Being the first one to dominate things has its perks, but interestingly taking the last bite also has its perks. We are talking about the gravely underrated Lancia 037 Stradale from the early 1980s. It was the last of RWD sportscars that dominated the WRC and it rivaled against the more advanced, and dominating likes of the Audi Quattro which is one of the iconic rally cars of all times.
All thanks to Group B, Lancia had built the 037 Stradale as a part of the homologation rules put forth by the FIA, which required 207 road-going variants of a manufacturer's rally-spec car. Group B Rallying was notorious for a lot of things, but we can't deny the fact that it also gave us some monstrously desirable cars of all times.
This Lancia is one of the greatest rally cars in history despite winning only one title with the 1983 WRC. We say so because it went against the norm that automakers were following back then, to create a rally car. An efficient setup supposedly comprised of a front-engined AWD layout that was perfect to give drivers an instant perspective of the trickery of WRC tracks. But Lancia went continued with a mid-engine RWD layout for their Group B entry. It turned out to be an Italian Icon that stood up to the fierce and calculated Germans.
Only 207 examples of the Lancia 037 Stradale were ever produced. It echoed the Italian automaker's, RWD Martini-Racing Group B Rally Wonder that took the fight to the AWD Audi Quattro.
Lancia's Path To Rallying Fame Was A Cumulative Work Of Italian Art
Well before the Audi Quattro came about and shock the outlook of rallying, a very subtle Italian automaker was dominating the World Rally Championship Series in the 1970s with beautiful cars like the Fulvia and Stratos. The Lancia Stratos had also won 3 WRC Championships in a row, ranging from 1974 to 1976.
But by the end of the 70s, FIA pitched in a set of rules for a new rally car class that would start from 1982. This was the start of the infamous Group B Rallying which didn't end so well. But gave us some of the most ferocious and purpose-built rally cars, even for the roads. This was because of the homologation rules that required automakers to build 200 road-going iterations of the participating car.
Lancia built the 037 Stradale using its older Montecarlo as the basis. This car was sold as the Lancia Scorpion in the US. This turned out to be a piece of art as the Lancia 037 Stradale was co-developed with Fiat Group's Abarth Performance and Italian Design Studio - Pininfarina (No wonder, this car looks so cool, even now!).
A Supercharged 2.0L Carburated Engine Developed By Abarth Defied Norms
The Lancia 037 Stradale was powered by a rear mid-mounted supercharged 2.0L Inline-4 motor that pumped out 205 horses to the rear wheels. Its rally iteration was making north of 300 horses and was a true mental Italian hoonigan. It twisted out 166 lb-ft at a peak of 5,000 rpm, thanks to the supercharger system developed by Abarth. It added about 0.6-0.9 bars of boost depending on the driving scenario.
A 5-Speed manual gearbox was used to immerse the driver in this rally-bred road car and the Lancia 037 Stradale did 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds and had a top speed of 140 mph. All of this was possible because of aggressive weight-saving measures that included the usage of fiberglass body panels. This car didn't shy away from anything and was coded to give it all. Its independent suspension system and Brembo brakes helped you maneuver this RWD madness with ease, even in gravel.
Pininfarina Made The Lancia 037 Stradale Low, Wide, And Dramatic; Much Italian
In the late 1900s, if you wanted to build a car that made you drool every single time, it was the Italians that had the right tools (they still do). Pininfarina was a well-revered name and clearly made they work for Lancia evident with the 037 Stradale. Lancia made its rally-icon as compact as possible and was based on the Scorpion. Pininfarina was given a limited canvas to work on, but they clearly made the most of it.
The cabin was sandwiched with steel subframes to form a "silhouette" racecar. This was a term used in a road car that had race-car elements but not of much mechanical importance. The whole body was built of reinforced fiberglass, thus weighing in at just 2,579 pounds. It was so purpose-built that the bubble roof layout was built because the Montecarlo on which it was based didn't have headroom clearance for a driver and co-driver with helmets on. The solution? They cut the roof and created a double bubble setup (Ahh! If only solutions were always so straight forward!)
The Interior Was Minimal, Driver-Focused And All About The Feels
Italian sports cars from the 80s and 90s were all about the feels. It always paved way for a unique connection between driver and car. The interior is not for the faint-hearted as you will be constantly hearing squeaks and all kinds of mechanical music. It needed you to be a gymnastic to get in and out and the seats would clearly give you a sore bottom and back.
Unlike other road cars, this one was not just "driver-focused" but "driver and co-driver" focused as a rally championship was always a 2-man show. There were no flashy bits but just valuable engine and other mechanical info readouts. Not to forget the blood-red "Abarth" logo on the clean 3-spoke steering wheel, which looked sick with the all-black upholstery.
The 1982 Lancia Stradale was a car that showed us how RWD rally cars could have progressed into the future if the famed Quattro from Audi hadn't come along.
Sources: Petrolicious.com, Wikipedia.com, Topspeed.com, Automobilemag.com, Dirtfish.com