}} The first Delta (
Tipo 831) was a five-door
hatchback, designed by
Giorgetto Giugiaro and released in 1979. Between 1980 and 1982, it was also sold in Sweden, Denmark and Norway by
Saab Automobile,
badged as the "Saab-Lancia 600" to replace the retired
96 model. The Delta was voted the 1980
European Car of the Year. A special
Delta HF Integrale version was a
four-wheel drive hot hatch with a
turbocharged petrol engine. Modified versions of the HF dominated the World Rally Championship, scoring
46 victories overall and winning the
Constructors' Championship a record six times in a row from
1987 to
1992, in addition to
Drivers' Championship titles for
Juha Kankkunen (1987 and
1991) and
Miki Biasion (
1988 and
1989). The
Lancia Delta S4, while sharing the same name and appearance, was a purpose-built racecar under
Group B regulations, and was entirely different from the mass-produced consumer versions. The works team ran the Delta S4 immediately prior to the HF 4WD and Integrale models' world championship careers from the season-ending
1985 RAC Rally until the end of the
1986 season.
History Development The car that would become the Delta during its development went by the project codename "Y 5", was conceived as an upmarket
front-wheel drive small family car positioned below the larger
Beta; an offering around four metres in length had been absent from Lancia's lineup since the demise of the
Fulvia Berlina in 1973. This platform, derived from the platform of the Fiat Ritmo, with different suspension and more welding points, for a stiffer chassis. Design was by
Giorgetto Giugiaro's
Italdesign. Its platform put together
MacPherson suspension developed for the Beta with four-cylinder,
SOHC engines derived from the
Fiat Ritmo. The Fiat engines were revised by Lancia engineers with
Weber twin-choke
carburettors, new
inlet manifolds,
exhaust systems and electronic ignitions, changes that combined to produce , ten more horsepower than the same engines did in the Ritmos. To achieve its market positioning the Delta offered features uncommon in the segment, as fully
independent suspension,
rack and pinion steering, available
air conditioning, an optional split-folding rear seat, a height-adjustable steering wheel, and a
defogger. Its three-piece body-coloured
bumpers made from
polyester resin sheet moulding compound were claimed by Lancia to be a first in the industry. The heating and ventilation were developed with help from Saab, experts in the field, who also claimed to have had a hand in the rust proofing of the Delta. It was also thanks to Saab that the split-folding rear seats were developed and the bootlid was extended all the way down to the bumper, simplifying loading and unloading.
Debut While details about the car were known since the spring, At launch three models were offered: the base Delta 1300 four-speed, with a 1,301 cc 75 PS (55 kW) engine and simplified equipment, Delta 1300 five-speed, which added more features and an
overdrive fifth gear for cruising, and Delta 1500, with a 1,498 cc 85 PS (62.6 kW) engine and a five-speed gearbox. The Delta was met with a warm reception at the Frankfurt unveiling by the Italian and German press; in December it was awarded the
European Car of the Year for 1980 recognition by a jury of 53 automotive journalists from 16 European countries. Sales started in October 1979; 43,000 were sold in 1980, and by the end of 1981 production had exceeded 100,000. At the beginning of 1982 as an
automatic transmission option was added, the
1500 Automatica; its three-speed was built by Lancia in the
Verrone plant and was already being installed on Betas. In March the top-of-the-line
1500 LX trim level joined the lineup; it featured extended convenience equipment,
metallic paint, 14-inch
alloy wheels designed by Giugiaro and wool cloth upholstery in a chequered fabric specially designed by Italian fashion house
Zegna. Two months after, the trim level was extended to the 1.3-litre engine, which simultaneously increased its output to 78 PS thanks to a raised
compression ratio and
electronic ignition.
