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1984 Lancia 037 Rally Evo 2 Group B

First registered to Fiat Auto Spa – TO W67773

Finished 6th overall at the 1984 Rallye Automobile de Monte Carlo, driven by two-time World Rally Champion, Miki Biasion

World Rally and European Rally Championship Competitor

Abarth Classiche Certified, Accompanied by copies of its original Foglio Complementare and Italian registration documents in the name of Fiat Auto Spa, along with an extensive history file

One of only 20 Lancia 037 Rally Evo 2 – the ultimate specification of 037

Chassis no. ZLA151AR000000405

 

Lancia, World Rally, and the Group B era

Lancia’s story in rallying starts in the early 1960’s when Cesare Fiorio, the son of Sandro Fiorio, Lancia’s PR director and a former racing driver, started a tiny development to race and rally the company’s products. Sandro created a scheme called “High Fidelity” which was for customers who regularly bought Lancias, it was this scheme which Cesare evolved into his team, called “HF Scuderia Corse”.

Throughout the 1970s the team competed successfully with the Fulvia, then moving onto the hugely iconic Stratos in Gr. IV. The concept of building a car purely to meet homologation regulations was born with the Lancia Stratos, which continued with the 037 and Group B regulations.

The design of the new Lancia Group B machine was approved in March 1980, codenamed the SE037. The car featured a supercharged, longitudinal 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine and double wishbone suspension front and rear. By November 1981 the team were ready to formally announce the 037 as a project which would compete in the 1982 World Rally Championship. The team and drivers worked hard on set up and development, resulting in Lancia claiming victory in 5 World Rally events in 1983, en route to winning the World Rally Constructors Championship.

For the 1984 World Rally Championship Lancia built the final and ultimate specification 037, the Evo 2. The car featured an enlarged engine from 1,995 cc to 2,111 cc. The increase in capacity was achieved thanks to a much stiffer block, but the engine also benefitted form a new exhaust system as well as new inlet and exhaust manifolds to increase airflow to a newly designed supercharger housing. The mechanical improvements led to a power increase to 325 bhp at a staggering 8,000 rpm. On the exterior, the Evo 2 development removed the rear bumper, Lancia found that the rear bumper was dragging too much mud and debris into the engine compartment, also providing a weight saving.

The Lancia 037 was a machine built for purpose, it was designed to reign supreme over all competitors in the Group B era of World Rallying, and in 1983 it did exactly that, winning the World Rally Constructors Championship. The 037 also secured three consecutive European Rally Championship titles from 1983-1985, two Italian Championship titles in 1983 and 1985 along with one Open title in 1984.

Lancia continued the success it had experienced with the Fulvia, Stratos and 037, each providing valuable lessons in the design of the Lancia’s future champions, the Delta S4 and Delta Integrale, both helping Lancia cement its place as the world’s most successful WRC constructor with ten World Championships!

 

This Lancia 037 Rally Evo 2 Group B

The car we have pleasure in offering here is chassis number 405 and was built to the ultimate Evo 2 specification. The car was first registered to Fiat Auto S.p.a. on 2nd November 1983 with license ‘TO W67773’. We have obtained copies of the Italian registration documentation confirming the registration and chassis number. Using the registration plate, we have traced the rally events that this 037 entered. The car was first entered with Totip sponsorship in the 1984 Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo, held from the 21st to 27th January 1984. The driver for this event was FIAT Auto Spa works driver Miki Biasion and co-driver Tiziano Siviero, with the car being assigned race number 9.

The Monte Carlo rally is the most prestigious and glamorous event on the World Rally Championship. Organised every year by the Automobile Club de Monaco, the event proved more popular than Formula One, with the Col de Turini stage in Monte Carlo the most famous of all.

In 1984, the 52nd Rally Automobile de Monte-Carlo was held over 30 competitive stages covering over 750 kms on asphalt, ice and snow. The worst weather seen for many years was thrown at competitors with conditions constantly changing. Some stages started dry, then turned to snow and ice, whilst heavy snow forced the cancellation of three stages. Biasion and Siviero navigated through the difficult conditions well, even finishing second on stage 21, the 18 km Col de la Madone stage. On the following stage, the famed Col de Turini, the pair finished 5th overall, a pace they would continue to the finish, ending 6th overall with a time of 9 hours, 29 minutes and 49 seconds. With the changeable conditions favouring the four-wheel drive Audi Quattro A2s, it was impossible for the Lancia team to compete, Audi locked out all three podium positions.

