetors were revised, the exhaust system and ignition were changed, and there was a new intake manifold. Engineering refinements combined with things like an adjustable steering wheel, split folding rear seats, and optional air conditioning to make the Delta feel more like a sophisticated Lancia and less like a Fiat.
Meanwhile, Saab assisted Lancia in the development of the heating and ventilation system, and while they were at it imparted their expertise in rustproofing. Saab, which had an interest in the Delta from the start, is credited with several improvements to the hatchback’s overall design.
Delta was not ready for production until 1979, when it debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Its initial offering saw three models, none of which were exciting: Base and mid-level versions used a 1.3-liter inline four of 74 horsepower, while a top-trim 1.5-liter version managed 84 horses. The Swedish market received the Delta after Saab assisted in its development, but could not go without a properly Swedish name on the rear. Thus, the Saab-Lancia 600 was sold only within Sweden.
The motoring press was delighted, immediately granting the Delta a European Car of The Year award in 1980. A very important model for the small company, the Delta was revised and improved almost immediately. First up were additions like trim varieties and an automatic transmission, followed by much more substantial… evolutions.
In Part II we’ll see how a very common family hatchback was transformed into something very special.
[Images: seller]
I remember lusting after these from afar. What an awesome car…and what’s become of the brand is nothing less than pathetic.
https://www.lancia.com/
Wither the Yplison. Essentially a rebodied 500.
And they had a reworked PT Cruiser for a while.
They also offered the 300 as a rebadged Thema. Also a version of the Voyager minivan.
I was okay with that Thema rebadge. Might as well, especially with the V8.
I’m not sure why Lancia even exists anymore, can’t imagine what their target market or goal is.
Nice Dodge Omni.
For an even rarer Lancia you should feature the Thema 8.32. If you can find one.
The numerical part of the model designation meant 8 cylinders and 32 valves in the engine — from Ferrari. I drove one of these once in Italy back when they were current.
Harry’s Garage did a nice segment on this Thema (even if he doesn’t know how to pronounce its name).
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/09/rare-rides-ferrari-powered-lancia-thema-sister-saab-alfa-romeo/
Dal has the links.
This and the Mitsubishi Starion are things I lust after. Clearly I have love for blocky fender flares on late 80s / early 90s hatchbacks. Must be due to my first car was a ’85 Civic S 1500 hatch.
I’d even take a Chrysler Conquest. Delta and Stratos are lustworthy for sure. Tis a shame that they have nothing on offer that can really capitalize on this heritage.
Wow, that’s beautiful.
I’ll guess that 1.3 is similar (or identical) to the 1.3 found in my 74 Fiat 128SL. A very fun, oversquare high-revver, with little real power.
Yes, the HF is a special beast, but to clarify a couple of things re the ‘everyday’ Delta 1.3 and 1.5 models which preceded it.
Where Corey says ‘… The motoring press was delighted, immediately granting the Delta a European Car of The Year award in 1980…’. The ECOTY award had (has) little to no actual prestige, being given to some very forgettable cars, depending what other models were launched in the applicable 12 month period, plus motor industry politics, whose turn is it, etc.
I test drove the the Delta 1.5 during its launch in the UK and it felt nothing special, a re-skinned Fiat Ritmo, the Alfasud 1.5Ti was more of a driver’s car.
The Delta’s appeal, and sales, were limited mainly to the Italian market, plus Lancia loyalists in other markets, who were thin on the ground after serious rust problems with Beta saloons.
Hmmm
Well, its clearly a Giugiaro. This is from 1990? It looks like an upright four-door version of the 1975 Scirocco I had, with fender flairs from an Audi Quattro of that era, not that that’s a bad thing.
It put me in mind of a thought:
What if BMW made an M3 5-door in 1988? It’d be this.
Is something going on? It is 4th review/tv show, etc in the last 2 weeks on this car. Doug Demuro did it as well. I now want to buy it! This is cool.
Hmm I came across this a few weeks ago, just got around to writing it.
Now, there simply can’t be enough Integrale for me. I’ll take it all. I saw some European listings – $70K is some average price
There is something going on. I looked into this car and the seller has had it over a year. It’s on his YT channel. Why just start promoting it now? There’s a lot of weird things that go back to this seller. Including him starting a “humble” dealership at 27y/o with a Porsche 959 and importing some Lancias from Italy on a whim. Petrolicious featured him last year but I don’t buy this ‘hard work brings good fortune’ bit that is common with all the Youtubers showing off their cars and looking for attention.