Every now and again, something truly special comes along like cheerios, Duran Duran and the electric toothbrush.…
In the car world, The Lancia Delta Integrale was one such thing. A hatch back of such presence, poise and performance that we all felt it was going to usher in a period of continued success for the Italian brand.
Maybe time has tinted our glasses rose coloured when we think about this hot hatch from Turin but has there really been a more iconic hot hatch?
Sure the Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI and Nova GSI all pushed the envelope but if you see one in the wild do you stop, drink up the majesty and enjoy the fact you have just seen something special?
No. No you don’t. I’ve never met anyone that salivates over an F reg Golf GTI in the same way the Integrale gets the blood pumping.
The Lancia Delta began life the 1970s as a fairly normal, run of the mill hatchback that did little to thrill. Then in the 80s, Lancia decided they wanted to enter the little dynamo into the WRC and they started to tinker. They popped a torque splitting four wheel drive system in there, made some other tweaks and set it loose onto the racing circuit.
