The year is 1986. Before the Delta HF and the Delta Integrale took the WRC Group A by storm, winning 6 championships in a row, Lancia shows up at the Bologna Motor Show with the Delta ECV (Experimental Composite Vehicle) rally concept. It's untested, but it's a working car.
Well, 'supercar' is more suited. It has a revolutionary Triflux twin-turbo engine that squeezes over 600 hp at 8,000 rpm, out of just 1.8 liters. Just five of these engines were ever built. Thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber and other composite materials, the ECV weighs just 930 kg (2,050 lbs). Its 16" Speedline wheel rims are a skinny 6 kg (13.2 lbs) each.
Abarth goes forward with the development and, stripping parts from the ECV, builds the ECV2 in 1988. But the discontinuation of Group B racing in the WRC makes this nothing but a pet project for Abarth. Fiat kept the ECV2 in storage and currently has it on display at its Turin museum. But what of the original ECV?
Fast forward to 2010. Giuseppe Volta, head of 70s and 80s Abarth collaborators Volta Racing, and lucky owner of two of the original Triflux engines, puts together a team intending to rebuild the ECV. We say rebuild, not restore, because not much is left of the original car.
Many parts, including the carbon fiber chassis, were used on the ECV2, which is still with Fiat. But some bits and pieces are around, most importantly the S4 EVO2 development chassis. Volta also manages to purchase whatever original body panels Abarth still had scattered in their shop.
Although it's a modern build, with updated engine management, revised turbo control, uprated oil-cooling, this ECV 'twin' is pretty much a faithful recreation of the original and the only such car in existence. Apart from using the original engine, many original body parts and the original wheels, most of the new parts were provided by the original suppliers.
On top of it all, those that took part in this amazing group effort are people like Cesare Fiorio, manager of Abarth Sport Team in the 80s, and Claudio Lombardi, Abarth Technical Director from 1982 to 1991. And that's not all (cue in cheesy infomercial jingle)! Volta even got ex-Lancia rally driver and double world champion Miki Biasion involved with test driving and presenting the rebuilt car to the world.
Since 2010, the amazing Lancia Delta ECV has been seldomly popping up at various events. Sometimes just as a display item (like at the 2012 Bologna Motor Show), sometimes having a bit of a go (like at the 2014 Vernasca Silver Flag), but never full-on racing. The last time it was caught on video, this year, it was being manoeuvered around the parking area at a rally event with its engine off and under wraps. It's a shame, but it's an understandable precaution, given the scarcity of engine parts.
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