Italy is one of the spiritual homes of the automotive industry. The country has some of the most famous automotive companies in the world nestled into its stunning scenery. Companies such as Ferrari, Maserati, Dallara, and Fiat, to name just a few of them. However, one company that doesn’t seem to be spoken about in quite the same vein as that of those others is that of Lancia. This is pretty weird because Lancia has produced some of the most iconic cars we have ever seen.

Lancia is perhaps most famous for those cars that they produced and raced in the World Rally Championship. Who can forget the likes of the Stratos, the 037 and the Delta Integrale? These are some of the most iconic car names in the world. Not every Lancia was great, however. Build quality, reliability, and other factors often hindered many a Lancia. But that should not stop us from remembering how good their cars could be. So, if you want to remember some of the best cars from the iconic Italian manufacturer then read on, because we are going to run through some of Lancia’s greatest cars.

The Stratos

Lancia Stratos HF In Red
via Secret Classics

We have to, of course, start off with the Stratos. The Stratos was first seen in 1970 as a radical concept car with a bit of a wedge shape, before evolving into the car we know and love today for the production version. To homologize the Stratos for rallying, Lancia had to build 500 of them, but it's rumored as few as 492 or 498 were actually built. The Stratos was powered by a mid-mounted Ferrari Dino V6 engine that produced up to 320 hp at its peak for rallying, with the road-going version of the car typically being around the 190 hp mark.

1977-Lancia-Stratos-HF-Group-IV-Rally-Car-06
via Old News Club

The Stratos soon began to dominate in the WRC. It won the world title in 1974, 1975, and 1976 and stunned everyone with not only the way it drove but the way it looked. A unique 3.0-liter version of the Stratos was also produced, raced by Andy Bentza in Group 5 regulations. The Stratos could be the greatest Lancia of all time.

RELATED: Here's How Much A One Off Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF Competizione Is Worth Today

The 037 Rally And Stradale

1982_lancia_037_group_b Martini Racing
via Supercars

The Lancia 037 is certainly a strong contender for the greatest Lancia of all time, potentially beating out the Stratos. Commonly referred to as the Lancia Rally 037, and the 037 Stradale on the road, the 037 was one of the monsters of Group B rallying. It was a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive lightweight monster with a 2.1-liter inline-four engine that could produce 305 hp. Its finest hour though came in the 1983 World Rally Championship, when Lancia took on the might of Audi and the four-wheel-drive Quattro, a car that looked, on the face of it, impossible to beat.

Lancia 037 Rally Rear View
via YouTube

History though shows that wasn’t the case. The 037, with playboy Cesare Fiorio running the team and driver Walter Röhrl, who didn’t want to run the full season, at the wheel, somehow was able to do the impossible. In one of motorsports greatest David vs Goliath fights, the 037 won the 1983 World Rally Championship, although Hannu Mikkola did win the driver's title for Audi due to Röhrl not competing in all the events. But that didn’t matter. The 037’s place in history was sealed, and it marked the final time a rear-wheel-drive car ever won the World Rally Championship. It has even spawned a modern revival, the 037 Evo, such is the legacy that the 037 has left.

The Fulvia

Lancia-Fulvia-Ralley In Red
via Vintage Race Car

Lancia’s little Fulvia is one of the most iconic cars of the 1960s and the 1970s, evolving into one of the most desired classic Lancias to this day. It was named after the Roman road Via Fulvia, which linked Tortona to Turin, and first appeared at the Geneva Motor Show back in 1963. It wasn’t the most powerful car in the world. The Fulvia was powered by a variety of Lancia V4 petrol engines, but it soon made a name for itself in the world of rallying, marking the return of Lancia to racing after they had pulled out of their Formula 1 project.

1972 Lancia Fulbia HF Historic Auctions
via Historic Auctions

The little Fulvia was able to produce some fantastic results. From 1965 to 1973, the Fulvia won every single Italian Rally Championship except for in 1970, and in 1972 Lancia, with the Fulvia, won the International Championship for Manufacturers with two rounds to spare. This effectively made it the first Lancia to ever win the World Rally Championship. The Fulvia even won Rally Monte Carlo, perhaps one of the most incredible achievements in the car's history. Lancia owed a lot to the little Fulvia.

RELATED: The Rise And Fall Of Lancia Automobiles S.p.A.

Delta HF Integrale

1992-Lancia-Delta-HF-Integrale-Evoluzione-2
via Car Coops

Perhaps the last truly great Lancia was, of course, the rather special and spectacular Delta HF Integrale. And there were quite a few versions of the Integrale. There was the Integrale 8V, the V standing for valve. There was the Integrale 16V and then the Evoluzione and Evoluzione II. And as you probably expected, this Lancia also made itself famous in the world of rallying, as part of the Group A regulations following the change from the fearsome Group B rules.

Lancia Delta HF integrale Evo 1992 Kankkunen
via Snap Lap

The Delta Integrale was a four-wheel drive, turbocharged rallying monster that picked up the mantle from the Fulvia, Stratos and 037. It won the World Rally Championship six times on the spin, and Lancia to this day remain the most successful manufacturers in the WRC with 10 world titles. The Delta Integrale was the final car that Lancia entered into the WRC.

Lancia's Legacy

Lancia's Greatest Hits
via Red Bull

Lancia tends to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Usually for cars that rust. Cars that break down. Or cars that are impractical. But as we have seen above, they could produce some of the most amazing cars on the planet. There are other amazing Lancia’s too. There is the Monte Carlo, the Fema 8.32 and the Aprilia, the name just a few. Lancia is now a shadow of their former selves. They pulled out of the right-hand drive market in 1994, following the rusting Beta fiasco of 1980 in the UK, in which the media played a big role in Lancia’s demise as their reputation in the UK was ruined. Since then, the name Lancia has been just that. A name on cars that are effectively Chryslers or Fiats underneath. But for many glorious years, Lancia produced some of the most incredible cars the world has ever known.

Sources: Secret Classics, Old News Club, Supercars, YouTube, Historic Auctions, Vintage Race Car, Car Scoops, Snap Lap, Red Bull