Remember Lancia? No, not that half-dead Italian manufacturer specialized in rebodying Fiat and Chrysler models. I’m referring to the old Lancia, the one who did things in its own silly way.
Back when Lancia still had its mojo, the Italian manufacturer built things such as the awe-inspiring Aurelia, the bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful Fulvia, and the absolutely bonkers Stratos rally car. Better still, Lancia premiered the first production V6 engine. Other than that, Lancia was the first manufacturer to sell a car with a monocoque, to simultaneously supercharge and turbocharge an engine, and to equip a car with a retractable rear spoiler.
But among all those iconic Lancia models of days gone by, the one that captures my imagination the most is the Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione II. This bad boy is the most badass iteration of the road-going Delta HF Integrale, a rally-bred compact hatchback with the looks to kill and the go-faster prowess to thrill. A fine example of this extremely rarefied breed is the star of the latest video from Petrolicious. You know, the Drive Tastefully outfit.
Under the hood, you’ll find that the beating heart of the Evo II is a 16-valve version of a familiar 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger. The only difference between this tune and the units in the 16-valve Delta HF Integrale and Delta Integrale Evo I is, of course, the get-up-and-go.
With 215 PS (212 horsepower) and 314 Nm (232 lb-ft) available from 2,500 rpm, this engine was the bee’s knees back in the early 1990s. By comparison, the VW Golf GTI Mk3 is only good for 150 PS (148 bhp) and 175 Nm (129 lb-ft) from 5,000 rpm, mainly because the Golf's engine is naturally aspirated.
I don’t mean to spoil anything about the Evo II featured in the video below. All I want to tell you is that the owner of this car, U.S. citizen Bryan Calvero, is madly in love with this redheaded masterpiece of Italian engineering.
But among all those iconic Lancia models of days gone by, the one that captures my imagination the most is the Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione II. This bad boy is the most badass iteration of the road-going Delta HF Integrale, a rally-bred compact hatchback with the looks to kill and the go-faster prowess to thrill. A fine example of this extremely rarefied breed is the star of the latest video from Petrolicious. You know, the Drive Tastefully outfit.
Under the hood, you’ll find that the beating heart of the Evo II is a 16-valve version of a familiar 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger. The only difference between this tune and the units in the 16-valve Delta HF Integrale and Delta Integrale Evo I is, of course, the get-up-and-go.
With 215 PS (212 horsepower) and 314 Nm (232 lb-ft) available from 2,500 rpm, this engine was the bee’s knees back in the early 1990s. By comparison, the VW Golf GTI Mk3 is only good for 150 PS (148 bhp) and 175 Nm (129 lb-ft) from 5,000 rpm, mainly because the Golf's engine is naturally aspirated.
I don’t mean to spoil anything about the Evo II featured in the video below. All I want to tell you is that the owner of this car, U.S. citizen Bryan Calvero, is madly in love with this redheaded masterpiece of Italian engineering.