Forget about the Golf GTI and Focus RS, the Lancia Delta Integrale is the ultimate hot hatch!
by Ciprian Florea, on LISTEN 01:50Lancia is basically dead as a brand with just one model, the Ypsilon, sold only in Italy, but this company boasts an illustrious past. Before its demise began in the 1990s, Lancia was one of Italy’s most celebrated marques with models like the Stratos, Beta, and Gamma.
The Italian firm started winning races in the World Rally Championship in the 1970s and the 1980s brought even more success. That’s when the Delta, a five-door hatchback was born. Produced from 1979 all the way to 1994, the Delta became a popular car in Europe, but it also spawned one of the most successful rally cars.
After the abolition of Group B, Lancia came up with the Delta Integrale, which alongside its evolution won a record six WRC championships.
Due to racing regulations at the time, Lancia also had to built road-legal versions of the Integrale, a car that is now considered to be the ultimate hot-hatchback.
The Integrale evolved into the Evoluzione and then Evoluzione II toward the end of production.
The final models came with a turbocharged engine rated at 212 horsepower and permanent all-wheel drive. The Integrale needed less than six seconds to hit 62 mph toward a top speed of 137 mph. That’s on par with most modern hatchback and not much behind the hottest hatches you can buy in 2020.
| Engine | 2.0-liter Straight 4 |
| Horsepower | 212 HP @ 5,750 RPM |
| Torque | 220 LB-FT @ 3,500 RPM |
| 0 to 60 mph | 6 seconds |
| Top Speed | 137 mph |
The latest episode from ISSIMI talks about the ultimate Delta Integrale and how it became the best hot hatchback out there. Check it out below for everything you need to know about this Italian five-door.