1982 facelift November 1982 brought the first
facelift for the Delta. The bumpers were changed from three-piece sheet moulded compound to one-piece
thermoplastic polymer, the front one was redesigned with a more prominent lower
spoiler; another aerodynamic addition was a flat body-colour spoiler applied to the rear part of the roof. Other changes included the deletion of the
anodised fascia between the rear tail lights and a 40 kg weight reduction on all models. Inside there were new seats and, on the range-topping model, an optional digital
trip computer. Concurrently the
Delta GT 1600 was launched,
Delta HF The first true performance-oriented Delta was the
Delta HF, which was introduced in July 1983 and went on sale in September after a first appearance at the
Frankfurt Motor Show. The HF acronym—last used on the
Stratos—stands for "high fidelity", and had been applied to sports and racing variants of Lancia cars since 1966. It is
front-wheel drive and powered by a turbocharged version of the 1.6-litre engine from the Delta GT; the system consists of a
Garrett TBO-225
turbocharger with
wastegate valve, an
air-to-air heat exchanger, a blow-through twin-choke
Weber carburetor and Marelli Microplex ignition with
pre-ignition control. To withstand the additional stress deriving from turbocharging, upgrades were made to the oil system, with increased capacity and an
oil cooler, and to the cylinder heads with sodium-filled
valves. The gearbox is a
ZF five-speed unit.
Dampers, springs and steering were retuned, and the tyres are wide 175/65
Michelin TRX on R 340 alloy wheels. The exterior of the HF is relatively understated: changes were limited to silver "HF" badging on the grille, a deeper chin spoiler, black trim as on the GT, black roof drip rail mouldings, black
side skirts with small silver "turbo" badges in front of the rear wheels, the 1982 roof spoiler painted in black, air intake cowls on the
bonnet grilles, bronze-tinted glass and eight-spoke alloy wheels. The cabin features a leather-covered
steering wheel and supplementary digital instrumentation with bar indicators; the upholstery material is the usual beige Zegna fabric, and
Recaro sport seats covered in the same cloth were optional. About ten-thousand Delta HFs were made, in a two-year production period. To celebrate the rally victories of the Lancia-Martini
Rally 037 it was painted white with a
Martini stripe on the sides below the door handles, and carried Martini-coloured badging;
Recaro sport seats were standard. Only 150 were produced between 1984 and 1985.
Delta HF turbo In October 1985 Lancia unveiled, alongside the
road-going Delta S4, a new version of the HF, renamed
Delta HF turbo in advance of the four-wheel-drive awaited coming in summer 1986. To address some criticisms the car was given less subdued styling features and more generous equipment to differentiate: red "HF turbo" scripts on the grille, the side skirts and the rear hatch, a three-spoke sport steering wheel, dual
wing mirrors, a two-colour pinstripe along the mid-bodyside character line and
Pirelli P6 tyres on 14-inch
Cromodora alloy wheels with a new eight-hole design. Price, technical specifications, and performance remained mostly unchanged. The HF Turbo remained on sale alongside the more powerful four-wheel-drive HF models when they were introduced.
