Lancia Delta S4

[bazil]

I've always loved the lanica's, I saw many group A deltas on various rallies over the years but I've never been lucky enough to see a S4 in action, it looks as if they still get used by european lads in hillclimbing events though,

The picture below is a car for sale ATM 1 of only 18 rally cars ever built with a POA price tag, so if you have to ask how much it is, you probably can't afford it lol

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy181/Bazil_2468/random3/56752884.jpg

And a video of those hillclimb cars


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARvesNfkXAs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARvesNfkXAs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88SMR1UcacA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88SMR1UcacA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

And the little group A Delta, which won the WRC constructors title 6 years in a row, I don't think citreon have managed to do that even with the most successful driver of all time driving for them,
http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy181/Bazil_2468/random3/19f721d6.jpg

[mowgli]

i saw the delta s4 in action on its only rac rally, it was crazy, but sadly also so dangerously built with all those exotic materials that burned once the petrol ignited..... it killed a bloke who was potentially the senna of rallying, and also killed off a motorsport category.

[bazil]

The RS200 also helped kill it, lest we forget only Henri and Sergio died in their accident after leaving the road ( which had no edge barrier ) and going down a verge where there were no witnesses or spectators, the RS200 crash in Portugal was also played a large hand in the desision to cancel group B, even Ari Vatenen was nearly killed in a 206 T16 aswell.

Yes the desision was made at Corsica to ban group B but it's unfair to blame 1 accident and 1 car for that, imagine if group S was allowed? How long would that have lasted?

[John]

mmmmm lancia p0rn! I have an old dvd somewhere, iirc "too fast to race" Explaining all about the group b demise.

[mowgli]

they were, that's a fact... the engineers were so far ahead of the FIA, there was no chance for them to be governed..
the new wrc cars are also way faster than the old group B stuff...

[bazil]

I'd love to see a WRC C4 versus that S4 or a Quattro S1

No doubt the C4 would be quicker in the bends but for all out pace and raw speed I doubt it would keep up,
But untill someone puts them against each other well never know,

More to the point who nowadays could push a group B rally car to its full potential ?

[mowgli]

erm, haven't you watched rallycross recently??

anyway, i think the c4 would whallop a group b car on most things.. certainly the whole traction/handling/aero would easily play into the newer cars favour.. and the '300' hp was always way more...

the quattro s1 was a git of a car, it handled terribly & simply applying more hp & the porsche 962 semi auto box made it crazy, watch any old video of one, they were terribly unbalanced, all that weight in front of the front wheels & none at the back... they even made up a hydraulic drive for things like the alternator & water pumps, which were in the boot.....

the 205t16 was the best of them, the rs200 could have been king if ford hadn't cocked up the homologation, as the later rallycross championships proved, and the old 6r4 was a fine handling little beastie, but the engine design was flawed, but rover engineers did admit that they weren't 100% sure of the honda v6 engine deal and needed to develop a 2.5 - 3 litre v6, but as funding for it was not allowed, they sneaked it into the rally program thru the back door.. the 16v (220) engine with a turbo would have made it fly....so many what ifs

[bazil]

Rallycross is a different sport,

The comparison I'd like to see is a 1986 205 T16 E2 or Delta S4 versus a 2010 C4

Both would be the pinicle of their era and the last of their breed before they were banned,

The thing that surprises me is that still to this day Audi still insist on using a similar lay out for their Quattro system in longitudinal mounted engines, granted nowadays engines are lighter but still it's awfully far forward mounted.

Lancia were always ones for homolagation specials IMO, I mean in 1987 they had the perfect car for group A, it took ford 4 years to bring out a 4 wheel drive 2ltr turbo car and used a bloody huge one at that lol

Just to go back to Corsica, it shows just how the sport changed, Mcrae's accident probably is the closest that would mirror toivinens, so although saftey had progressed the event didn't really, I'd blame the event not the driver or car.

[svlet]

My dads friend used to have one of them don't know if he still does he lives in carlisle so not been down recently he used it for hill climb and he had an old green Porsche for classic rallys