This hot Delta may not be an Integrale, but it’s still fantastic fun to drive
While many car enthusiasts have taken the plunge and put their hand in their pocket for their chosen car, Simon Webling is one of the few who was lucky enough to inherit his, a Lancia Delta HF Turbo.
“It was my grandfather’s car,” he says. “He bought it new in 1988, trading in his Lotus Esprit Turbo, which had been expensive to run and very unreliable. He taught me to drive in the Delta and we spent many happy times together with the car. So when, sadly, he died three years ago, it came into my hands. I couldn’t see it be sold: it holds too many memories.”
This hot Delta was registered in 1988 but has done just 56,000 miles. In addition to it being garaged for most of its life, this explains why the car is in such good condition – for a Lancia.
“There’s a little bit of rust bubbling on a door bottom and around the filler, but otherwise it’s in lovely condition,” says Simon. “My grandfather sent off one of the headlamp-washer motors to be repaired by someone but never got it back, so I’ve removed the washer arms on both sides, hence the grille holes. The electric front windows don’t work, but come on, it’s Italian!”
Before the HF 4WD and the HF Integrale came along, the HF Turbo was top dog in the Delta range. Simon’s is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged four that produces 138bhp. “I recall it feeling quicker,” says Simon. “Of late, it has started to feel a bit flat. I plan to take it to Tanc Barratt, a Delta specialist in Wales, to have it looked at.”
If you think Simon’s grandfather had the Martini decals applied later, in fact they were a factory option that first appeared in 1984 to celebrate the WRC victories of the mid-engined Rally 037. Remarkably, though, what isn’t original is the interior layout. “It was converted to right-hand drive by a Lancia dealer,” explains Simon.
“They had to swap the dashboards, but they didn’t extended the wiring and cabling, causing them to be stretched or trapped between panels. Many cars suffered electrical problems.”
The original HF model had an understated look, so Lancia used the HF Turbo’s launch in 1985 to put that right, giving it side skirts and the name picked out in red on the radiator grille. The Delta’s 1986 facelift brought a smarter grille with integrated foglights and new eight-hole alloy wheels.
However, as Simon explains, some other features were just for show: “The lower grille simply feeds air to the interior, rather than the engine, while one of the two trailing-edge air scoops on the bonnet is blocked off.”
Simon isn’t short of tasty machinery. His daily driver is a 2016 Mercedes-Benz C350e, while his other ‘toys’ are a 2005 Subaru Impreza Turbo for track days and a 2009 Ducati 848 motorcycle (he marshals at the Isle of Man TT). Nevertheless, and despite its temporary drop in power, he loves driving the Delta.
“It wobbles a bit on its old suspension, but it’s otherwise lovely to drive and fun to chuck around,” says Simon.
“It rattles badly, though. My grandfather stuffed pieces of sponge between the panels in a bid to quieten it, but I’ve taken them out and accept that’s a Delta for you!”
