Garret Dietz's '79 CX 500

Lancia Rally Legends: The dirty years

They’re bright red and arrive in a group of three, but that’s where the similarities with London buses end. Each of these colour co-ordinated Lancias is a descendant of a rally legend, meaning terrific performance, sky-high street cred and considerable rarity.

Whether it’s the fabled Stratos, low-slung 037 or steroidal Delta integrale, each has a lineage steeped in mud-ridden competition pedigree. Now, many of the original rally-prepped cars have been hidden in private collections – so what better than to take a look at their road-going alter-egos?

Lancia Stratos Stradale




Lancia’s trilogy of successful rally cars is rooted in 1970, and the launch ofBertone’s Stratos Zero concept car. The resulting Stratos HF shared little aesthetically with its namesake, but nevertheless took the automotive world by storm with its wedgy shape and blistering performance. Packing a Ferrari Dino-sourced 2.4-litre V6 developing upwards of 270bhp, it virtually owned the World Rally Championship from 1974 until 1976, thus becoming a legend almost instantaneously.

Of course, homologation was required before the Stratos was eligible for competition success. Enter the Stratos Stradale, whose detuned (to around 190bhp) engine provided a sub-5-second 0-62mph sprint time and a top speed of 144mph. However, the quest for that kind of performance – and the rush to build the number of cars required for homologation – meant build quality and ergonomic considerations were not given much attention. But all that is instantly forgiven when the front and rear sections are tipped, allowing a peek at the rally-derived mechanicals.

Lancia 037



Tasked with following in the Stratos’s sizeable footsteps was a car simply known by its internal project number: #037. It was the product of a dream partnership between Lancia, Abarth and Pininfarina, and used a supercharged 2.0-litre four-pot feeding up to 350bhp to the rear wheels. The 037 took the Constructors' title in the 1983 World Rally Championship; the subsequent success of four-wheel drive meant the Lancia was the last rear-driven car to do so. 

Like its predecessor, the ‘Stradale’ version used a detuned version of the rally-spec engine in the interests of long-term reliability, resulting in a more modest 205bhp output. However, the car’s amidships engine placement and low weight (around 1,170kg) meant an entertaining drive, despite the car being relatively well-appointed for a homologation special. The spritely 037 was garnished with electric windows and interior carpeting, while the deletion of the black rubber rear spoiler rectified the rearward vision problems that were a bugbear of the Stratos. All road-going 037s were originally finished in red.

Lancia Delta Integrale HF



After the 037’s rapid obsolescence following the across-board switch to four-wheel drive, Lancia developed the Delta S4. Although it looked dissimilar to its predecessor, the new all-wheel-drive car shared much in common with the 037 beneath its carbonfibre composite bodywork; it employed a tubular spaceframe construction and mid-engine layout (in contrast with the front-engined road car). With Group B regulations still in effect, it was not uncommon for rally-prepared S4s to produce over 500bhp; the 200 Stradale versions made 250bhp.

The abolition of the Group B class proved a blessing in disguise for Lancia: while it left competitors with no suitable cars on which to base their Group A machines, the front-engined Delta HF 4WD was the perfect solution for the Italian marque. This and the subsequent 'integrale' iterations of the Delta meant Lancia secured the Constructors' championship for a record six consecutive years, which of course gave the Delta instant hero status.



Rounding off our striking trio, the Delta shown here is an Evo II version. Despite being catalysed, it wrung 5bhp more than the Evo I from the same 1,995cc engine, giving a total figure of 212bhp. While the initiated will know that the Evo II was never campaigned by the factory, this 1994 example offers a delightful introduction to competition-bred machinery – indeed, we’d recommend learning to tame one of these first, before moving on to the more demanding Stratos and 037.

