1988 Lancia Delta HF Turbo

In the care of its one owner for the past 30 years (as a lease car and then his personal transport), this slim-hipped Lancia Delta HF Turbo IE pre-dates the Integrale, something its Hormann body kit, Koni dampers, and 15-inch alloy wheels disguise.

First registered on the 4th of August 1988, it was regularly driven until the early nineties before being placed into storage and only very lightly used thereafter. Taken out and MOT’d this month, the lack of recommissioning needed speaks volumes as to how well it was looked after in the preceding decades.

Only for sale now because the owner is in his late seventies, pricing a car like this is almost impossible, so we are delighted that he has agreed to offer it with no reserve, having sufficient faith in you lot to allow the market to decide its true value.  

The white coachwork is bloomin’ extraordinary – and not just for a Lancia. The eighties were remarkable for a lot of things but the longevity of a car’s metalwork was not one of them so to find one that’s weathered the years as well as this is one of the many pleasures of doing what we do.

Sure, panel fit and alignment might never have been a Lancia strength but there’s nothing here that rings alarm bells because it all looks entirely consistent and original. Ziebart treated from new, the absence of rust around the usual areas like the wheelarches is significant.

And, the unusual and complex Hormann body kit is a thing of joy. Fitted from new, it’s very of-the-period and all the better for being so. It’s been fitted well and even the front grille and window frames were painted white to match. Hell, it’s even still got the original number plates and a 1992 tax disc in the windscreen.

The original 14-inch Cromodora alloy wheels were junked when the car was new and replaced with a set of 15-inch five-spoke jobbies. These are in fine fettle with only light scuffing to their outer rims. They are, however, fitted with a mixed bag of rubber and we can see that the new owner might want to get the wheels refurbished ahead of fitting them with some appropriately high-quality tyres.

Other problems? Well, aside from the usual stonechips and carefully touched in rubbing points and marks, there are some microblisters on the rear spoiler, some very light cracking on the rear diffuser, and the merest trace of surface rust around the sunroof aperture.

Nor are we convinced that the white-painted wiper arms are as good as the paint elsewhere. But, for a Lancia that’s well into its fourth decade, the lack of rust, corrosion and other serious problems is remarkable and a testament to how well this example has been looked after.

The plump seats are suede-edged and cloth-faced, and the material has stood up to the car’s (albeit light) use very well with only slight bobbling on the outer edges of the front seats betraying its 32 years.

Comfortable and soft rather than hard-edged and supportive, they hark back to a time when even sporting cars like this felt the need to balance comfort and lateral support in a way that seems alien now.

The matching rear seats and door cards are even better being barely marked and beautifully conserved bar some light wear to the area around the door release on the driver’s door card. Unlike most of its contemporaries, this car has not been taking apart and put back together by well-meaning past owners, everything still lines up as it should.

The dashboard features yellow-on-black dials that show battery condition, water temperature, fuel level and turbocharger pressure in addition to the usual speed and engine revolutions. Two more gauges, for oil pressure and temperature, sit to the left of the main instrument binnacle.

A wonderfully simple three-spoke steering wheel sits in front of them, and the original Blaupunkt San Remo radio/cassette player is still fitted in the centre console.

Other nice touches include an intact parcel shelf, bright lettering on the switches and buttons, good carpets, and an original spare 14-inch Cromodora alloy wheel in the (clean and very solid) boot.

We are told that everything works as it should.

Problems? Well, there are three old screw holes in the top of the dashboard and some bubbling and loosening of the headlining material, but overall we think this is one of the best-preserved Delta interiors you are likely to find. It’s the sort of car that if you took off the door cards, you would probably find the plastic waterproof liner still intact with factory glue.

The Lancia’s service history is as fulsome and well-documented as you’d expect given its provenance with the service history booklet showing the following:

• 04.08.1988 – pre-delivery inspection by Streatley Carriage Co. Ltd

• 20.10.1988 and 812 miles – service by Streatley Carriage Co. Ltd

• 23.04.1990 and 6,108 miles – service by Streatley Carriage Co. Ltd

• 08.12.1990 and 11,657 miles – service by High Park Garage

• 22.06.1991 and 18,341 miles – service by High Park Garage

• 22.11.1991 and 24,906 miles – service by High Park Garage

• 01.05.1992 and 33,000 miles – service by Hometune

• 30.06.1992 and (unrecorded) miles – service by Hometune

One of the later fuel-injected cars, we are told that it was fitted with Koni dampers from new.

It went into storage in the early nineties and was barely used after that time. We’ve driven it and can report that it starts easily and quickly settles into an even tickover. It drives well, too.

The engine bay is workaday tidy rather than concours clean but that’s okay because a dirty engine shows leaks and other problems better than a freshly steam-cleaned one and this one doesn’t raise any flags whatsoever.

The underside is very good, something the car’s Ziebart treatment no doubt contributed to.

The Lancia’s MOT certificate is valid until October 2021.

It has a few old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years plus its original owner’s handbook, stamped service history, book pack, and storage wallet plus its original ‘old style’ V5 registration document and even a Lancia Classic Hits CD.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

The Lancia HF Turbo IE is a genuine icon – and the fact that as few as 20 survive makes them all the more precious especially when they’re so wonderfully and gloriously OTT as this one.

And yes, we know that some of you will prefer a bog-standard HF Turbo but the fact is the eighties were a time of excess and this one-of-a-kind’s Hoffman body kit, alloy wheels and colour-coded coachwork takes us straight back to the ‘greed is good’ era we remember with such fondness.

But, just because it is precious to us doesn’t necessarily translate into any significant financial value – and in the case of this model, we actually think they’re still chronically undervalued.

And even a car like this – one-owner, period-modified when new, and almost completely free of rust – is even harder to place a figure on.

We suspect it’ll sell for somewhere between £6,000 and £10,000 but that’s a real guess, so we’re delighted to be able to tell you that the owner has agreed to offer it with no reserve, having sufficient faith in his car to allow the market to decide on its value without the corrupting influence of a reserve.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.