Owner: Dean Mollett
Car: 1991 Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione (Evo) 1 16V
Bought in: 2014
Mileage when purchased/now: 130 016 km/135 821 km
Current value: unknown
Why I bought this car: I have always been a WRC fan and have a passion for rally cars. I’ve owned multiple Subarus and Mitsubishi Lancer Evos over the years. But what I really wanted was to own one of the Lancia icons of the 1990s rally era. I believe all the Lancia’s of that era were legendary.
As most of them were not available in South Africa, my hunt was to find an Integrale. This was by no means an easy task. What got me is the angry bulldog looks, brute arches and the absolute timeless look. I never tire of looking at its steroidal form.
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Common issues with this model: Rust and cracks at lower corners of the windscreen, rear subframe and sills are common areas of concern. The rear edge of the roof is prone to rust bubbles and disintegration, which ultimately affects the strength of the tailgate hinge mountings. These cars do not like sitting idle. The cambelt is something I have serviced regularly, at least once a year regardless of usage. Over or under tensioning of the belt could also be an extremely expensive lesson, which also ties in to having a reputable mechanic available which is tough.
Oil leaks seems to be a common issue, especially the sump gasket, I check all the fluids before I go anywhere. Bushes and rose-jointed anti-roll bar links take strain when you start modifying the suspension, particularly when the car is driven hard. The structure isn’t especially rigid, and extra suspension loadings can tip it over the integrity edge.
Major repairs I’ve conducted: When I got the car it only really needed a few cosmetic touch-ups as the car had been standing for a few years. Other than the cosmetics, my first big expense was replacing the aged coil springs for fully adjustable suspension. That made a big difference.
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Next on the list was a full stainless exhaust system fabricated by Van de Linde Racing as the original was taking strain. Replacing the exhaust was probably the most rewarding in terms of performance. The Alcantara seats had also taken strain over the years. I managed to source the seat material in the UK so I repaired the seats and stored them. I replaced them with Mitsubishi Evo seats which was a straight swop and gave it my car the Evo 2 look.
Because of my Martini obsession, I then imported a high-quality sticker kit and replaced the stock wheels with OZ rims to complete the look I wanted. Regular servicing of most old cars is the key to keeping it purring.
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The best thing about my car: This was my childhood dream car and the fact that this vehicle was and remains so rare in South Africa, is the very best thing about the car. I am also always so surprised by how many people relate to the Delta. It is such a driver’s car and with very few tweaks makes it an incredibly fun car to drive and suspension upgrades makes
the car precise.
The car definitely gets attention, some confused as to what it is or occasionally people sharing the same passion as I do for the car. In general, it’s a very sensible and reliable five-door hatchback.
The worst thing about my car: When its referred to as a Golf Mk1. Both were penned by the same designer (Giorgetto Giugiaro – Ed) so I can see how it’s sometimes mistaken for a modified Mk1. Access to spares and reputable mechanics is always tricky. Both are hard to come by and usually cost an arm and a leg. I am always nervous of driving the car around as I feel it is irreplaceable. With regards to the car as a whole I can’t fault it.
Tech spec below the gallery…
1991 Lancia Delta Integrale Tech Spec
Engine: 2,0-litre inline-four, turbocharged
Transmission: five-speed manual, AWD
Power: 155 kW
Torque: 304 N.m
Top speed: 220 km/h
0-100 km/h: 6,1 seconds
Definately in my dream 10 car garage!!