What is there to say about the Lancia Delta S4 which hasn’t been said before? In its full-fat Martini-liveried Group B guise, it took fearless and charismatic drivers such as Henri Toivonen and Markku Alén to another dimension of performance. And as a road car, it pioneered twin-charging, an innovation we take for granted nowadays, and proudly showed that road-going Group B homologation specials were not the poorly-built bodge-jobs they’d earned a reputation as being.

It’s wise to outline the popularity of rallying in the 1980s. A kaleidoscopic explosion of speed, noise and very real, very imminent danger, Group B deservedly drew a greater number of viewers than Formula 1. That’s why, despite the inherent risks, automotive brands could warrant funnelling enormous amounts of money into their WRC programmes, which were oriented around their otherwise modest cars you could find in the showrooms.

It’s also why, from a commercial point of view, Lancia (which, let’s not forget, was representing Italy on the world stage) simply had to up its game in 1985 if it wanted to win another title. The dominant success of 1983 was but a distant memory and Audi and Peugeot had proven that powering all four wheels was a quicker means of sending a rally car down a special stage than just two, a la 037 Rally. Decisive action was needed. In a bid to revive its incredible sporting heritage, Lancia greenlit the blank-sheet development of the 037’s new four-wheel-drive Group B successor, based loosely on the flagship Delta HF Turbo.

Christened the Delta S4, it trod a technological path very different to its rivals. The development was entrusted entirely to Abarth, whose creative, bullish and trailblazing engineers poured their everything into the project. Suffice to say, there was not a plan B.

In the mid-1980s, newfangled technology such as four-wheel drive and electronic ignition was in its infancy and Lancia’s competitors had stolen a march. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But without the knowledge to even copy its competitors, Abarth was forced to innovate. And innovate it most certainly did.

The Lancia Delta S4 Stradale was the first car to be ‘twin-charged’, that is fitted with both a supercharger and a turbocharger to better distribute the engine’s torque and reduce lag. It boasted an incredibly clever electronic injection and ignition – genuine Formula 1 technology at the time. The car’s spaceframe chassis was designed by computer. And the four-wheel-drive system was operated by three differentials. The result was a car which pushed the technological envelope to its boundaries and, frankly, made the ‘latest and greatest’ supercars from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini look antiquated.

Following a 34-month development period and what can only be described as some wishful counting on the part of the FIA officials, the Delta S4 was homologated on 1 November 1985 with the code DGM51831OM. Said code was displayed on the chassis plate in the door sills of the Stradale.

A few short weeks later, Lancia Martini Racing’s drivers Henri Toivonen and Markku Alén vanquished the opposition to score a one-two victory in the Lombard RAC Rally of Great Britain, the S4’s competitive debut. To put the rally car’s astonishing performance into context, an S4 turned a lap of Brands Hatch during a special stage which would have put it halfway up that year’s Formula 1 grid. It was an extremely encouraging result for the marque, which looked to be in good stead ahead of its 1986 WRC campaign.

As the 1986 season campaign panned out and Lancia’s new weapon emerged superior, so tragedy struck on the mountainous French isle of Corsica when Henri Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresta perished after leaving the road in their Delta S4. “This rally is insane,” the Finn was reported to have complained just hours before the accident. “If there is trouble, for sure, I am completely finished.” It was a tragic precursor to a devastating loss.

Perhaps inevitably given the ferocious speeds and hopeless crowd control, Group B was canned by the FIA shortly after the Tour de Corse. Audi and Ford withdrew immediately, while Peugeot and Lancia continued in what was a season marred by tragedy. Notably, a Delta S4 won the season-closing Olympus Rally in the United States – the very last international round of Group B rallying.

Built by Abarth to full-fat Evoluzione specification, this Delta S4 Corsa is chassis number 221. Earmarked for the Works Lancia Martini Racing Team, the car made its competitive debut at the inaugural Memorial Bettega in December of 1985.

An exciting addition to the traditional season-closing Bologna Motor Show, the single-stage closed-circuit mixed-surface event was conceived in honour of Atillio Bettega, the Italian Lancia driver who’d tragically perished in an accident at the Tour de Corse earlier in the year. It marked the final round of the fiercely competitive Italian Rally Championship.

