Okay, the new Ypsilon is not the Stratos, the 212 HP 1.2-liter turbo 3-cylinder is not the monster of the S4 and its front-wheel drive cannot be compared in any way to that of the legendary Deltona. But Lancia’s return to rallies is still poetry. A sort of labor of love from a brand that has made racing history. A gesture made in line with the times: therefore no WRC but Rally 4, where young drivers begin their careers dreaming of becoming the professionals of tomorrow.
If you want a bath of pragmatism and humility because then Lancia is still the most successful brand of all time in the world of rallying, with 15 World Championships (in addition to three Endurance Manufacturers’ World Championships, one 1000 Miglia, two Targa Florio and a Carrera Panamericano).
And if there are those who cry scandal, this can certainly be a start. Shy if you like, but still a start.
In any case, it’s nice to have an excuse to talk about the legendary “Lancia Corse Hf” logo which comes back to life with a small restyling: lettering of the word Corse with an ad hoc font, logo graphics with an oblique character to express the concept of speed. The colours, black and white, reflect the original ones of the HF logo introduced for the first time in 1960, on the occasion of the Geneva Motor Show, when a group of passionate owners of Lancia cars founded the “Lancia Hi-Fi” club ( Hi-Fi means High-Fidelity), reserved for those who have purchased at least six factory-new Lancia cars. Then the magical HF appears for the first time on some Lancia sports models, such as the Flaminia Pinin Farina Coupé, the Flaminia Sport Zagato and the Flavia Coupé. And a few years later, in February 1963, the spark: together with some drivers and passionate owners of Lancia cars, Cesare Fiorio founded the HF Squadra Corse Lancia.
Showing it off for the first time is the legendary ’66 Fulvia Coupé HF, remembered for its countless victories in rallies, followed by the unbeatable Stratos HF from 1974 to 1978, by the Delta Turbo in 1983, and finally by Delta 4WD, Delta Integrale and Delta HF integral Evolution. A generation of phenomena that pulverizes the world competition: in 1972, the Fulvia HF won the International Manufacturers’ Championship, which became the World Rally Championship the following year; competition which saw the Fulvia HF itself triumph together with the Stratos HF in 1974 and the Stratos HF in the two-year period 1976-1977, culminating with the six consecutive titles won between 1987 and 1992 by the iconic all-wheel drive Delta HF, a model in capable of excelling in various versions, 4WD, 8v, 16v and Evoluzione.
And then, how wonderful it is to see the other legend of the HF logo again: the little red elephant, chosen in 1953 as a lucky charm by Gianni, son of Vincenzo Lancia. Wonderful because the meaning is linked to the fact that once launched into a run, elephants are unstoppable. The symbol of the galloping pachyderm, first depicted in blue and then in red, seems to come from oriental mythology, as an auspicious emblem and as a symbol of victory, as long as it is represented with the trunk extended forward. What stories, what times. What a Lance. And who knows that one day…
#Lancia #returns #rallies #poetry #FormulaPassion.it