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Year 1990

Certification of Authenticity FCA Heritage Lancia Classiche

Ready to use

Year 1990

Certification of Authenticity FCA Heritage Lancia Classiche

Ready to use

LANCIA DELTA HF INTEGRALE Gr.A “Safari” (ABARTH SE045) TO51892N (# 501361)

In anticipation of the third race of the season, the Marlboro Safari Rally, and to repeat the successes of the 1988 and 1989 editions with Biasion, ABARTH prepared three new cars plus two mules/test cars that accompanied the Lancia squadron during the dreaded African transfer. The three competition cars, TO51887N for Biasion/Siviero, TO54910N for Kankkunen/Piironen and TO54911N for Fiorio/Pirollo, were flanked by a mule car (TO51888N) and by our TO51892N, the so-called chase car, that is the car set up as ‘spare parts workshop’, which, driven by Cerrato and with the mechanic Giacomo Luchi on board, followed the caravan along the entire route. Halfway through the race, following Fiorio's exit from the scene, the latter took over driving the car from Cerrato. This is how the books and people in the racing team remember it, this is the official version.

However, given the characteristics of the car: Kankkunen's race seat, race bonnet bearing the chassis number and number plate of KKK's original race car, and the copious photographic documentation of the time, it is plausible to think that our car was the subject of the much-discussed (and never admitted) ‘car change’ during the race, which effectively allowed KKK to resume the competition after the numerous problems he had along the route.
The car was the protagonist of the famous short film LANCIA WORKS MAGIC in which the entire construction process was detailed, starting with the naked body and ending with the final testing carried out at the Mandria by Pinto, assisted by Ing. Roberti.

For a full version of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQOFGO1NtEM

In order to avert the mechanical problems that the Safari poses, all the cars were fitted with the 8v engine from the previous version, which guaranteed greater mechanical reliability even at the expense of pure power. Despite the 8v engine with its “flat bonnet”, the livery of the 16v version was retained, which had already been introduced at the season debut in the Monte-Carlo Rally.

In 1994, the car was donated by FIAT for the TELETHON charity marathon, from which it was then sold to a collector from Piedmont who kept it until 2004. Since then, the car has remained unused in a prestigious Lancia collection.
The car is in an exceptional, unique state of preservation, never restored since its only use at the 1990 Safari: time has stood still for it as if under a bell jar. Every aspect of the original equipment is preserved, including the triple HALDA RALLY to monitor race times, the Kenyan insurance coupon issued by Vic Preston documenting the presence and use of the car during the entire testing and racing period. Engine and gearbox numbers are those of the original equipment, as documented by Sergio Martinetto, Abarth's chief motorist at the time.

Given its exceptional state of preservation, the car has been awarded the Certification of Authenticity by FCA Heritage - Lancia Classiche, with the highest score for originality by the examining commission.

It is eligible for ASI TARGA ORO registration, as well as being eligible for all the world's most prestigious events in the sector including Rally Legend, Eifel Rallye Festival and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.