As you might be able to tell, from some of my previous posts, I have a bit of a thing about Lancias. This was initiated long before Clarkson et al were banging on about them.
My love for Lancias was instigated partially by my dad who was an area manager for the AA. Every three years or so he had to pick a new company car from a shortlist. Said list was usually made up of Vauxhalls, Fords and Leyland stuff. However, one year (in the 80's), a Lancia Prisma was offered on the list. This was part of Lancia's drive to improve their tarnished UK reputation - apparently FIAT uk struck a deal with the AA to supply cars at very favourable rates and so had been added to the list of suppliers. Accoriding to 'Big Ron' (my dad) it was part of a short lived and not-very-succesful PR drive by the Italians.
Now then, my old man wasn't really to keen on having a temperamental, rusty (yawn) Italian and so he ended up with an early Montego instead however we'd already been to the Lancia dealer and, being a young lad, I was awestruck by the stuff in and around the showroom - Delta HF turbos, y10 turbos, Prisma Symbols and even a few Beta coupes and HPEs awaiting attention in the workshop. It was all just so much more EXOTIC than the BL showroom as you can imagine.
About 20 years ago I managed to buy my first Lancia - a lowly Delta 1.3lx in silver. Lowly it may have been but I loved it. The thrashy little 1.3 (same as the fiat unit used in unos etc) and the fact that nobody else had one. My friends and colleagues all had a merry laugh at me though.
A couple of years later I upgraded to a 1.6GTie - again in silver. It looked EXCATLY the same as the lx but went so much better.
They were both great cars - unusual, sprightly and great-handling and practical to boot.
Anyway, much as I love integrales I think the more run of the mill Deltas are overlooked. The LX's, GTie's, HF turbos and HF 4x4s all have the great original, simple lines and were always the underdog in the compact hatch test battles...
But I just wanted to celebrate them so here are some pics; (not my actual cars!)
My love for Lancias was instigated partially by my dad who was an area manager for the AA. Every three years or so he had to pick a new company car from a shortlist. Said list was usually made up of Vauxhalls, Fords and Leyland stuff. However, one year (in the 80's), a Lancia Prisma was offered on the list. This was part of Lancia's drive to improve their tarnished UK reputation - apparently FIAT uk struck a deal with the AA to supply cars at very favourable rates and so had been added to the list of suppliers. Accoriding to 'Big Ron' (my dad) it was part of a short lived and not-very-succesful PR drive by the Italians.
Now then, my old man wasn't really to keen on having a temperamental, rusty (yawn) Italian and so he ended up with an early Montego instead however we'd already been to the Lancia dealer and, being a young lad, I was awestruck by the stuff in and around the showroom - Delta HF turbos, y10 turbos, Prisma Symbols and even a few Beta coupes and HPEs awaiting attention in the workshop. It was all just so much more EXOTIC than the BL showroom as you can imagine.
About 20 years ago I managed to buy my first Lancia - a lowly Delta 1.3lx in silver. Lowly it may have been but I loved it. The thrashy little 1.3 (same as the fiat unit used in unos etc) and the fact that nobody else had one. My friends and colleagues all had a merry laugh at me though.
A couple of years later I upgraded to a 1.6GTie - again in silver. It looked EXCATLY the same as the lx but went so much better.
They were both great cars - unusual, sprightly and great-handling and practical to boot.
Anyway, much as I love integrales I think the more run of the mill Deltas are overlooked. The LX's, GTie's, HF turbos and HF 4x4s all have the great original, simple lines and were always the underdog in the compact hatch test battles...
But I just wanted to celebrate them so here are some pics; (not my actual cars!)
