Our Cars: 1988 Lancia Delta Integrale 8V
22 October 2013: Audi vs Lancia
I've spent a few days in an Audi quattro 20V, and it's been a very interesting experience, especially given that I am a Delta Integrale owner, and these two cars' places in history are inextricably linked. Of course, I don't just mean that they're turbocharged, have four-wheel drive, and the horniest looking wheelarch blisters ever made.
In the early 1980s, the Audi quattro was the dominant rallying weapon. It was the first Group 4 challenger to feature four-wheel drive - and given its principal rivals were the rear-wheel drive Opel Ascona, Ford Escort and Vauxhall Chevette, it was no surprise that Audi's challenger absolutely cleaned up. Of course, it came at a price - budgets in rallying escallated massively, Group B was created, and between 1984-'87, the mid-engined supercars that dominated the series - cars such as the Peugeot 205T16 and Lancia S4 - proved spectacular, and ultimately too fast for the sport. In their wake, the poor old Audi was left behind, just like those Escorts a few years from a few years previous.
Sanity returned in 1987, with Group B banned, and more sensible Group A weapons making the running. Just like Audi in 1981, Lancia proved quickest out of the box with the Delta HF 4WD and Integrale. So much so, that it dominated the sport for the next five years, and becoming the most successful rally car of all time. A record it holds to this day.
But, although the quattro and Integrale didn't directly compete in rallying, they certainly went head-to-head on the road, thanks to the German car's long production run. In the late-1980s and early '90s, it was possible to buy either, although the Lancia was a good £10K cheaper on the road.
Yet, despite these differences, and the fact that the Lancia is a five-door hatchback, while the Audi is a two-door coupe, they ended up on many of the same shopping lists. And in way, that made them rivals back then. And now, as classics, they're even closer to each other.
But how do they stack up against each other? The Audi's characterful five-pot soundtrack is disappointingly muted in the quattro 20V, but it's certainly there if you're prepared to give it plenty of revs. Turbo lag is actually well contained, making this a surprisingly docile and well-mannered car to drive in modern traffic. As for handling, it steers accurately if aloofly, brakes hard, and handles very, very neutrally - something you don't often say about a nose-heavy Audi of this generation. Traction and roadholding are superb, too.
The Lancia on the other hand, runs lumpily, as way too quiet for its own good, and pulls well at low to medium revs, but tails off disappointingly beyond 4500rpm - just when the Audi is getting into its stride. And as fhe Lancia's gearchange? It's junk. But do you know what - the steering is so full of feedback and road feel, and is so beautifully weighted that you really won't care once you're cracking on. Handling is also better in the Lancia, as are - suprisingly - the brakes. Amazingly, too, the quality of the Italian doesn't lag behind the Audi anywhere as much as you might think. And the doors thunk shut more convincingly.
Which of these 1989 4x4 performance cars would I go for? The Audi, I happily lived with all week, and put on a fair few miles (thanks, Audi UK for lending me this very honest and well-sorted example, by the way), and could happily run this as my only car all year long (it averaged 22.5mpg while I had it). And that perhaps makes it one of the most capable classic cars of all.
I'd worry constantly about the Lancia breaking down or catching fire, or the windows dropping out, and wouldn't even dream about driving it in the winter, the wet, or during rush hour. But given the sensory rewards it gives you when it's on song, I'll put up with rather a lot. As indeed I do. And I guess that means I love my Lancia.
As for the Audi - if I could afford another classic of this calibre, I'd have one alongside my Lancia in the garage. I also suspect I'd use it a hell of a lot more...
« Earlier: Lancia goes on a Grand Rendezvous Later: Lancia gets ready for a summer of action »
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