The special relationship between the Lancia Delta and rallying dates back to 1987, when the Lancia Delta HF 4WD made its debut in Group A, the new objective for the Work's Teams, after the decline of Group B, which had lost all contact with standard production. Nevertheless, Group B had served its purpose as far as Lancia was concerned, since the ultra-advanced technology developed for the Delta S4 was subsequently applied to the various versions of the Delta integrale.
Certainly Lancia enjoyed its most splendid successes in World Rally
Group A, as outlined below. But that is far from the whole story, since Lancia cars have racked up innumerable wins in many countries, on a variety of surfaces and in several categories. Apart from its 5 European championship titles, Lancia has achieved so many wins that the true score may be impossible to calculate.
Here are just a few examples from the 1990 season:
This makes a total of 79 outright Group A wins counting for the major championships as well as 23 in Group N.
Next step Portugal and a win for Alen-Kivimaki who also beat Kankkunen-Piironen to the line in the Acropolis.
The latter got their own back in the Olympus Rally, where there were four Delta HF 4WD cars in the first five places.
The season went on to be a triumph for the Lancia Martini colours with wins in Argentina (Biasion-Siviero), the 1000 Lakes (Alen-Kivimaki), San Remo (Biasion-Siviero) and the RAC (Kankkunen-Piironen).
It was Lancia's seventh constructors' title and Kankkunen's second driver's title.
1988 -
Another triumphant season for the Lancia Martini team which again took both the constructors' and the drivers' title and put three crews in the first three places: Biasion-Siviero, Alen Kivimaki, Fiorio-Pirollo.
Montecarlo (Saby-Fauchille), Sweden (Alen-Kivimaki) Portugal (Biasion-Siviero), the Safari (Biasion-Siviero) the Acropolis and Olympus (Biasion again). Argentina (1-2-3 with Recalde-Del Buono ahead of the pack), 1000 Lakes (Alen-Kivimaki) Sanremo (1-2-3-4 headed by Biasion-Siviero) and finally the RAC (Alen Kivimaki) marked the supremacy of Lancia technology and organisation over rivals with names like Ford, Audi, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Mazda.
1989 -
Business as usual for Lancia Martini and another nice hatfull of rally wins: Montecarlo again with Biasion-Siviero leading three other Lancias, then Portugal (Biasion again and another Lancia hat-trick), the Safari with a Biasion repeat of the previous year's win and on to the Tour de Corse (Auriol Occelli), the Acropolis (Biasion-Siviero), Argentina (Ericsson Billstam) and Sanremo with a win to christen the debut of the 16-valve with Biasion at the wheel. Biasion took the drivers' title with Fiorio as runner-up and Lancia grabbed its third consecutive constructors' title.
In Portugal another triumph: 1, Biasion, 2, Auriol, 3, Kankkunen, 4, Cerrato, 5, Bica.
After that Auriol-Occelli won the Tour de Corse, Biasion-Siviero the Argentina Rally, Kankkunen-Piironen the Australian and again Auriol-Occelli the Sanremo. And Lancia was world champion for the fourth time running.
1991 -
Lancia's fifth consecutive constructors' title and a drivers' championship won by Kankkunen-Piironen.
On the way there, Kankkunen won the Safari, the Acropolis, the 1000 Lakes and the Australian rally. In Sanremo, Auriol, Biasion and Cerrato drove the Delta HF integrale 16v into first, second and third places and Kankkunen drove the message home by winning the RAC.
1992-
After winning its tenth Rally Championship title Lancia announced its withdrawal from active involvement in the rally scene.
But the Delta HF was still in there fighting under the banner of the Martini-Racing stable to which Lancia rightly supplied cars and drivers after 16 years of profitable collaboration. And by the end of the year, another World Title.