Lancia Motor Club

Sold last Saturday at Kings Lynn auction for £2730 incl premium, already on Ebay at £4995. Even used the same photos. Don't know how to upload relevant pages but I'm sure anyone interested can check out the web pages.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LANCIA-DELTA-HPE-HF-2-0-16V-TURBO-LHD-/131539073456?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1ea056f9b0

I didn't know what it was so looked it up:

http://fastestlaps.com/cars/lancia_delta_hpe_hf_turbo.html

Not sure what to make of the lap times format.  648 out of 738 doesn't sound that quick. I thought I'd look a second quicker and, while there's a Ferrari 348 there which isn't so bad, that is still only at 608 out of 738.  There's a diesel at 419.  A Scirrocco and a Mini are 6.2 seconds quicker (its 1:22 for the Lancia so its not a long lap...)  A Megane is three seconds (THREE more) faster than that - more than NINE seconds up on the Delta.

I got a shock the other day when I realised that a new VW Golf GTi makes twice the power of a Dedra Turbo - or an 8V Integrale come to that.  It seems that, after all, the engineers have been up to something these past 25 years.

David

And no doubt use less fuel too, at least under test conditions.

Yes - for many years I used to look at modern 1300's and they were never producing the 90bhp of a 1300 Fulvia. For a long time Ford for instance, had to make a 1600 to achieve 90bhp. I used to feel smug about my efficient little twin cam. But now things have gone the other way. The power coming out of small engines is incredible. Maybe it's down to computer design? Possibly the engineers can now try out ideas and run results without even building an engine that would have been prohibitive in the past?

Over the past few years I have been driving various small engine moderns and whilst they go all right they seem severely lacking in torque. I am forever stalling the things which isn't the case with a Y10 fire. Are modern engine designers pursuing BHP at the expense of driveability?

Could it be that the car itself is twice as heavy?

David

I see the car is now listed at £3995. I have one of these and for those of you that are unfamiliar with them, they were basically the poor selling replacement for the ageing original Delta. Never officially sold in the UK as after 1994. This particular one is the highest (sportiest) spec, so is technically the Integrale replacement, albeit, only 2WD. It is also the last model produced to have the Lampredi twin cam engine before it was phased out. These cars are great fun if you don't mind LHD and share most mechanical parts with other FIAT group vehicles, so practical to run also. Simon Davis (HPEHF) would be our club expert on this model if anyone is tempted!

Please note I have no connection to the seller, I just wanted to increase awareness of this lesser known model.

Looks very nice and good value, and I think the model would have done well here, I've ridden in simon's many times and it's really nice, he came with me on trip to Fobello & lake Orta, I was going to drop simon in Turin at the end of our visit to collect it from the dealer, unfortunately the Italian transporter driver took his outfit home with him for the weekend an no one knew where Simon's Delta was, so he came home with me and had to fly out to pick it up a few days later.

This one is a later version than Simon's when the model had aquired bulbous body colour front and rear bumpers, which personally I don't think did it any favours,  I prefer the earlier styling of Simon's car.
Alan Cooper bought a new one  in red from Van Dijk the Lancia Dealer in Rotterdam, and recommended them to me when I was after my elefantino Rosso.

Brian
8227 8)

It reminds me of the Dedra Turbo I was so fond of - but a bit more compact and another decade of development on it.  I'd love one...

David

Same front doors as well as other bits ;)

Brian
8227 8)

Chris Catlow has a nice red one. I have always considered it a sort of Dedra Turbo Coupe. He has a 'grale too and isn't at all disappointed with the HPE's performance.

Frank

"Dedra turbo Coupe" sums it up perfectly. I tend to agree that the later styling with the colour coded Zender bodykit is quite aggressive looking compared to the understated earlier models.