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Lancia 037 Rally - the last classic in rally sport

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Created on December 27, 2017

Reading time 7min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Lancia - Fiat Group

Martini & Rossi Archives

Auto Motor und Sport

Edoardo Fornaciari - Courtesy RM Auctions

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Lancia - Fiat Group

Martini & Rossi Archives

Auto Motor und Sport

Edoardo Fornaciari - Courtesy RM Auctions

Archiv

Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - Kunststoffkarosserie über Passagierzelle und Rohrrahmen

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - nur selten sah eine Evolutionsfahrzeug für den Rallye-Sport appetitlicher aus

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - 205 PS reichten für Fahrfreude völlig aus

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - wenige Wagen bieten soviel unmittelbare Fahrdynamik

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - die Form stammt von Pininfarina

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - 3,915 Meter lang, 1,85 Meter breit, 1,245 Meter hoch

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - Front- und Heckhaube lassen sich weit aufklappen

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - die Silhouette stimmt mit dem Lancia Montecarlo überein

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - so schön können Rallye-Autos sein

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - elegant ausstaffiertes Interieur, das mit Rennatmosphäre nicht geizt

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - vor allem die Mittelkonsole erinnert direkt an die Wettbewerbsversion

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - Abarth-Zeichen im Lenkrad

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - Tacho bis 260 km/h, etwas übertrieben

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - die Heckklappe erlaubt den Blick auf den längs eingebauten Vierzylindermotor

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - schön aufbereitetes Vierzylinder-Kompressor-Aggregat

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - Kofferraum bietet der Wagen nur wenig, vorne sind Kühler und das Ersatzrad untergebracht

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - schlichte Frontgestaltung, schöne dreiteilige Felgen

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - das Lancia-Zeichen auf dem Kühlergrill

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - die Ingenieure von Abarth machten den Lancia rallye-tauglich

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - aufwändige Schalldämpfung

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Eleganz und Funktion vereint

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - der Heckspoiler verheisst mehr Abtrieb, dem Design war er aber nicht förderlich

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - das Design ist an den Montecarlo angelehnt

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - ohne Heckspoiler hübscher

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - elegantes Pininfarina-Design

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - bei Testfahrten

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Eines von rund 200 Fahrzeugen

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Interieur der Strassenversion

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Lenkrad und Armaturenbrett der Strassenversion

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Blick auf den Motor im Heck (Mittelmotor)

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Abarth-Motor in der Mitte

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Durchsichtszeichnung der Strassenversion

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Durchsichtszeichnung der Rennversion

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Lancia Rally 037 (1983) - Durchsichtszeichnung

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Mittelschalenbauweise mit Rohrrahmen vorne und hinten

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Zahnstangen-Lenkung

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Hinterradaufhängung

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - Vorderradaufhängung

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - auf dem Titelblatt von "Auto Motor Sport"

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Lancia 037 Rallye - Röhrl und Geistdörfer gewinnen das Rallye Monte Carlo 1983

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Lancia 037 - Die hinterradangetriebenen 037 hatten am Rallye Monte Carlo 1984 keine Chance gegen die Allrad-Audi-_ZGIPAnonym

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Lancia 037 - Ein Lancia 037 beim Servicepunkt am Rallye Monte Carlo 1985

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Lancia 037 - Biasion und Siviero hatten im heckgetriebenen 037 keine Chance am Rallye Monte Carlo 1985

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Lancia Rally 037 (1983) - im harten Rallye-Einsatz

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - Walter Röhrl bei der Rallye Monte Carlo im Jahr 1982

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - an der Argentinien-Rallye

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - im Rallye-Einsatz im Jahr 1986

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - auf Abwegen im Jahr 1985

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Lancia 037 Rally (1982) - im Sprung, im Jahr 1985

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Lancia 037 Rally (1983) - im Rallye-Einsatz

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Martini-Streifen machen erfolgreich - Lancia 037

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So sahen Konkurrenten den 037 meistens - Lancia 037

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Lancia Rallye 037 (1983) - in der Sonderausstellung "Let it B" mit Gruppe B Rallye-Fahrzeugen an der Schloss Bensberg Classics 2015

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Lancia 037 (1981) - Sonderschau "Gruppe B Rallye-Fahrzeuge" - Rétromobile Paris 2017

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Lancia 037 Rallye Group B (1983) - angeboten als Lot 49 an der RM Auction Paris vom 5. Februar 2014

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Summary

At the end of 1981, Lancia presented the new Group B rally car 037 Rally, followed a few months later by the presentation of the 200-strong road version. Like the competition, the Italian car manufacturer had also developed an uncompromising racing car, except that the 037 only had driven rear wheels. Nevertheless, the car won the brand title in the 1983 World Rally Championship and was the last rear-wheel drive car to do so. This driving report is primarily about the road-going version, which was hardly any less spectacular technically or visually than the racing version.

This article contains the following chapters

Ritmo, Delta or Montecarlo
Almost completely new
Racing technology for rally use
Not immediately successful, but then they did
The tamed road version
Lack of temperament?
Muscles and concentration required
Becoming valuable
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

When the Fiat-Lancia Group began to consider a successor to the Fiat 131 Abarth as a rally car, it was in its heyday. Walter Röhrl won the drivers' world championship title in the front-engined Fiat with rear-wheel drive, and the car took a total of 20 WRC victories up to 1981. Impressive for such a conventionally built car. However, the changes to the regulations announced for 1982 and the new Group B showed a new way forward; there was no longer a flower pot to be won with an optimized road car. So the Turin team began to build the ideal rally car, bearing in mind their own history with the Lancia Stratos and Fiat 131 Abarth as well as the considerations of the marketing people, who naturally wanted a series reference. Since a Group B racing car was seen as more of a Lancia brand, the Fiat Ritmo was already out of the running as a basis, and the layout of the Lancia Delta did not fit the intended direction either. So the decision was made to use the Lancia Montecarlo as the genetic donor.

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