I’m happy our pals at the Classic Car Club Manhattan just got a nice Lancia Delta Integrale 16V from Poland. I really am. But now, I think it’s time for Europeans to hide their Lancias before more and more Americans get the same idea.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not jealous or anything. But thanks to our climate, we already lost cars like BMW 2002s, and since we don’t have that many nice Integrales left either, I would prefer to keep prices right where they are without having to compete with your hard earned dollars as well.
The 16-valve version of Lancia’s most desirable box featured a new Garrett T3 turbo and an electronically controlled wastegate to produce 200 horsepower. It was launched at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show, and the rest is history. Glorious rally history, both on and off the tarmac.
According to Autozine’s data, Lancia built 15,589 units in two years before the Evos took over, and while that might seem like a relatively high number, most of these cars ended up wrapped around trees or rotted away in a corner after somebody gave up on their maintenance. Because miss an oil change or mess up the wiring, and these things are gone.
But as CCCM’s Zac Moseley points out, it’s all worth the trouble:
If Fiat decides to pull the plug on Lancia, this is what we shall remember them for. Plus everything they did before the Delta.
Photo credit: Classic Car Club Manhattan
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