Lancia

Most of you will probably agree that “they don’t make them like they used to” when it comes to cars. Granted, the performance of modern cars is much more accessible compared to, let’s say, something from the 1980s, but there’s a reason most poster cars are from a few decades ago. One such car is the rally-dominating Lancia Delta and although there have been modern recreations like the Delta Futurista, it hasn’t had a proper successor…until now.

The Lancia Delta is one of the most infamous hot hatches ever, however, it went away just before Lancia itself faded into irrelevance. Now, Lancia is back, and the Delta is making a return too - as an EV!

To rally enthusiasts, the Lancia Delta HF Integrale is a legendary vehicle that doesn’t need an introduction. To this day, the Italian hot hatch remains the car that has won the most World Rally Championships (WRC) in a row – six. Although in 2018, Automobili Amos came up with a modernized version of the Delta. It wasn’t the attainable hot-hatch we still crave. However, this doesn’t stop pixel artists from coming up with their own version of the icon and Matteo Gentile (aka mattegentile) has come up with something that would easily fit the bill in our time.

Marcello Gandini needs no introduction. He has tens of models to his name and many of them have achieved legendary status. Now, three of his creations, namely the Lamborghini Jarama, the Lancia Stratos HF Stradale, and the Alfa-Romeo Montreal will be up for sale at an upcoming auction by Stratas Auctions. Collectively, they are expected to fetch north of $800,000.

If you are somewhat familiar with the world of rallying, you probably know of the existence of the short-wheelbase Audi Quattro S1 E2, which has a 320 mm (12.6 inches) shorter wheelbase than the initial version. The car is well-known for competing in Group B rallying, but what isn’t well-known is this crazy short-wheelbase Lancia Delta EVO, built by Artemio Racing, in Italy.

The car marketplace is as vast as the universe itself and every now and then we see some very ambitious projects. This is exactly the case with this one. Someone decided to take on an ambitious project to make a Lancia 037 Tribute car. The original 037 Stradale was built in just 200 copies and if one goes on for sale, it usually has a steep asking price. Apparently, an enthusiast got inspired by the Kimera EV037 and decided to build his own 037. For one reason or another, the project car is now looking for a new owner and, luckily, the current bid is nowhere near what the original costs.

Reimagining an iconic classic can be a tricky business. Luckily, more than a few studios have proven they can pull it off. Kimera automobile’s creation is the latest example of how an icon can be not only reimagined but also improved. The studio’s meticulous approach, derived from motorsports, has resulted in a tribute to one of the greatest rally cars ever made – the Lancia 037. Preceded by the legendary Stratos and succeeded by the mighty Delta HF Integrale, the 037 is part of Lancia’s glorious past. Just like the Lancia New Stratos and the Lancia Delta Futurista Coupe, the Kimera EVO37 is a love letter to the brand’s better days.

Jay Leno owns a massive car collections that reportedly includes well over 150 examples. He owns some of the rarest and most iconic automobiles ever built, but he’s still missing some important vehicles. The Lancia Stratos is one of them, but the former TV show host managed to borrow one for the Jay Leno’s Garage show. If you want to see a rally-spec car being driven on U.S. roads, this is your best chance yet.

Since 2017, Lancia has been selling just one car, the Ypsilon, in Italy. The iconic brand is pretty much dead outside its home country and its future remains uncertain. But even though Lancia has been struggling in recent years, its heritage is still remembered thanks to nameplates like the Delta.

Famous for its rallying success and its high-performance Integrale street versions, the Delta is arguably the most legendary vehicle Lancia has built in since the 1980s. And now you can own an incredible and rare Delta HF Integrale Evo II version for just $100,000.

Lancia officially retired from rallying back in 1991, but it made sure to end its run on a high note. Its racehorse, the Lancia Delta, is touted as one of the best rally cars ever produced and is considered a legend in its own right.

To commemorate its fifth consecutive World Rally Championship victory before retiring, Lancia built 400 examples of the Delta Integrale Martini 5 Evoluzione from October 1991 to 1992. One of those copies is now up for grabs at Bring-a-Trailer.com and the bid for it has already gone north of $100,000!

Lancia is basically dead as a brand with just one model, the Ypsilon, sold only in Italy, but this company boasts an illustrious past. Before its demise began in the 1990s, Lancia was one of Italy’s most celebrated marques with models like the Stratos, Beta, and Gamma.

