The Delta HF 16V Group A offered here was assembled in 1990, being awarded its Certificate of Origin on the 15th September. First registered to FIAT Auto Spa in Turin, Italy, this Delta was assigned the Italian license ‘TO 56249P’, a registration desired by any Lancia enthusiast thanks to its ‘TO’ (Torino) designation.
The 1990 season saw Miki Biasion once again drive for the works Martini Lancia team, fresh from claiming his second consecutive World Rally Championship in 1989. During the 1990 World Rally Championship, Biasion had won both the Tour de Corse and Argentinian rallies. For the Rallye Sanremo, held from 14-18 October 1990, Double WRC Champion, Miki Biasion, and Tiziano Siviero were assigned this car, chassis 500851, and race number 1. Just prior to the event, on the 13th October 1990, this car was also awarded its Passaporto Tecnico, which remains with the car to this day, confirming chassis number, registration and ownership information.
At this point of the Championship, Biasion was in the middle of an intense battle with Martini Lancia teammates, Didier Auriol and Juha Kankkunen, now returning to competition from a back injury. For this event, Michelin had developed further some new tyre treads which were hoped to be an advantage. Having won the second stage of the Rallye Sanremo, Biasion and Siviero would maintain the lead of the rally, including claiming victory in a total of four stages with this car, until stage thirteen. On stage 27, Biasion made a small mistake upon seeing damaged body panels from the car of Sainz which had rolled, clipping a rock which led to retirement – something Biasion remembers to this day.
The car is accompanied by many fabulous period images, showing double World Rally Champion, Miki Biasion, driving this works Martini Lancia at the Sanremo Rally, during Lancia’s Championship-winning season, even being selected by Rallycourse to adorn the cover of their respected annual review.
FIAT Auto Spa maintained ownership of this car until July 1991, at which point it was sold to Leader Cars SRL, in Torino, Italy. A new Passaporto Tecnico was awarded to this Delta on 21 September 1991, with the first event starting the same day, the 14th Rally 111 Minuti. For this event the car was driven by Italian, Pierfranco ‘Franco’ Uzzeni who finished 6th overall.
The final competition event for this Delta in 1991 was the famous Rally Autodromo di Monza, where it was assigned race number 18 and driven by soon-to-be Scuderia Ferrari Formula One driver, Nicola Larini. Three stage victories saw this Delta secure class victory, and second overall.
Throughout 1992 and 1993, this Delta continued to compete in several Italian rallies, also winning the 1992 Rally Città di Canelli, before being sold to Serratosa Caturla in Valencia, Spain.
Having passed through another Spanish owner, this car eventually returned to its native homeland, Italy, where it joined a sizeable collection of rally cars including a Lancia Rally 037 and other Deltas. Back in Italy, this Delta was returned to its Miki Biasion 1990 Sanremo Martini livery, before being delivered to Abarth Classiche, for certification, which was awarded on 1st August 2017.
Today, this car is presented in fantastic condition, wearing its correct 1990 Rally Sanremo livery, complete with its two original Passaporto Tecnico’s, copies of the original Italian title and Foglio Complementare during the ownership of Fiat Auto SPA, the cancelled Spanish title along with its Abarth Classiche Certification binder and a quantity of images showing the car competing throughout its lifetime.
This car falls right in the middle of the most dominant era of World Rallying, with Lancia winning six consecutive World Rally Championships, a feat never achieved by any other manufacturer. During this domination, the Delta also earned its place as the most successful World Rally Car in history also, with a staggering 46 outright World Rally victories! As a full works Martini Lancia rally car, this Delta wore the ever iconic blue and red stripes of the Martin & Rossi brand.