Delta Force

Ignition

3/14/13

Delta Force

In previous posts, we’ve given props to rally-winning icons of the late ’70s like the Renault Alpine and Lancia Stratos.

Now with the FIA World Rally Championship, the modern-day incarnation of the event that made those cars famous, currently making the rounds of the globe, we offer a look at another legend:

The Lancia Delta.

Said to be able to do 0 to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds on a gravel road—better than some supercars can manage today—it ensured the Italian marque dominated rallying six years in a row from 1987 to 1992.

Some say a change in regulations in ’86 gave Lancia an unfair advantage, which it was quick to exploit, but it’s hard to hellishly argue with an incredible 46 World Rally Championship victories overall…