1995 Lancia Integrale

This is a beautiful example of the rare – and appreciating - Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione 2 in the archetypal colour, Rosso Monza. The car was directly imported at the start of 2016 from the car-friendly climate of Japan and, having been enjoyed and improved, is now ready for a new owner.

As soon as the car arrived from Japan, it was delivered to Auto Integrale near Reading, one of the UK’s top Integrale specialists. As can be seen from the invoices, the team at Auto Integrale took a fine-tooth comb to the car. The engine has now had two common, and financially significant, problems expertly repaired; firstly a slightly burnt valve resulted in a complete cylinder head removal and rebuild with new valves, cam belt, gaskets, etc, secondly, the weepy sump gasket has been renewed with uprated parts (it sounds trivial, but this is an eight hour job!). And as can be seen from the same invoices, there were numerous other mechanical jobs completed, these included track rod ends, caliper rebuild, refurbished wheels, new front dampers and a set of column stalks. 

Whilst in the workshops, the whole car was checked over by Auto Integrale and their conclusion was that this is a very genuine, honest car that has not had any accident damage, is completely original, has most of its original paint still on show, is rust-free and has not been abused. Although there is no service history from Japan, they believe that the 120,000km mileage is likely to be correct. They concluded that this car is in better overall condition than many others with lower mileage.

As mentioned above, the paint was largely original and we have photos showing its state on arrival. However a few of the panels were starting to fade, and so a new layer of lacquer has been applied on most of the car. It is now glossy and even, with a deep shine and flawless finish with no rust, and minimal dents or scratches. Unusually for a Delta in the UK, there is absolutely no trace of rust anywhere on the car, on top or underneath.

New badges have been fitted and the OE Speedline Monte Carlo wheels have been refurbished and fitted with 4 new Pirelli PZero tyres.

This Integrale is fitted with sharp Euro headlights, many Japanese-market Integrales are fitted with earlier 8v/16v headlight units. 

The car isn’t concours, but it isn’t far off…

The front seats have been carefully re-trimmed with some well preserved original Alcantara cloth, so they’re rip and tear free and show only a minimal patina of age-related bobbling as can be seen in the photos in the gallery. The rear seat is as-new, and the original Momo steering wheel and Evo-specific trim is all present and correct. The dashboard, a known weak point, is completely free of cracks and creaks. The Alcantara headlining is superb and there are two sets of keys.

The rest of the interior is almost perfect, as witnessed by the fact that three of the four door trims still wear their original plastic protective coating. In fact, we also found traces of the original plastic carpet protection when the seats were removed for a thorough clean, which must be indicative of an obsessive previous owner - the only sort you want to buy a car from…

Just as importantly, everything works as it should. Yes, this is one of the few Italian cars in which the electrical systems function as the engineers originally envisioned. Those of us that follow the market closely will know how rare this is, and how expensive it can be to rectify, making cheap, but non-functioning, cars a false investment. 

Nor does this example rattle and shake in the often-usual Integrale style. This is a tight, totally original Evo II, the likes of which rarely come onto the open market.

All the factory tools are present, as is the space-saver wheel and tyre and the parcel shelf, but there is no handbook with the car. A period, high-end Sony Radio/Cassette is fitted.

Finally we find a fault! The air conditioning condenser is thought to be leaking, so there is no a/c at the moment.

The engine has had a full top-end rebuild by experts Auto Integrale. Other mechanical work includes two front dampers, a new radiator, a replacement engine sump gasket, new engine and gearbox oil, a track rod end, rear brake caliper, new brake pipes, a washer bottle, bump stops and steering column stalks. The final invoice came to over £5,000. As a result, the car flew through its MOT with no advisories. 

The engine bay shows signs of some rust-proofing wax which has been professionally applied to the underside of the bonnet and the inner wings, rails & scuttle, but not the mechanical components. In the photos it appears as a darkened layer on the red paintwork. We have investigated and this can be removed with spirit to reveal perfect, glossy paint beneath. It has been left on for the new owner to judge for him/herself whether to leave it on for continued protection or carefully remove it as part of a full engine bay detail.

The elephant in the room is the car’s lack of service history from Japan. Japanese imports often lack the sort of obsessive paper history that European cars of this type tend to come with (as it is often digitalised) BUT, if you’re prepared to judge the car on its condition you can infer that it probably hasn’t ever wanted for attention or care AND the owner has taken the lack of paperwork into account when setting the reserve, which is much, much lower than it would be were it to have a completed and fully stamped service history book.

All the factory tools are present, as is the space-saver wheel and tyre but there is no handbook with the car.

It’s a long time since we’ve seen such a clean and tight Integrale whose price doesn’t start with a ‘5’. The more than 70 photos and videos in the history below only back this up. Our guide price is therefore £40,000. The reserve is lower, of course.

A tiny bit of work would see this in concours condition where it could be displayed and take prizes, but we think it runs and drives too well to be tucked away as an investment. If it were ours, we’d store it properly and use it for 3-5,000 miles a year, which should balance the need to preserve the car’s low mileage with our urge to drive such a fabulous machine.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at Patina HQ in 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’.

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