1986 facelift The HF turbo soon lost its crown as top-of-the-range Delta, as the turbocharged 2.0-litre and
four-wheel drive Delta HF 4WD was unveiled at the April
1986 Turin Motor Show. Some of the features of the HF 4WD previewed a major mid-cycle refresh for the entire Delta range, announced in May 1986 and put on sale in June. New enveloping bumpers—the front one with provisions for integrated
fog lights—gave the car a more modern look; the entire front end was changed with a new grille and new headlight covers, which were slanted forward and protruded from the bodywork in an effort to make the car more aerodynamic. The roof spoiler introduced in 1982 was removed. Seven models composed the 1986 range: 1.3, LX 1.3, 1.5 Automatica, GT i.e., HF turbo, HF 4WD and turbo ds. The entry-level model was the 1.3; the 1,301 cc engine had revised intake and exhaust system, fuel cut-off, a new carburettor and breakerless ignition. It was also available on the more upscale
Delta LX 1.3. Similar changes were made to the powertrain of the Delta 1.5 Automatica. The Delta GT and HF turbo were each given Weber IAW integrated electronic ignition and fuel injection system to become the
Delta GT i.e. and the
Delta HF turbo i.e., with 108 PS and 140 PS respectively. Deeper changes had been made to the GT i.e. engine: the
cylinder head had been rotated 180°, bringing the exhaust side to the front for better cooling, and the whole engine was canted forward 18° to lower its
centre of mass height. The Delta HF turbo was updated to HF 4WD looks and interior, from which it differed mainly for the square headlights and single exhaust. The
Delta turbo ds marked the introduction of the first
diesel engine on the Delta. This was a 1,929 cc eight-valve four-cylinder from the
Prisma, with an output of 80 PS; it used a
KKK turbocharger with
wastegate valve, an intercooler and an oil cooler. Lancia positioned the turbo ds as an elegant-sporting model like the GT i.e., giving it similar option availability, the same grey-beige chequered Zegna cloth upholstery and complete instrumentation—which included oil pressure and boost pressure gauges. If not in performance, the turbo ds surpassed its petrol sibling in equipment, with side skirts from the HF turbo and standard power steering. In September 1987 the HF 4WD was replaced by the more capable
Delta HF integrale, which in turn evolved into the 16-valve
Delta HF integrale 16v in March 1989. A new sporty trim level for the 1.3 was added in May 1990, the Delta Personalizzata, available in red or white with contrasting twin pinstripe and electric blue cloth upholstery; standard equipment comprised body-colour wing mirrors, tachometer, clock and sport steering wheel. Later that year the sport models (turbo ds, GT i.e., HF turbo and HF integrale 16v) received richer equipment and interiors in new combinations of colourful striped
velour and Alcantara. The optional Recaro seats of the two HF models were now fully upholstered in perforated Alcantara, green or grey depending on the exterior colour. On the integrale only, they could be had in perforated black leather for an additional fee.
1991 revisions In June 1991 the last update of the first generation Lancia Delta went on sale, almost twelve years after its 1979 début. The front-wheel drive range was reduced to three models, namely LX, GT i.e. and HF turbo. On all three of them, small touches like body-colour side skirts and dual body-colour wing mirrors created a more up to date look. The LX and GT i.e. wore white front turn indicators, a grille with chrome vertical bars, the louvered bonnet from the original HF integrale, and optional 8-spoke diamond-cut alloy wheels from the
Dedra. The Delta LX had abandoned the 1.3 in favour of a revised version of the 1.5-litre engine. Updated colour and trim included green and blue "Metallescente"
mica paint and
Glen plaid cloth upholstery on lower models, while sports models continued with the interiors introduced in 1990. The HF integrale 16v—due to be replaced at the end of 1991 by the much improved
HF integrale "Evoluzione"—handed down its dual round headlights and domed, vented bonnet to the HF turbo, which now looked almost like an integrale. A few months later the HF turbo even replaced its traditional red model identification script on the radiator grille with a yellow HF badge, like the one found on the newly introduced Evoluzione. Concurrently the GT i.e. received new "1600 i.e." badging. A very final, minor round of updates was made when the 1992 models switched to a
catalytic converter-only engine offering, in compliance with
Euro 1 emission standards. The Delta GT i.e. morphed into the
1600 i.e., and together with the HF turbo was the sole front-wheel drive Delta offered. All variants acquired new, more understated upholstery: the HF turbo switched from velour to herringbone inserts on the Alcantara seats and door panels, while the 1600 abandoned Alcantara altogether for full Glen plaid cloth. As the second generation was ready to be launched in 1993, after a career of 13 years the front-wheel drive Delta was phased out at the end of 1992, after over 478,000 had been produced. It was based on the regular production model, but had a 128 bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, four disk brakes, and a top speed of over . Its drivetrain was however not related to the more sophisticated one found on the first mass produced four-wheel-drive Lancias, which were shown at the 1986 Turin Motor Show: the Delta HF 4WD and its tamer saloon sibling, the
