ISSIMI Spotlight

The Lancia Delta Integrale is not (just) a hot hatch (1x5)

Date de diffusion: Jun 15, 2020

To call the Lancia HF Delta Integrale a hot-hatch is unfair. At worst, it’s the hot-hatch. At best, it’s so far above and beyond most hot-hatches that it’s something entirely different. Thanks to sanctioning-body rule changes, Lancia was left without a rally car for the 1987 season. Starting with the seven-year-old Delta hatchback, it created the winningest WRC car of all time: the Delta won a total of 46 WRC events, winning an unprecedented six consecutive championships. Its success is due to many factors, but most of all perseverance and continual evolution, culminating in the Deltona: the ultimate Delta. This Evoluzione 1 model, seen here as a “Martini 5” special edition, was capable of drama-free back-road performance often compared to the Porsche 959. Widely regarded as the fastest twisty-road car of its time, it’s barely catchable today. Featured in this episode is a Martini 5, the special-edition Evolution 1 made to celebrate the Delta’s fifth consecutive WRC win.