deliver us from evo....
For a moment discard the preverbial straight jacket and the psychological burden of having to replace your paultry family saloon, because maybe, just maybe, you can now afford to nourish the heart and turn the key to the car of your dreams. Let me introduce Lancia's four wheel drive HF Integrale Evoluzione. Rally wins, names like Biasion and Kankkunen, slogans like maximum attack and six consecutive World Rally Championship titles set the scene for a phenomenal road car.
Last built in 1994 the Integrale Evoluzione would be embarrassed to admit that it was based on Lancia 4 door hatchback, the 1979 Car Of The Year Delta. This is a car that has immense presence, it teases you to make comparisons with your boyhood memories of Golf GTI's and yesteryears BMW M3 but your parallels would be unfounded. You have to admire but it is not compulsory to fall in love; its looks have a purpose only subscribed to by successive developments of the Integrale and the menacing stare of implied violence is far from just power dressing. Motorsport has visibly improved the breed and every evocative curve hides a piece of rallying wizardry from the country that not only gave us Lancia but Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini. An Integrale on steroids, the evo has only one message, it says 'drive me, hard!'
Recaro sports seats clad in Alcantara cloth, leather Momo steering wheel and an array of dials, warning lights and more dials lining the cockpit remind you of its purpose, but as you dawdle through traffic the Integrale is not only the baby that cries when put in its pram; the wurr whilst the engine and gearbox talk amongst themselves is comparitive only to an inspired hairdryer and there is no itching on this athletes foot. To list the technicalities under the cramped bonnet would only waste the small amount of time I have allocated to share the Integrale experience with you but the qualitative result is of balanced driving ease and strong arm performance. Out on a demanding road as the turbo rockets the tacho needle repeatedly from 3000 rpm and all four claws grab hold of the tarmac, the Integrale mixes with the supercars. Speed isn't everything (that motto of slow car owners) but the 215 bhp thrills however are there in the mid range from 50-70 and 60-80 where the Integrale is quicker than a period Porsche 911 Carrera 4.
More than speed, unparallelled handling and the need to uphold the world stage, this is clearly a car of passion; you feel and believe every turn of the wheel as you ride the wave of euphoria the engine delivers. It is what this car gives you in return for your efforts - force fed information, the buzz, the energy, the poise, the balance, the excitement and the probing of the amazing ability of this rallying ace that sets it apart from an abundance of capable cars. Relying heavily on the anti lock brakes to bring this abruptly to an end, I can now relax, unruffled whilst the turbo cools, and revel in its fire and emotion.
Taken from
www.kankku.co.uk, v nicely written me thinks!
cheers,
jay
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03-04-2002, 03:43 PM