 Miki Biasion would go on to finish 6th overall in the 1984 World Rally Drivers Championship and in 1988 and 1989 won the World Rally Drivers Championship with the factory Lancia Martini team, whilst also claiming victory in 17 World Rally Championship events over his career.

This car was then sold to FIAT Auto Spa Satellite team, TAM Auto Tuning, a team based in Novara, and entered several events including the 1985 Targa Florio Rally, round 27 of the European Rally championship with Roggia dall’Olio driving and Carlo Cassina navigating. Later, in 1986 the car also entered the Coppa Città di Modena (Rally dell’ Emilia) with Luigi Dalla Pozza and Fedele Rosso. In October 1986, the car then entered the famed Rally Antibes where it was driven by Francis Vincent and Michel Rousseau to third place overall. In 1989 the car was sold to Mr Piero Nicola, a resident in Rapallo, Genova.

Later in its life, this car passed to Christian Jacquillard in Switzerland who regularly competed with his wife, Christiane Jacquillard. In 1984 and 1985, the couple regularly competed in the Swiss Rally Championship in another Lancia 037 Rally. The Jacquillards continued to compete in rallying through to 2010, ending their careers with a Ford Fiesta S2000.

The next owner was Frenchman, Francois Padrona, another rally enthusiast who competed in the World Rally Championship in 1992 with a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4X4, before the car passed to Jean-Baptise Rodriguez, from where we sourced the car for its current owner a number of years ago. At the time of purchase for Mr Rodriguez, the car was finished in Lancia Martini Racing livery, as a large portion of 037 competition cars are. During Rodriguez’s ownership he repainted the car to its original ToTip livery from the 1984 Rally Automobile de Monte-Carlo, before entering the 2012 Tour de Corse Historique and 2013 & 2014 Eifel Rallye festival where French rally driver, Yves Loubet was selected to drive the car.

Under its current ownership, we have managed the maintenance of the car, overseeing it being inspected and serviced by the famed Baldi twins in Turin. Elio and Giovanni Baldi are twin brothers who worked together during the Group B era of world rallying at the most successful marque of all, Lancia. With their unrivalled experience and knowledge, we sent the car to the Baldi twins in November 2017, with works including an engine service, supercharger rebuild and four new tyres.

During this current ownership, we also oversaw the car being delivered to Abarth Classiche in Turin, where it was inspected, being awarded its Abarth Classiche Certification in November 2017. This Abarth Classiche Certification confirms the cars engine, gearbox and transmission to match its original technical specification.

Most recently, in July 2020, this 037 Evo 2 was delivered to rally specialists, BGM Sport for a check over with fluids being checked and the car ‘spanner-checked’ and a new set of spark plugs fitted. In August 2020, Max and Marcus took this 037 to a local airfield for a final shakedown and photography session prior to bringing the car to market. The car performed faultlessly, even being driven to and from the airfield on the public road, thanks to its UK registration.

Accompanying this car is ofcourse its Abarth Classiche Certification binder and plaque, but also, and rather impressively, copies of the Italian Estratto Cronologico which confirms this car to have been first registered to Fiat Auto Spa whilst also confirming the registration number ‘TO W67773’ was allocated to this chassis number, ZLA151AR000000405. A copy of the Foglio Complementare, the Italian ownership document, once again confirms Fiat Auto Spa’s ownership. Copies of the FIA homologation papers are also included alongside many period images of the car at the 1984 Rally Automobile Monte-Carlo and many of the later events. A scan of the Starter Magazine which prominently features this car is also included along with images from recent events and both our photoshoots. All this documentation is contained within one of our signature Girardo & Co. red binders.

Today the car is presented in fabulous condition, wearing its 1984 Rally Automobile de Monte-Carlo livery and has been inspected by the famed ex-works Lancia Martini Racing mechanics and specialists, the Baldi Twins in Turin. The Group B era took rallying to a level never seen since, it was an era of technology, speed and power that today’s drivers can only dream about. Quite simply, this is the ultimate specification of Lancia’s first Group B Championship winning machine.

 

Price Upon Request

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