Prisma 4WD. The four-wheel-drive system used on the Delta HF 4WD and all HF integrales was instead based on the one developed for the 1985
Lancia Delta S4 Group B rally car, albeit in a transverse front-engine instead of a longitudinal mid-engine layout. becoming the top of the Delta range. The HF 4WD's 1,995 cc, twin-cam, eight-valve engine with two counter-rotating
balancing shafts was derived from the
Lancia Thema i.e. turbo saloon. It was equipped with a
Garrett turbocharger, a
wastegate valve, an air-to-air
intercooler and Weber IAW integrated electronic ignition and
fuel injection; to support turbocharging it also adopted tri-metallic
crankpin and
main bearings, sodium-filled valves, bronze
valve guides and an oil cooler. Although not originally developed with rallying in mind, the Delta HF 4WD provided a suitable basis to build a Group A rally car. The Group A Delta HF 4WD scored the first two places in its first outing and 1987 season starter, the
Monte Carlo Rally. From there it went on to win 9 out of 13 championship races, and ultimately the
1987 World Rally Championship for Manufacturers.
Juha Kankkunen also won the 1987 World Rally Championship for Drivers at the wheel of a Delta HF 4WD. once again named "Delta HF integrale"—but which became better known as the "HF integrale Evoluzione" or simply "HF integrale Evo". Evoluzione cars were built from October 1991 through 1992. At the end of the victorious
1991 World Rally Championship season, where the HF integrale 16v had won both the drivers' and manufacturers' championships, Lancia officially retired from rallying. Despite this, racing development of the HF integrale continued, and factory-developed HF integrale Evos were fielded by independent
Martini Racing-sponsored
Jolly Club for the
1992 season. Thanks to the two factory-backed privateer teams, Lancia won its sixth and final consecutive Constructor's World Rally Championship. These were to be the final
homologation cars; the catalytic 1993 Evoluzione 2 was not developed by the factory into a rally car. The Evoluzione's engine was the same turbocharged 16-valve two-litre used on the previous model, but power had increased to at 5,750 rpm, chiefly thanks to a new, single outlet 60 mm diameter
exhaust system. Maximum torque was unchanged at , but was now reached at a higher, 3,500 rpm. An eight-valve "kat" catalytic converter-equipped variant, with an unchanged 177 PS output, continued to be produced for countries where such equipment was mandatory. Mechanical changes included a strengthened steering rack and a power steering oil cooler. Maggiora took over part of the recently shuttered Lancia
Chivasso plant and restarted production on 16 October 1992.
Delta HF integrale "Evoluzione II" Presented in June 1993, the second Evolution version of the Delta HF Integrale featured an updated version of the two-litre 16-valve turbo engine with more power, as well as a three-way catalyst and Lambda probe. A Marelli integrated
engine control system with an 8 MHz clock frequency was installed, incorporating: • Timed sequential multipoint injection • Self-adapting injection times • Automatic idling control • Engine protection strategies depending on the temperature of intaken air • Mapped ignition with two double outlet coils • Three-way catalyst and pre-catalyst with lambda probe (
oxygen sensor) on the turbine outlet link • Anti-evaporation system with air line for canister flushing optimised for the turbo engine • New
Garrett turbocharger: water-cooled with boost-drive management i.e. boost controlled by feedback from the central control unit on the basis of revs/throttle angle • Knock control by engine block sensor and new signal handling software for spark park advance, fuel quantity injected, and turbocharging The engine developed DIN (against 210 PS on the earlier non-catalytic version) and maximum torque of 32 kgf·m (314 N·m) (formerly 31 kgf·m or 300 N·m). The 1993 Integrale received a cosmetic and functional facelift that included: • New 16" light alloy rims with 205/45 ZR 16 tyres; • Body colour roof moulding to underline the connection between the roof and the Solar control windows; • Aluminium fuel cap and air-intake grilles on the front mudguards; • Red-painted cylinder head; • New leather-covered three-spoke
MOMO steering wheel. • Standard high-back Recaro sport seats. With ABS, fog lamps and Recaro seats now standard on all markets, the sole optional extra was air conditioning. The choice of paint finishes was reduced to just three solid colours:
bianco (white),
rosso Monza (red) and
blu Lancia (dark blue). Interior upholstery was always done in beige Alcantara with diagonal stitching on seat centres and door panels. Additional colour and trim combinations were made available through a number of
limited editions.