Alén finished second overall in the inaugural Memorial Bettega with chassis 221 

Chassis number 221 was assigned to the 1978 World Rally Champion Markku Alén and entered by the factory team. And after the series of death-defying jumps and elimination heats, Alén finished second overall. Right up until 2017, the Memorial Bettega established itself as a staple of Italian rallying. 

This Delta S4 wasn’t granted the opportunity to rest on its laurels for long. In January of 1986, chassis 221 served the vital role as a test car for the fantastic Finnish driver Henri Toivonen ahead of the notoriously challenging Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo.

This Lancia served as a Monte-Carlo recce car for Henri Toivonen ahead of the notoriously challenging alpine rally in 1986

Clearly the miles clocked were invaluable for Toivonen, who arguably drove one of the greatest rallies of his career en route to victory on the Côte d’Azur. Pointedly, it was the Finn’s final career rally victory. Toivonen perished during the Tour de Corse in May – one of the sport’s cruellest ever losses.

Its brief but important Works duties complete, chassis 221 was loaned to the legendary Esso-Grifone Team, which was to campaign the car in select rounds of the 1986 European Rally Championship. Refinished in the team’s signature black-and-gold livery, the Delta S4 was set up by Abarth in Turin, who would subsequently send a ‘flying doctor’ to each event.

Fabrizio Tabaton en route to a stunning victory in the 1986 Rally Costa Brava

The then-reigning Italian Rally Champion Fabrizio Tabaton was assigned to drive the car in 1986, alongside his trusty co-driver Luciano Tedeschini. And it was to be a considerable step up, both in terms of the car he was driving (Tabaton had just won the national title with the old 037 Rally) and the championship, which encompassed events across the continent.

First up was the 34th Rally Costa Brava, a 550-kilometre mixed-surface marathon. Tabaton proved the class of the field, clinching victory some three minutes ahead of the national hero Carlos Sainz, much to the chagrin of the Spanish spectators. While the Rallye Costa Blanca and Rallye des Garrigues which followed were less successful, the Rally Costa Smeralda in April resulted in an excellent fourth. Sidenote: during the latter event, chassis 221 was filmed for the Italian soap opera Voglia di Vincere.

Chassis 221 earned drivers Fabrizio Tabaton and Gustavo Trelles the 1986 European Rally Championship and the 1988 Spanish Rally Championship, respectively

Tabaton would go on to win the European Rally Championship in 1986, thanks in part to this very Lancia. In April, the car was assigned the number ‘TO 77894E’ and registered to Fiat Auto S.p.A. in Turin. And for the remainder of the year, it served as a spare car for various rounds of the season.

The following year, chassis 221 was sold to the legendary Works-affiliated Jolly Club outfit in Milan and refinished in the classic red-and-white Marlboro livery. Gustavo Trelles and Manuel Ortiz-Tallo contested seven rounds of the Spanish Rally Championship, scoring four victories, a further two podiums and, as a result, the title.

We couldn’t resist uniting chassis 221 with its Lancia Martini Racing Team counterparts: the 037 Rally Group B and the Delta HF Integrale Evo 2 Group A

This Delta S4 was retired after its successful 1988 season and sold to the first of its mere three subsequent Italian owners. The car was acquired by its current custodians, the respected Italian rally-car preparation specialist Key Sport in Rimini, in 2004. Since then, chassis 221 has been fastidiously maintained by Key Sport and appeared in a handful of historic rallying events including Rallylegend. During the latter, Markku Alén was reunited with his old steed – a special moment indeed. More recently, the car has undergone an extensive rebuild at Key Sport, which included the return to its 1986 Works Lancia Martini Racing Team livery. Following its restoration, chassis 221 was delivered to the United Kingdom. It is now in the great care of our friends at BGMsport. 

The Delta S4 was – and remains – the ultimate Group B weapon. It’s an embodiment of all that was once great about the daring and innovative Lancia marque. It was the most technologically advanced rally car of all time, born into an era when resources were near-limitless and the performance envelope was pushed so far it had to be curtailed. The sport will, for better or for worse, never be the same again.

Chassis number 221 is a brilliant example of the breed. It was a full-fat factory car, raced by the World Rally Champion Markku Alén and, perhaps more importantly, used by the late, great Henry Toivonen as a vital test car ahead of one of the greatest events of his life: the 1986 Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo. Its subsequent success in Italy and Europe, clear and excellent provenance and recent comprehensive rebuild crown what is an excellent overall report.

SOLD