1989 Lancia DELTA INTEGRALE 8v Rally

Year Zero for this car is really 2016/17; the period when it was rebuilt by Greek Lancia specialist Christos Skriapas - a fellow well-known in the Lancia and rallying community for creating and fettling pukka competition cars.

As already mentioned, Hans wanted the car rebuilt to Abarth competition spec. (Of course, Abarth was the competition arm of Fiat and had developed and handled the original Works cars).

‘He [Skriapas] took the car completely to pieces,’ Hans remembers. ‘There was no rot at all in the body, but I had it all seam welded.’ The roll cage was also extended to be mounted properly on the suspension turrets.

The eight-valve engine (cast-iron block, twin-cam alloy head) was completely rebuilt and now conforms to Group N specifications. It runs approximately 230-40bhp (with a conservative turbo setting) and, now equipped with a reprogrammable Cybele ECU, larger turbo and wastegate, is probably capable of more.

Hans notes that the overall gearing of the car is low; ‘It’s a five-speed close-ratio ’box. Not as high a top speed,’ he notes, ‘but much better acceleration - which is what you really need on rally stages.’

Hans wanted better electrics, so the car was rewired to WRC specification (silver wire and aviation grade fuses). And the car has Abarth instrumentation too. Hans also mentions that the Integrale has a plug-in jack for a Chronopist rally computer under the fuse box.

Underneath, the McPherson strut all-independent suspension is enhanced by KW dampers with ‘double’ adjustable settings and adjustable ride height. It has ECB ‘Red Stuff’ ceramic brake linings. The hand brake is hydraulically assisted and the braking/fluids systems in general has been upgraded with Aeroquip braided steel hoses.

Once blue, the Lancia is resprayed in red with a complete set of period-authentic decals. It has only covered some 1600 miles, and one competitive event, since its renovation.

Overall impression of the car is very good - straight panels, symmetrical side-to-side.

At the same time, any viewer has to keep in mind that this is no trailer queen; it’s a proper rally car. As such, paint finish is good, but there are a couple of scuffs, as well as mods here and there such as the holes drilled in the bonnet for fitting a spot light rig. The car features small roof vents; one each for driver and navigator, again as did the Works competition cars. There’s the odd scratch around the bonnet and boot locking pins, but no corrosion. There is, of course, a smattering of small stone chips, but certainly nothing to make you wince. The paintwork is perfectly up to scratch for a competition cars - a very authentic look. Decals are nicely applied. Aprons front and rear are in good shape, with, understandably, a few scuffs down low. The brightwork - that means the grill - is good; no dents but a few small scratches. Window and door seal rubbers look fine, with no paint overspray on them.

The brackets and bolts securing spoilers look to be in good condition; no rot. And the undersides of doors appear solid, as does the rear hatch. Given the build provenance and ownership, we’d expect a good and solid car, and the photos appear to back that up.

The original road-going interior is of course gone, with the cabin/cockpit stripped back to bare metal. Everything looks to be in its place and properly battened down.

All expected switches are present and clearly marked. (nice Abarth instrumentation, remember). The big fuse board is in front of the navigator, where there is also an LED map light. The two most visible safety features are the fire extinguisher system - installed in the rebuild - and the sturdy-looking roll cage. The latter has no damage or corrosion, with welds and general finish looking very good. The upholstery of the grippy black Sabelt bucket seats is in good condition, as are the heavy-duty ‘Turn One’ harness straps threaded through them. (These will need renewing as per FIA regs for proper competition work). Floor panels and general structure look to be in fine fettle - clean with no rust - and the chequer-plate panels are well fitted and secure. The rear compartment houses the spare wheel and the battery. The Michelin spare looks pretty fresh, and while the straps holding it might be a little dirty - understandable - they are not frayed, and their ratchet looks to be in good nick. The battery tray is free of corrosion.

The carbon door panels are a nice weight-saving touch - and look very purposeful too, should you get chance to glance down at them while drifting sideways through the bends.

There is a Chronopist rallycomputer trip meter Sonde connection point at the steering wheel ready for any rally or regularity analysis.

The engine bay is best described as wonderfully workman-like – a touch dirty, but no signs of scary leaks or overheating, the paint under the bonnet looks fine too. Cables, leads and hoses appear clean and properly secured. As through the cabin space, there is evidence of more of those braided steel hoses to the most essential components. (The Motul can as a catch tank is a nice touch). There is no embedded crud behind ancillaries or in crevices, and bolts and screws look like they will all unfasten without resorting to a lot of swearing and an air wrench. A fresh-looking brace spans the suspension towers, where there are no signs of corrosion in the mountings. The roll cage coming through from the cabin looks a sound fit on both sides - and neatly done.

The bulkhead looks sound, as does the metal behind the front grill and in other hard to see places. One might say the paint around the engine bay rim looks a little untidy, but that’s picky, remember; this is a working rally car, not a Palm Beach Ferrari.

Going underneath, an inspection confirms this Integrale achieved the Class win earlier this year, but there is no evidence of harsh degradation or heavy impacts. There is light surface corrosion and pitting to the finish on some parts, but suspension components look straight and sound, while springs and track rod ends appear in good order. That free-flow, big-bore exhaust looks fine, with heat protection intact. There is certainly much more successful rallying left in this car.

Finally, those white OZ wheels look sound as do the callipers. Overall, in great condition and ready for plenty more rally stages. (please note that the bonnet 4-light pod included in some historic photos is not included in the sale)

Although there is some documentation with the car, it is clearly not a full inventory of the woks undertaken, though certificates, passes and trophies do show its recent fitness to take part in events. One or two papers are in Greek… There is also a partial photographic record of its journey from blue to red - plus decalling.

One of the most significant ‘workshop’ facts to keep in mind with this car is that it was rebuilt by a well-known specialist to a successful works specification, and tested out (with a positive class-winning outcome) by a proven professional rally driver.

Values of genuine works Lancia Deltas run well into six figures and as such are the preserve of the most well-heeled collectors. This very authentic conversion allows the more, shall we say, ‘real world’ enthusiast to experience much of what those team cars offer in terms of abilities and period ‘vibe’, at a fraction of the cost. There is also a case for saying that such competition conversions as this are more ‘authentic’ (than the building of a prototype racer) due to the truly ‘homologated/built from a road-going model’ nature of the Class A cars.

Just what that cost will be, is hard to say, but any bidder must try to judge certain criteria; who built it, to what spec/standard, what was the quality of the work and does it already have good results. In all those areas, this shapes up as a good car – in fact you could easily describe it as a freshly-built car that has just completed its shakedown test. During which it won its class.

Plus, as anyone who has ever built/restored a classic competition car knows; it is always a lot cheaper to buy the work already done than it is to commission it yourself. And if someone else commissioned the work, wouldn’t you rather they were a competition-winning ex-pro with lots of marque-experience? We estimate that this car will sell for between £24,000 and £35,000. We know many of you are thinking it should hit the latter of those numbers, quite possible, let’s see.

Please note that the vendor has some suitable spare wheels and other parts and these will be made available to the winning bidder by separate negotiation.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller between Manchester and Liverpool; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.