FCA interested in bringing back the Lancia Delta Integrale

The lamentable state that Lancia has been in over recent years is a fact, and the attempt to turn it into a luxury car brand has done nothing but sink the prestigious Italian manufacturer even further. Efforts to rescue it have discarded one option that, on the one hand, could be the key, and on the other, marked Lancia’s great leap to fame in competition (with the Stratos as the exception). We are talking about the Lancia Delta Integrale, which was definitively discontinued in 1994 and is still regarded today as a rally legend for its magnificent record.

Its reinvention as a modern vehicle that preserves the DNA of the competition car, which in the 1980s and 1990s won six consecutive manufacturers’ titles after taking 46 individual wins in the World Rally Championship, could be the key to reviving Lancia. This bet is the only viable alternative for many of the senior executives at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), who understand that the Italian brand should be seen as the sporty touch of the automotive group.

However, Sergio Marchionne, FCA’s chief, takes a very unsentimental view of Lancia, and is far more interested in a successful relaunch of Alfa Romeo as the group’s sporting brand. Marchionne prefers to reinvent Lancia as a luxury brand and, despite more than 20 years of trying, which includes the latest generations of the Delta (which bear little resemblance to the original) and the executive saloon Thesis, the big boss backs this formula, which has failed so far.

The secret to the Delta Integrale’s longevity lies in virtual reality, specifically in driving video games. Although production ended 21 years ago, the Integrale has stayed alive for years across successive generations of video games, with an estimated 100,000 people a day connecting online to play the famous Gran Turismo 6 (where the Delta is featured). They are the ones keeping this legend and its legacy alive, ensuring that new generations learn its story.

Source | AutoCar