Limited editions and specials Lancia produced several limited and numbered editions models based on the Delta HF Integrale "Evoluzione", each offering unique exterior and interior colours, materials and equipment. Some were put on general sale, while others were reserved to specific markets, owners clubs or selected customers. The following table lists all of the limited editions and their main features. A notable one-off model was the Lancia Delta Spider Integrale, a two-door
convertible built for Fiat president
Gianni Agnelli. After production had finished in 1994, Bruno Maggiora tried to convince Lancia to continue the Delta with a third evolution which was realized in the Delta HF Integrale "Viola", the one and only "Evo 3" car named by its intense violet color. The concept features a new injection system, an IAW P8 ECU and an increase in boost for the
Garrett T3 turbocharger, boosting power from at 6,000 rpm and of torque. It also features a GKN limited-slip differential, a new clutch for the center differential, a short shift gearchange and revised springs and dampers. In 2018, a small Italian coachbuilder called Automobili Amos created a modern version of the Delta Integrale, named the Delta Futurista. Power was up to and the car itself weighed 1250 kg. Additionally the rear doors were removed, making it a three-door body. Only 20 examples were produced, each costing £270,000. In 2021, it was announced that
FIA World Rallycross Championship team
GCK Motorsport were set to revive the Lancia Delta as a modern electric rallycross race car for the
2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The car was to be based on a retrofitted road-going electric version of the model called Lancia Delta Evo-e RX. The car made its debut at the
final round of the season. For the
2023 season, GCK Motorsport committed to running the car in the championship until 2025. However, both cars were destroyed in a fire on the 21st of July 2023. File:Lancia Delta - Museo Nazionale Dell'Automobile - Torino, Italy. (11677305585).jpg|
Gianni Agnelli's one-off Delta Spider Integrale on display at
Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile File:Lanci Delta Viola EVO III.jpg|Lancia Delta "Evo 3"
Viola, one-off File:2021 Automobili Amos Delta Futurista no. 8, front left2.jpg|Delta Futurista by Automobili Amos
Performance Data and performance of the first generation models:
Rallying The Lancia Delta is one of the most successful rally cars ever, having won the
World Rally Championship for manufacturers six times between 1987 and 1992. After the abolition of
Group B, following among others the fatal accident of
Henri Toivonen while driving a Delta, Lancia was forced, as were all other manufacturers, to compete with
Group A cars. The Delta HF4WD was therefore pressed into service for the 1987 season. Despite some flaws it was more suitable for rallying than its rivals and easily won the 1987 championship. The Delta's dominance helped it out in the Italian market at least, where a 42% sales increase in the first half of 1987 was directly attributed to its rallying successes. Competitors began to emerge during 1988, in response to whom Lancia produced first the Delta Integrale, and then in 1989 the Integrale 16v, which remained competitive until 1991 and netted the team four more world championships. The Evoluzione Delta was introduced for 1992 and won the championship for a record sixth year in succession, before Lancia withdrew from the sport at the end of an unsuccessful 1993 season. Lancia drivers won the drivers' title in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1991. The four evolutions of the Delta won 46 world championship events between them, and their run of six successive manufacturers' championships remains a world record. File:Markku Alén - 1987 RAC Rally.jpg|
Markku Alén at the 1987 RAC Rally File:Lancia Delta Integrale - 2007 Rallye Deutschland.jpg|Lancia Delta HF integrale - 2007 Rallye Deutschland File:Delta gruppo A.jpg|Lancia Delta HF integrale Evoluzione