Further Links All three Lancia rally legends from our photo production are currently being offered for sale by Classic Driver dealer Elite Garage AG Lancia Stratos Stradale Lancia 037 Lancia Delta integrale HF Numerous other classic and modern Lancias can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Joe Breeze
Photos: Jan Baedeker

Shopping from 1977 - Men's Club Magazine

from archivalclothing.com
Per Peter Allen - Everything Old is New Again. I've been browsing through the pages of Men's Club magazine from Japan. Who needs a costly Free & Easy subscription when everything about outdoor and inspired cycling garb has already been spelled out in 1977. Here are a few sample views:





I love the mixed view approach of Japanese magazines: model the fashion and then provide a beautifully arranged, spatialized shopping list of essential supplies. Even in 1977, Brooks saddles, lace up leather cycling shoes and French cyclo-tourist bags were the final word.




Makes sense to me - backpacking along the interstate. Don't forget your flask and water filter.

Valentino Rossi wins Monza Rally Show

It took the Monza Rally Show and the Mastershow (dedicated to the late Marco Simoncelli) and a switch to four wheels for Valentino Rossi to finally score a pair of wins this season. This was the Italian’s third win at the show after winning the 2006 and 2007 editions together with Carlo Cassina.

Rossi’s rival this year was multiple Le Mans winner Rinaldo ‘Dindo’ Capello and his co-driver Luigi Pirollo. The two divided the top spots in the nine stages, Rossi taking 5 and Capello 4, but the MotoGP rider won in the end with a margin of 2.8 seconds.

Pierino Longhi and Luca Cassola took the third spot on the podium, while Andrea Dovizioso ended up fifth with his Citroen DS3 after losing the last stage. The Brivio brothers Davide and Roberto, closed out the three day event in 9th ahead of reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo - who was tenth in his rally debut (he usually does car endurance races).

Loris Capirossi finished in 34th and 9th in his class while Simone Corsi and Claudio Corti had to retire after the second day.

 0 comments

Italian Exotics to Star at Coys’ 4 Dec 2012 London Sale

Auctioneer Douglas Jamieson should be wishing clients at Coys’ forthcoming pre-Christmas sale a hearty Buon Natale!, as a significant part of the catalogue is of Italian origin.

There are, for example, TWO Lamborghini Miuras. One is from 1967 and converted by the factory in period to SV specification. The other ticks two all-important boxes in today’s market: it’s in ‘barn-find’ condition, a metallic brown car ripe for restoration; and it enjoyed celebrity ownership in period, having been bought by Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis as a gift for his friend (magnificently coiffured and a popular singer of the time) Stamatis Kokotas in the early 1970s. Estimate: GBP 320,000 - 370,000. 

Joining the Lamborghinis are no fewer than four Ferraris (including a rare-in-RHD, silver-with-red-hide 1979 512 BB, for GBP 95,000 - 110,000), a 1956 Lancia Aurelia B24 Series One Convertible (GBP 150,000 - 170,000) and two Maseratis, both of which are competitively priced and firm favourites in the Classic Driver office. 



The 1966 Quattroporte is an example of the car that delivered killer performance from its 450S-derived V8 but, as a four-seater, was a discreet, practical alternative to British and Italian GTs of the period. And who doesn’t appreciate Maserati 3500 GTis? This for-restoration, 1963 example is estimated at GBP 38,000 - 45,000. 

Elsewhere in the catalogue, there’s the customary 300SL (a red with red hardtop, disc-braked 1961 car), a super-desirable LHD 1965 Aston Martin DB5 (and a genuine ‘Vantage’, too, for GBP 330,000 - 380,000), three Porsche 356s and a pair of wonderful Bentley shooting brakes. 

All in all, a super selection of cars for Christmas. Prior to the motor cars, Coys will offer over 350 lots of automobilia, including many original film posters. Do have a browse through Coys’ website for these: there’s some great stuff there. 



Coys’ 4 December ‘True Greats’ auction will be held at the Lindley Hall of the Royal Horticultural Society, Vincent Square, London SW1P 2QW. Automobilia will start at 13:00, motor cars at 19:00 prompt. 

Please CLICK HERE to see the full lotlist. 

Coys' website: www.coys.co.uk Text: Steve Wakefield (aus dem Englischen von Mathias Paulokat)

Fotos: Coys