The Italian firm started winning races in the World Rally Championship in the 1970s and the 1980s brought even more success. That’s when the Delta, a five-door hatchback was born. Produced from 1979 all the way to 1994, the Delta became a popular car in Europe, but it also spawned one of the most successful rally cars.

Let’s put it this way: the Delta Integrale, in all of its versions, has six consecutive WRC titles under its belt. The race car absolutely dominated the rally realm between 1987 and 1992, sparking that sort of passion that still resides in the heart of every gearhead.

By modern standards, Lancia isn’t the most successful carmaker we’ve known. In fact, the brand’s decline makes us ask ourselves if it will manage to survive for the next five years or so. The Delta Integrale Evoluzione homologation special, though, will keep the Lancia name alive for us. That and this 700-horsepower Integrale Evo ripping a hillclimb course.

After more than 40 years of being out of the spotlight, the Stratos has returned. It’s not made by Lancia anymore, but by Manufattura Automobili Torino (MAT). Called the MAT Stratos Coupe, the first-production version of the super-desirable sports car is now up for auction at Bonhams, and, as you can imagine, this particular Stratos Coupe is going to fetch a steep price.

The renowned auction house estimates that the first-production Stratos Coupe will fetch somewhere in the vicinity of $1 million. It’s about as unique a sports car as you can buy these days, and while the estimated price is way out of our budget, it’s not hard to imagine someone paying that much money to own the first-produced MAT Stratos Coupe.

The Stratos of the 21st century is almost ready. We’ll get to see the first production models built by Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT) at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show that kicks off on March 7th. Now we know that MAT will also bring a manual version of the car to Switzerland. That model uses the engine and the rest of the running gear from the Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Only 25 examples of it will be made.

The Lancia Stratos is a legend. As arguably the first purpose-built rally car, it cast a shade on all the other cars competing in top-line rallies in the early ’70s and went on to be competitive for almost a decade. The modern reinterpretation built by MAT is a slightly updated version of the 2010 New Stratos concept founded by German collector Michael Stoschek who gave his permission for the Stratos name to be used on these 25 new cars. Lancia, however, isn’t on board.

The Lancia Aurelia was a car built in the 1950s before it was replaced by the more modern Flaminia. The most famous example is a racing version of the car that was based on the B20 two-door GT and competed in the Mille Miglia (where it came second overall in 1951), won its class at Le Mans the same year, and it was also raced in the Carrera Panamericana. Now, there’s a new model in the spotlight as it has been the subject of a rather extensive restomod.

The Lancia Stratos is one of those instantly recognizable automotive cars, which is why I’m happy that a new one has been launched, albeit as a super limited production model that is not even worth fantasizing about owning.

The Lancia Stratos was the first car to be constructed from the ground up with the sole purpose of going rallying. As legendary as it is fast, the Stratos still races in historical rally events, and this particular one won the 2017 European Historic Rally Championship with former endurance and GT racer Erik Comas behind the wheel.

Comas, a former Le Mans podium-finisher with Pescarolo, has owned four Stratoses over the years, but this one is the one he calls "The Rally Queen." It was formerly owned by Lancia test driver Claudio Maglioli who worked on the development of the Stratos. Comas took it back to Biella, Italy, where the car was originally maintained to have it refreshed before he returned it to action in 2015. That year, he won the Italian Historic Rally Championship. No wonder he hails the handling characteristics as "perfect."

The Lancia Delta HF Integrale was an absolute legend in the world of motorsports. Forged in the fires of Group A rally racing, the boxy Italian compact collected a number of wins throughout its career, earning the respect and adoration of countless racing fans. Eugenio Amos counts himself among those fans, and from his passion, he’s created the Lancia Delta Futurista, a restomod that elevates the legend to an all-new level, all while keeping in the spirit of the original.

The Lancia Delta Futurista was designed and built by Amos’ company, Automobili Amos, a customization shop out of Italy. The restomod project is similar to the Jag E-Type-based Eagle Speedster and 911-based Singer Porsches we’ve seen before, mixing high-level modernization and performance with old school, nostalgia-inducing cues. Amos likens the Lancia Delta Futurista to a “romantic vision” that breaks from a world perceived as “too aseptic, too fast, that runs like the wind, superficial and intangible.”

Continue reading to learn more about the Lancia Delta Futurista.