1988 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V

Few cars have a better excuse for being slightly boxy, slightly noisy and completely serious than a Lancia Delta Integrale.

Born from Lancia’s extraordinarily successful Group A rally programme, the Delta Integrale became one of the defining performance cars of the 1980s. It was not merely a road car that happened to go rallying; it was developed around the demands of competition, with four-wheel drive, turbocharging and a chassis engineered to make the most of both.

The 16V represented an important evolution of the Integrale formula, bringing a 16-valve cylinder head to the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, together with revised suspension, braking and four-wheel-drive systems. It was faster, more capable and, importantly, still unmistakably a Delta Integrale.

The turbocharged two-litre 16V engine now produced 147kW at 5,500 rpm, for a maximum speed of 220 km/h and 0–100 km/h  in 5.7 seconds. Changes included larger injectors, a more responsive Garrett T3 turbocharger, a more efficient intercooler, and the ability to run on unleaded fuel without modification.

This particular example is finished in Metallic Black over Grey Alcantara and has covered just 80,000 kilometres. Originally delivered to Japan, it was imported to Australia circa 2016 and has since been enjoyed and maintained here. It still remains LHD as the factory intended and is fully road registrable in Australia either with full road registration or historic registration.

In 2025, the car was entrusted to Lancia marque specialists for a comprehensive service and recommissioning. As part of the work, the entire fuel system and braking system were overhauled, while the Koni suspension was completely refurbished.

The driving experience is wonderfully old-school. A four-cylinder turbo engine, five-speed manual transmission and permanent four-wheel drive combine with a chassis that feels far more serious than its boxy shape would suggest. 

It is difficult to think of many cars from this era that have retained such a strong connection between their road-going version and their competition heritage. The Delta Integrale remains one of them, forever and always.