Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. It's also the name of a four-door, four-cylinder car from Lancia, some of which came with four-wheel drive. Wanting today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1989 Integrale 16v may be as easy as ABC, but will its price make it too much of an alpha-bet?
In the film industry, when someone has a bad meeting it is indelicately proffered that they have shit the table, meaning embarrassed themselves irrevocably. In the lexicon of the automotive industry, that phrase could also be used in reference to certain model debuts. Chrysler's Aspen/Volare twins had just such a tableau-defecating launch, what with rust and build quality issues, and as the 70% Crack Pipe loss on yesterday's V8 and stickity-stick '78 wagon averred, that will not soon be forgotten.
Based on the vitriol spilled in its name it's hard to believe that the Volare wagon provided the basis for this. The Monteverdi Sierra has always been rarer than steak tar tare, with fewer than 20 commissioned, and suffered from a reputation for rot, much like their Mopar progenitors. That means finding one today would be like hiking in the forest and coming across Big Foot - while he is mid crap-taking, and using DB Cooper's hijacking ransom cash in lieu of Charmin. That's pretty slim.
Almost as rare in the US is this 1989 Lancia Delta Integrale 16v. But like Sasquatch, this one keeps turning up from time to time.
You all know the Integrale, right? No introductions should be necessary, as it's one car that's been on pretty much every enthusiast's most-lusted list for years.
This one has also been making the rounds for a couple of years now, and although it's not this 8v from 2009, the BaT article notes that the seller also had a 16v from New York at the time. This one shows up for sure in late 2010 - check out the yellow intake hose - where it apparently sold for $14,655. That may have very well been the sale to its present owner as he claims in this current eBay ad that he has owned the Inetrgrale for only six months. In that time he couldn't be bothered to update the sales spiel which touts the same updates - cam belt, rebuilt turbo, etc - as in the last ad. It also seems not to have moved much in the intervening months as it still is claimed to have but 65K on its clock.
If I owned one of these things I wouldn't let it just sit there, I'd hoon the hell out of it, and the only time you'd be able to pry me out of the pilot's perch would be for poop breaks and scraping the CARB goons off the grille. You see, this thing is more illegal in my home state than you marrying your sister, and as I have it on good authority that driving the Integrale is an act of pleasure akin to riding through France with Miranda Kerr where you're the bike seat, I think it's reason enough to consider relocating.
But maybe not for this one. Sure it's had a number of expensive bits replaced, which is good, but there's an equally long list of things that, like our nation's economy, need fixin'. The paint is described as being good from far, but far from good, and there's a lot of little chips and wear-throughs all over. The interior at least looks pretty good - with seats that lappear fully intact and show off their gay pride in a jaunty striped pattern. The dash is equally unmarred by time, although the seller does claim that an IE light intermittently illuminates. He doesn't seem interested enough to determine what it actually means, however. Mechanically, the seller notes pretty effusively that he knows as much about its condition or potential grenade-ability as Butterfly McQueen knew about birthin' babies.
As previously mentioned, these WRC-homage Lancias are rare here in the U.S., although their age and desirability mean that importing one (except to California) is becoming less onerous. Of course this one is already here, and has proven able to be registered in both Colorado and New York ,if the seller is to be believed. And it suffers some of the signs of age that any car not enveloped in bubble wrap and squirreled away under the mattress does, including the gangsta' pants headliner and not so hot A/C noted in the ad. That may be the reason that the seller dropped his price on the car within the past day from over $16K to its present $15,795.
Considering that this owner likely paid less than that six months ago, and that he hasn't done anything more than patch some gas leaks and apply a little electrical tape since then, is his asking price reasonable? What do you think, is $15,795 for this somewhat decrepit Delta a deal? Or, is that a price that makes this Lancia a lame-cia?
You decide!
eBay or go here if the ad disappears.
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