A new auction record, the Group B legend sold over $1.17 million at RM Sotheby's sale in Essen, Germany
Culture's ‘Golden Age’ of rallying was undoubtedly the über-dangerous Group B era, which saw the rough and tumble sport surpass even Formula 1 in terms of popularity. Unrestricted warfare between competing manufacturers lead to the development of the most extreme rally cars ever seen, and some of the most spectacular driving ever witnessed.
One of the undoubted kings of Group B was the mighty Lancia Delta S4, a true icon of the 1980s. This 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Stradale was recently sold by RM Sotheby’s in Essen, Germany. The highly original car surpassed its original upper estimate of $622,000 and sold for an incredible $1.17 million — a new record for the Delta S4.
Group B rules stated that manufacturers needed to build at least 200 road-legal examples of their rally cars for homologation. This lead to some exciting models hitting showroom floors during the hight of the series. Stradale is Italian for road, and the Delta in question was one of just 200 homologation cars ever produced. While detuned in comparison to the rally car, this is still an extreme machine.
Powered by a turbo and supercharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine producing over 500hp, the Delta S4 Stradale makes use of an advanced all-wheel drive system. Power is split 30/70 front to rear to maximise stability and traction. Lancia and Abarth engineered the car to be lightweight, agile, and totally fit for the purpose of conquering world rally stages.
This red car is something of a time capsule, being so well preserved and having covered less than 1400 miles from new. It’s astonishing condition suggests that it might be the best example of this Group B car ever offered for auction.
The Delta had just two previous owners, both keeping the car in perfect running order. This sale came complete with all of the car’s original documentation, books, and toolkit for the perfect collector car package.
Another Group B Lancia set an auction record at the same event alongside the Delta S4. Its predecessor, a 1982 Lancia 037 Stradale went under the hammer to sell for over $870,000.
Group B icons have always been idolised, but these sales might suggest that they are becoming the apple of the collector’s eyes.
More on Lancia
- The Family Car That Preceded Lancia's Rally Domination
- Lancia Delta Final Edition Test Drive: The Best B Road Car?
Source: RM Sotheby’s
