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Car and Driver

Lancia Revives Integrale Designation, Could a New Delta Be Next?

Lancia is bringing back a rally icon by officially announcing the return of the top-flight HF Integrale. Found on the fastest rally-inspired Lancias, including the Delta HF Integrale, the badge has been absent for ages. While new models are still some ways off, this could be the shot in the arm Lancia needs to return to form, and possibly lead to a new Delta model. Of all the stars in the Stellantis constellation, few have faded from former glory like Lancia. Once robust enough to claim the world's first production V-6, with the drop-dead Aurelia B20 GT, and no fewer than 11 WRC Manufacturers' Championships, Lancia, for a long time, built nothing more than a subcompact cousin of the Fiat 500 called the Ypsilon. It still makes the Ypsilon, though now on a new platform, and there are finally some signs that things are heating up. In a fitting tribute to the brand's lineage, exciting news comes hot on the heels of a recent return to the rallying stage. Racing versions of the Ypsilon called the Rally4 HF, and now more recently the Rally6 HF, are bringing back Lancia's stampeding elephant HF badge, and for road cars too. The rally cars are combustion-powered, with small-displacement engines designed to fit the racing regulations. Stellantis The electric road-going Ypsilon HF is actually more powerful, with 278 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. That's the same as the Peugeot e-208 Gti or Abarth 600e, as all share Stellantis' e-CMP EV platform. HF stands for 'High Fidelity,' and its use dates back to a Lancia owner's club before appearing on the machines of the factory racing team and road cars. There's also a level above HF, with the designation Integrale indicating the fastest homologation Lancias made. Now, Lancia says the Integrale designation is coming back. Stellantis In the case of the Lancia Delta Integrale, built between 1987 and 1995, buyers got a compact hatchback with turbocharged power and all-wheel drive. It was an Italian forerunner of the upcoming rally battles between the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi EVO, and was just as successful as both. These Lancias are very collectible today, never officially available in the United States, but old enough to be imported. Lancia didn't indicate that a Delta-sized model is returning, but did say that an HF Integrale designation is coming. The company plans to launch a new Gamma flagship model next year, which will be about the same size as a BMW 3-series. At last week's media drive of the Ypsilon HF, Lancia CEO Luca Napolitano said there would be an Integrale version of the Gamma following some time after its introduction. He also mentioned, but did not confirm, a third Lancia model on the way. Bring a Trailer The temptation is to go full anti-lag on the speculation and guess that a Delta model might split the size difference between the Ypsilon and Gamma, and that an HF Integrale version would mark the return of a legend. There's no proof of this, only hope, but it's good news at least that Lancia seems to be plotting some growth again. Meantime, getting your hands on an example of an original Delta Integrale or one of the brand's other HF models—perhaps a Fulvia or Stratos—remains the best possible argument for Lancia continuing as a brand. It built some of the best enthusiast machines out there. Hope springs eternal that it might do so again soon. Brendan McAleer Contributing Editor Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. Read full bio