Automotive History: The Lancia Delta Integrale

Anybody who knows anything about cars and rallying will be acquainted with the Lancia Integrale: its racing success and victories, its straight, no-nonsense lines, and the fact that it's been around for 18 years all conspire to give this car an aura of mythical invincibility. Lancia is the only manufacturer to be able to boast the fact that, out of 11 WRC victories, 6 were won with the same model, a Delta Integrale.

When the savage Group B rally cars were banned in 1987 because of the numerous accidents and tragedies they were responsible for, Lancia was the one car maker which had the most suitable production car to withstand the shift onto Group A: a Lancia Delta four-wheel drive, which earned the World Championship in that year, and went on to win more titles (each and every year until 1992) and evolve into the Lancia Integrale.

It was always Fiat Group's strategy, as Lancia's owners, to position each brand in its own niche, according to its skills and personality: Alfa Romeo would be perfectly positioned to race in the Touring Car Championship, Ferrari in Formula 1, and Lancia in WRC.

HISTORY

Giorgio Giugiaro designed the original Lancia Delta (on a Fiat Ritmo/Strada's chassis!) in 1979, although the first 4-wheel drive prototype was not introduced to the world until 1982 at the Turin Motor Show. Four years later, in 1986, the standard Lancia Delta gained four-wheel traction and a turbocharged 2.0, 8v, 165bhp engine.

A year on came the first Integrale 8v, followed by a 16v version in 1989. Both Integrale models boasted modified suspension settings and more powerful engines (185bhp and 200bhp respectively).

A Deltona' (big Delta, in Italian), or Evoluzione' version was introduced in October 1991: its front suspension attachment points were shifted for better handling, the suspension travel itself was made longer for smoother ride, the body and the track wider, and the engine more powerful still, going up to 210bhp thus requiring additional air intakes, better front brakes and callipers, and a power steering fluid- cooling radiator.

Evoluzione 2, introduced in 1993, added 5 bhp to the Deltona's power output, a catalytic converter (in a separate version, also known as Evoluzione 3), and a new engine management, although like the previous one, it still came courtesy of Magneti Marelli. As the turbocharger was smaller (the Evoluzione 2 did not take part in the FIA Group A rallies), the turbo lag was less distinctive, and the car became a lot more civilised' to drive.

The Maggiora factory kept churning out the latest version of Lancia Integrale until the end of 1994, but Lancia built the previous versions - all models included, more than 33,000 were produced.

Over the years and through different versions, the original Lancia Integrale gained both in performance terms (from 165bhp to 215bhp) and dimensions (10cm were added to its track, and 15cm to its width), but the basic engine, transmission and suspension geometry remained the same. Still, wider and stronger lower wishbones and longer rear control arms were fitted in the Evoluzione models.

The Integrale's character mellowed through the many versions, giving up a certain rawness and gaining in sophistication and competence.

Originally, the Integrale's 2.0 8v or 16v was a 4 cylinder in-line Fiat unit, designed by Aurelio Lampredi the man responsible for the first Ferrari engine in 1942 with a long stroke to enhance torque at low revs over output at high revs. The 8-valve version, having the bigger turbocharger, offers more adrenaline-induced effect at low revs, whilst the 16v feels more alive above the 5,000 point. The engine has twin counter-rotating balancing shafts to smooth out vibrations, like the similarly sized Alfa Romeo Twin Spark unit. Such feature is missing in the competition variants.

Racing versions were prepared by Abarth, Fiat's racing arm.

DRIVING

Drive a Lancia Integrale and be wooed by its nervousness, quick response and continuous dialogue with the road.

The engine is transversally mounted, despite the fact that it's fitted to a four-wheel drive car. The shafts driving each wheel must be of equal length, to ensure similar handling abilities whether cornering left or right. As the gearbox is mounted at the rear end of the engine, an inner axle sends the power back to the differential mounted in the centre, which then uses a traditional viscous coupler to split the torque between front and rear.

A rear differential called Torsen (Torque Sensing) acts like viscous coupling to handle partial slip loads between wheels. Better than viscous coupling, it acts differently under acceleration or braking: during the former, it can lock one or all wheels if detecting spinning, during the latter it avoids locking the affected wheel in order not to affect the braking or induce spinning on the car's vertical axis. Viscous coupling will lock during both accelerating and braking, but is a more common device as it's less expensive to produce and fit.

Torque distribution is affected by the Delta's original Ritmo/Strada chassis (front wheel drive), and favours the front wheels in the Integrale 8v version. Subsequent versions (Integrale 16v and Deltona) favour the rear wheels. Such difference is barely noticeable under normal driving conditions.

However, no matter what the torque distribution is, the fact that the Integrale is turbocharged means that it will understeer entering corners (when the revs are low and the turbo has not kicked in yet) and wildly oversteer coming out of them (when the enormous power hits the front wheels first, which cannot handle it, the centre differential locks and sends the power to the rear). The trick is to overcome the feeling that the car is heading straight during cornering in, and be prepared for the massive kick from the turbo which literally spits the car out of the corner.

Sheer exiting speed would be enough to make the Integrale the car to try at least once in your lifetime, if one is a car enthusiast. But it must be remembered that being a four-wheel vehicle action on the brakes during cornering is very bad news for the less experienced drivers. The front and rear axles are linked by differentials, which means that torque transfers are likely to take place at the first sign of locking or spinning, resulting in loss of car control. And the car itself!

A dynamic brake force-proportioning device is fitted to all road-going cars to adjust the rear brake force bias under heavy braking (which would make the front of the car dive and the rear lift). It is not a device which will get you out of trouble if braking during cornering, as the suspension angles vary quickly in such circumstances, but it helps in a straight line.

The steering feedback is sublime, giving a very involving and communicative driving experience.
As in many Italian models, some inexplicable electric gremlins will accompany one's ownership of a Lancia Integrale for ever. Windscreen wipers, internal lights, window switches and the like may be affected. The last version, Evoluzione 2, had a better engine management system and a knock sensor installed, taking care of most engine-related problems.

Rust not a problem for the chassis unless the owner really does not take an interest in their toy, but may be present inside the wheelarches, sunroof edge and suspension/engine mounts.

The front anti-roll bar mounts are prone to failing.

Obvious as it may seem, if on the market for an Integrale, one should look for signs of previous accident damage.

Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione 2 has the best build quality , as this version was made by contractors (Maggiora, near Turin), not Lancia.

A good Lancia Integrale will cost about 8,000, and the best version to look for would be the Evoluzione 2 or 3' (with catalytic converter). If in the market for one, though, the simple pleasure of driving such wild, pure-breed beast might stop all other, and more sensible, considerations.

VERDICT

Driving a Lancia Delta Integrale is one of those pieces of information which tells a lot about the owner: we are looking at a definite car enthusiast, who is not easily wooed by the latest offerings on the market for boy-racers, and understands, loves and cares for great engines and robust performance.

This person is not afraid of the occasional hairy ride, temper, skittishness and wild abandon with which the Integrale faces the road and life, and accepts that the best things in life, as ever do not come for free.

The Integrale's maintenance bill will be outrageous. Sourcing parts will involve becoming member of the very special Lancia drivers' family, who swap and change and borrow and lend according to needs.

Looks may deceive too, as the Integrale's lines, straight and bland, belie its racing, rebellious spirit and pedigree. If one is fascinated by the thought of driving a piece of rallying history, but is keen that the boys in blue should not pick his/her car out among the ocean of jazzed-up sportscars like Mitsubishis and Subarus, then the Lancia Integrale fits the bill. A large one.