LANCIA DELTA HF INTEGRAL 8V MARTINI OFFICIAL

SPECIFICATIONS
YEAR: 1988
KILOMETERS: -
POWER: 295 HP
DISPLACEMENT: 2000 cm3
FUEL: PETROL/PETROL
GEARBOX: Manual
CYLINDERS: 4
EXTERNAL/INTERNAL: Official Martini livery

Matching numbers
Michelin test car 1988
Driven by tester Lele Pinto and champion Markku Alén
FCA Heritage Lancia Classiche Authenticity Certification

In 1987 the FIA approved the new regulations for Group A, born on the ashes of Group B, banned because they were too dangerous after the tragic events of 1986. Lancia's response was immediate with the Delta HF 4WD, which won nine of the thirteen races of the 1987 season, winning the World Constructors' and Drivers' Championships with Juha Kankkunen. Thanks to the experience accumulated and in anticipation of the new racing season, Lancia is developing a new car coded SE044 and better known as Delta HF Integrale. The new model debuted at the 1988 Rally Portugal, the third race of the World Rally Championship. Numerous improvements were made compared to the outgoing model thanks to the work carried out by Claudio Lombardi's team at ABARTH: a larger Garrett T3 turbocharger coupled with a more efficient and better positioned intercooler, wider track and rounded wheel arches to allow the mounting of wheels and larger tyres and above all the new 6-speed gearbox called R70. At the beginning of 1988, Lancia chose Michelin as its new official supplier, building an ad hoc laboratory car, available to Michelin itself with the support of the Corso Marche Experience Department. From here our car was born which, throughout 1988, remained dedicated to testing and developing new racing tyres. The wider track and the possibility of using 16" rims compared to the traditional 15" allowed us to adopt large brakes. dimensions that made the car even faster, especially on asphalt. These numerous technical innovations allowed the newborn Delta HF Integrale to win the World Championship in the two-year period 1988 - 1989, establishing itself as the most successful model of the Turin company.

Our car called "DELTA MICHELIN"

In anticipation of the tests and development of the new tyres dedicated to competitions, ABARTH set up chassis #417804. On 06/20/1988 the completed car was registered with the current licence plate TO82957H, available to the Experience Department and Michelin technicians. Set up with road-going specifications, the car was used by Pinto and Cassina for an initial test session on the Island of Elba and then by Alén and Kivimaki who continued development in Portugal on the Estoril hills.

Once its life as a laboratory car ended, the car entered the orbit of the renowned Meteco Corse team which took care of the mechanical updates inherited from direct experience in ABARTH. Until 1993 driven by Paolo Duberti and with the technical support of Flavio Davisod's Jolly Autosport, the car achieved important results in National Rallies and the Italian Cup including two firsts overall at the Valli Imperiesi in 1992 and 1993. Since 2008 it became part of part of Scuderia Milano Racing which oversaw the updates aimed at issuing the FIA Technical Passport (HTP).

Currently, thanks to the experience of KSPORT and the technical support of GARAGE EMILIA CORSE, the car has returned to its original ABARTH configuration, obtaining the FCA Heritage Lancia Classiche Authenticity Certification, the only document that certifies its total originality.