If you'll excuse the cheesy analogy, Lancias were a bit like the Xbox 360 of old European sports cars. Brilliantly great fun when they worked, but a pain in the rear end when they inevitably all broke. Even so, the Delta hatchback represented the hot hatchback niche's ascension to the go-to format for affordable fast cars. No longer would two-seater rear-drive sports cars be the dominant option for the young driving enthusiast with a hole burning straight through their wallet, The Golf GTI is where the hot hatch craze began, but it was the Italian Lancia that gave it an appeal more in line with Italian sports cars like Ferrari. The delta could give those Ferraris a run for their money on the windy mountain roads of Modena.
But what's the real story behind the Delta? Well, like lots of fast road cars, it has its origins in the crucible of racing. But it was far more than just a repurposed rally racer, it was certainly far more special than that.
Get ready to put the pedal to the metal, because we're looking back on what's widely considered one of the most fun cars of any kind to drive.
Lancia At A Glance
Lancia is mostly known these days for their fire-spitting Stratos and 037 rally cars. These titans of the rally circuit were just the tip of the iceberg of a company whose history spans more than a century. Throughout this history, the company had its hands in everything from road-legal sports cars to Formula One and of course Rally Racing. It goes without saying, of course, their exploits on rally circuits far outweigh all the other accomplishments. Hideous unreliability notwithstanding.
It would turn out to be one of the final cars Lancia would ever produce as it's own separate brand. Today, they're most well known for making badge-engineered Chrysler vehicles like the 300 and the Town & Country. There was a time however when Lancia was on top of the world, and the Delta is a big reason why.
Old Fashioned Domination
The Delta Hatchback Rally variant won the world rally championship six times, beating out mainstays like Ford, Audi, and BMW. As rally cars permanently switched to full-time four-wheel drive systems in all of their cars, the Delta found itself more often than not in the winners circle surrounded by dejected and possibly very jealous Audi Quattro drivers.
The switch from a racing car to a road-going passenger car is one that''s riddled with difficulty. All things considered though, the Delta made the process look seamless and easy. Drivers lauded the car's responsive steering and agile light body as everything a driver could ever want from a road car.
The Little Known Saab-Lancia Collab
If there's one thing that's bound to peak our interest, it's a collaborative effort between two dearly missed companies that today are mere shells of their former selves. One in a perpetual state of purgatory after being axed by General Motors and one delegated to making rebadged versions of awful American cars for the European Market.
For three brief model years, the Delta was marketed in Scandinavian countries as the Saab 600. The idea on Saab's part was to introduce a new model for their native market that had the sheik of an Italian rally car but still have the backing of top-notch Swedish engineers when things inevitably did break.
Being that these are still Lancias at the end of the day, as soon as their factory warranties expired, they all began to very quickly fall apart. Meaning finding one in decent running and driving condition is an exceedingly rare find. If you do find one of these Swedish-Italian cars running around the backroads of Scandanavia, perhaps inquire about buying it, it could actually be worth quite a bit of money someday.
One Last Hurrah For A Company We Adored
Nothing remains of the essence of what Lancia used to be in their new roles as Euro special Chrysler vehicles. But for a glorious couple of years, the Delta showed the world the correct way to build a hatchback that's fun to drive.
The Shelby Omni and the Renault 5 would take things to the next level after Lancia's ostensible death. But it stands alone as the pound for pound best driving experience possible for a hot hatchback. A standard that's still yet to be surpassed even today.
In the 21st century, Lancia passed on reviving the old Stratos moniker because it didn't fit their brand image. Instead passing it off to a group of devoted enthusiasts who fashioned a modern equivalent out of an old Ferrari F430. If they want to redeem even an iota of its former glory, they'd be wise to not let that happen again, and we think the Delta would be an absolutely perfect place to start.
Sources: Saabplanet.com, Autoblog.com, classicdriver.com