At the end of 1986, the Group B formula for International Rallying was banned in the wake of several fatal accidents involving Group B cars. Only 200 cars had to be made by manufacturers to compete in Group B, and by and large this led to extreme machines with engines producing up to 500bhp, in ultra lightweight bodies propelled by advanced 4WD systems. Some commentators likened them to Formula 1 cars for the rally stage, which was only a slight exaggeration. The sheer speed of these cars meant it was impossible to ensure adequate safety for both competitors and spectators, and there were several high profile fatalities including the death of driver Henri Toivonen at the wheel of his Lancia Delta S4 (the Group B predecessor of the Group A Delta) in the 1986 Tour de Corse, and the deaths of several spectators when a Ford RS200 crashed into a crowd in the 1986 Rally of Portugal.
For 1987, Group A was adopted as the new top rank category for international rallying. To be eligible to compete, manufacturers had to build 5000 cars as opposed to the 200 needed for Group B (although a further 500 "Evolution" models could be built at a later date as follow on versions with certain modifications allowed), so extreme race machines were out as they would not be able to sell the 5000 required by the rules. Also, Group A cars had to be substantially based on a roadgoing car built by the company; in Lancias case this was the 4x4 Lancia Delta HF.
The Delta was first introduced in 1979 and was based on the running gear of the Fiat Strada. Hence it was originally a front wheel drive hatchback with a transversely mounted four cylinder engine. A 4x4 version was introduced at a later date and this version formed the basis of the Group A rally car. Turbocharging was added to increase power and the original Delta Turbo had 165bhp (in roadgoing trim). The first Delta Integrale (from late 1987 on) had 185bhp, and from 1991 the final variants, the 16valve Delta Integrale Evolutions, had 210+bhp, flared wheel arches and pronounced bonnet bulges.
Between 1987 and 1992, the Group A Delta variants won 6 consecutive constructor championships for Lancia, a feat which has not been equalled by any other rally car. The only other car which could beat the Lancia with any sort of regularity (but not often enough to prevent the Delta scooping championship after championship) was the Toyota Celica GT4.
To celebrate it's 6th consecutive championship win, Lancia released a limited run of "Delta Integrale 6's" in white with Martini logos and stripes (similar to the colours on the works rally cars). This is the version seen here as modelled by Kyosho.
This is a great model by Kyosho which captures the beefy stance of the Integrale and has nice interior and engine detail. A fine model overall and one which gets 8/10 marks.
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