Lancia Delta S4

The Lancia Delta S4 was a purpose-built Group B rally car introduced in 1985 to replace the rear-wheel-drive Rally 037 in international competition. Despite sharing the Delta name, its tubular-frame, mid-engined construction differed fundamentally from the production hatchback. All-wheel drive and a 1,759 cc inline-four engine equipped with both a supercharger and a turbocharger formed the centre of its technical concept.

The programme combined Lancia and Abarth engineering with specialist Italian suppliers for chassis and body components. The competition car made its World Rally Championship debut at the 1985 RAC Rally, where Henri Toivonen and Neil Wilson took victory. The Delta S4 continued racing in 1986, a season overshadowed by the fatal accident involving Toivonen and Sergio Cresto and the subsequent end of the Group B era.

Production figures must be distinguished by version. Stellantis Heritage records the Group B homologation requirement for at least 200 roadgoing Delta S4 Stradale examples, built in 1985–86, while Lancia’s historical communication separately refers to 29 original competition cars. These totals describe different groups and must not be combined or attributed indiscriminately to a generic Delta S4 record. Bodywork, mechanical specification and documented competition use also differ between the Stradale and works rally versions.