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The captivating “Rally Legends – From Dust to Glory” special exhibition will be on show from February 28th to April 21th at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels. Held in the magnificent Palais Mondial, the exhibition will celebrate the exhilarating history of the World Rally Championship and put its Group B “monsters” on showcase. A special place has been reserved for two Lancia models which helped make the brand the winningest of all time, including ten World Constructors’ Championships, three Constructors’ and Endurance World Championships, one 1000 Miglia, two Targa Florio, and one Carrera Panamericana.
In particular, guests will be able to admire the Lancia Stratos Gr.4 Alitalia (1974), celebrating the 50th anniversary of its World Rally title, and the Lancia Delta HF Integrale Gruppo A (1992), the vehicle which captured the imagination of millions of motorsport enthusiasts. Both models belong to the haloed Stellantis Heritage collection, the department dedicated to preserving and promoting the invaluable heritage of the Group’s Italian car brands. These two rarities are normally on display at the Heritage Hub in Turin (link).
Further information about the “Rally Legends -From Dust to Glory” special exhibition is available at the official site of the Autoworld Museum in Brussels.
Lancia Stratos Gr.4 Alitalia (1974)
The spotlight will be on the extraordinary Lancia Stratos Gr.4 Alitalia (1974) which won the 1976 Rally de Portugal and placed second in the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally. Featuring a white-red-green Alitalia livery, the model is part of the haloed Stellantis Heritage collection and is usually on display in “The Rally Era” section of the Heritage Hub. The legendary Stratos model allowed Lancia to dominate the rally world until the mid-Seventies. At the time, sporting director Cesare Fiorio exploited all the possibilities of the regulations. Under his guidance, the first car was made with the sole purpose of winning rally races. The two-seater coupé featured a wedge-shaped body, designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone, and a 2.4 liter six-cylinder engine originating from Ferrari which was located behind the driver and co-driver to optimize its weight. Produced in the official race version (with an initial 12-valve, and later 24-valve cylinder head for a maximum power of 300 hp) in 26 models out of 500 exemplars, the Stratos achieved an extraordinary number of victories, so much so it was called the “ultimate weapon” of rally racing. It even won three consecutive Monte Carlo rallies, three more titles in the World Rally Constructors Championship (from 1974 to 1976), three European Drivers’ Championships, and the FIA Rally Drivers World Cup in 1977 with Sandro Munari.
Lancia Delta HF Integrale Group A (1992)
The four generations of the all-wheel-drive Lancia Delta HF introduced between 1986 and 1992 were destined to leave the competition in the dust and lead to a legendary run of Rally victories: six World Rally Constructors’ Championships (1987-1991), four World Rally Drivers’ Championship (1987-1989 and 1991), one Production World Rally Championship (Group N) in 1987, six European Rally Championships (1987-1991 and 1993), and two European Rally Constructors’ Championships (Group N) in 1988 and 1989. It racked up an incredible 46 overall victories which were valid in the various editions of the World Championship. Each generation featured an enhanced engine and body, allowing the Lancia Delta to always stay one step ahead of the competition. The Delta HF 4WD made its debut in 1987 and featured permanent all-wheel drive with ZF self-locking differential at the front and Ferguson viscous center differential for limited skid and a Torsen-type differential at the rear. A two-liter, 165-horsepower engine propelled the standard road models, while the Group A racing version rose to 265 hp at 6250 rpm. 1988 witnessed the arrival of the Delta HF Integrale. Externally this differed from the previous version in its widened wheel arches, which were able to fit wider tires, and larger front air intakes. It had a new 6-speed gearbox, and its weight was lowered by roughly 23 kg. With the evolution of the cylinder head, which was brought from 8 to 16 valves and 4 valves per cylinder, the Delta HF Integrale 16V debuted in 1989. A conspicuous “hump” appeared on the hood to accommodate the new dimensions of the engine. This Lancia came in at roughly 295 hp at 7000 rpm. There were lots of technological innovations, including the electronically controlled clutch, a fan driven by a hydraulic motor, telemetry for acquiring data for use in servicing, and above all an influx of electronics to control the engine. The last Delta HF of this glorious family arrived in 1991: the Delta HF Integrale 16V Evoluzione—just like the one currently on show in Turin. Its fenders were further widened to adapt to the new carriageways and a conspicuous spoiler appeared at the back of the roof, but the most important changes lay beneath the hood, since the Federation had introduced the use of flanges in 1991 to limit turbocharger flow rates. Due to year-on-year improvements, in spite of the officially declared figures, the engines of all Group A cars had by now well exceeded the 300-horsepower limit imposed.