Saab-Lancia 600 The
Saab-Lancia 600 is a
rebadged Lancia Delta, sold by Saab in Northern Europe after a deal with Lancia. The deal was a part of the 1980s co-operation between the Swedish car manufacturer Saab and the Italian
Fiat Group, which includes Lancia and
Alfa Romeo in addition to Fiat. The partnership also resulted in the
Type 4 project, which provided the common platforms for the
Saab 9000, the
Lancia Thema, the
Fiat Croma and the
Alfa Romeo 164. The 600 was developed because Saab did not have the finances to support the production of entirely new models and looked to other companies in order to replace the compact
96 in their lineup. The first years it was sold as GLS and the exclusive GLE, but due to poor sales because of the high price the GLE-model did not last long. The 600 was offered only with the 1.5-litre engine that had , connected to a five-speed manual gearbox. The Saab-Lancia 600 was designed by
Giorgetto Giugiaro and, in common with the company's other models, was a
front-wheel drive and a
hatchback, with a
rallying pedigree. The Saab-Lancia 600 version was sold only in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. The last cars were sold in early 1987; Saab then stopped importing Lancias to Sweden and the local Fiat importer took over from 1 January 1988. Due to the harsh weather conditions of northern Europe, Saab developed their own heater and made changes to the rust protection, one of a few minor modification from the Lancia design. The 600 also received thermostatically controlled intake air preheating and a semi-automatic choke. Nonetheless, the 600 experienced severe and well publicized rust problems in Scandinavia and removed many cars from the road. Rust problems also shortened the service life of the few 600s briefly operated by the
Swedish Police. The car is very rare today. In 2012, of the 6,419 Saab-Lancias that were produced for the Swedish market, only 159 survived and only 12 were on the road.
Lancia Hyena The
Lancia Hyena was a two-door
coupé made in small numbers by Italian
coachbuilder Zagato on the basis of the Delta HF integrale "Evoluzione". The Hyena was born thanks to the initiative of Dutch classic car restorer and collector Paul V.J. Koot, who desired a coupé version of the HF integrale as a road car. He turned to Zagato, where the Hyena was designed in 1990 by Marco Pedracini. A first style model was introduced at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1992. A first prototype was shown on the Paris Motor Show in October 1993. After the Brussels show, Koot received an order for 10 cars for the Japanese market, and 3 cars for the EU market, and sales had hardly begun. Thus, the decision was taken to put the Hyena into limited production at Zagato. Fiat approved this, but large bureaucratic barriers became apparent to supply bare HF integrale rolling chassis. This threatened to delay the whole project for years, or even to make it impossible. Koot thus decided to produce the Hyena from fully finished HF integrales, purchased through the official Dutch Lancia importer LANIM at the time. Koot's Lusso Service Holland took care of procuring and stripping the donor cars in the Netherlands; they were then sent to Zagato in Milan to have the new body built and for final assembly. All of this made the Hyena expensive to build and they were sold for around 140,000 Swiss francs A production run of 75 examples was initially planned, but only 24 Hyenas were completed between 1992 and 1995.
Concept cars Italdesign Orca The
Orca was a
concept car with an aerodynamic five-door
fastback body by
Italdesign Giugiaro, unveiled at the April
1982 Turin Motor Show; it was based on the Delta platform, with a turbocharged engine and four-wheel-drive which could be disengaged at speed. The concept's goal was to combine a highly aerodynamic shape () with outstanding passenger room for its size. It was based on the mechanicals of the Delta HF integrale, and bodied using cold-glued carbon fibre sandwich panels. ==Second generation==