Pneus Lancia Delta

History of the Lancia Delta

The Lancia Delta was introduced to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1979. At the debut, three versions were available: the Delta 1300 four-speed, which had a 1,301 cc engine and simpler equipment, the Delta 1300 five-speed, which had additional features including an overdrive fifth gear for cruising, and the Delta 1500, which had a 1,498 cc engine with a five-speed transmission. The Delta received a strong reaction from the Italian and German press during its Frankfurt debut; in December, it was named European Car of the Year for 1980 by a jury of 53 automotive writers from 16 European nations.

Giorgetto Giugiaro developed the first Delta, a five-door hatchback that was introduced in 1979. Between 1980 and 1982, Saab Automobile offered it as the "Saab-Lancia 600" in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway to replace the discontinued 96 model. The Delta was named European Car of the Year in 1980. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the first generation Delta dominated the World Rally Championship. The Group A homologation standards required the sale of road-going versions of these race vehicles, the Lancia Delta HF 4WD and HF Integrale. There were 44,296 Integrales made in all.