Rally Cars Codexery

Lancia Delta S4

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It competed in the World Rally Championship during 1985 and 1986 before the Group B class was banned by the FIA.[1] The car replaced and evolved from the earlier Lancia 037.[1] Lancia manufactured the Group B rally car known as the Delta S4, which was also referred to by its Abarth project code SE038.[2]

How it changed

The Delta S4 was the first production car to use twincharging, combining a supercharger and turbocharger on its 1759 cc inline-four engine.[3][4] This system used an Abarth Volumex R18 supercharger for low-to-mid range boost and a Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch 27 turbocharger with a 4500 rpm boost threshold.[4] A Petrolicious article notes the twincharged four-cylinder produced 550 horsepower in a mild state of tune.[5] The same source states the Delta S4 was a major reason Group B ended after the 1986 season.[5]

A Delta S4 was involved in a fatal crash that led to Group B's cancellation.[5] The sport's governing body found Group B racers like the Delta S4 were too fast for even the best drivers.[5] Lancia's team boss Cesare Fiorio claimed he was the only driver who could fully control the Delta S4's power.[6] By the end of Group B, the S4 was developing about 700 horsepower, compared to 230 in the subsequent Group A Delta.[6]

At lower engine speeds, the supercharger delivered immediate boost, whereas the turbocharger became more effective at higher revolutions.[7] Working with Hewland, Lancia equipped the car with an all-wheel drive system whose centre differential directed between 60% and 75% of the torque toward the rear wheels.[8]

What the maker and period sources say

The Stradale's chassis was a space frame built from CrMo steel tubes and aluminium alloy, covered by epoxy and fiberglass body panels.[9] The Stradale kept the rally car's three-differential four-wheel-drive system, sending 30% torque to the front and 70% to the rear.[9] According to a 1985 Quattroruote piece, the twincharged setup evolved from the 037's engine and, when using only the supercharger, produced 325 hp.[3] That same Quattroruote article states the 1759 cc engine employed both a supercharger and a turbocharger to minimize turbo lag.[3]

A La Stampa article from October 1985 reports that the road-going "Stradale" model cost roughly 100 million Lira, which was five times the price of the most expensive Delta HF Turbo then available.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Midghall, "The Death of Group B", CarThrottle, 2016-02-13 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Guide: Peak Group B - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Lancia Delta S4 Evoluzione (Abarth SE 038)", supercarnostalgia.com, 17 February 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sempre Più Integrali", Quattroruote, January 1985, p. 182–183 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Lancia Delta S4 Is 550 Horsepower of Turbo- and Supercharged Fury: The Lancia Delta S4 Is 550 Horsepower of Turbo- and Supercharged Fury, accessdate: 8. Jul (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. The Lancia Delta S4 Is 550 Horsepower of Turbo- and Supercharged Fury: The Lancia Delta S4 Is 550 Horsepower of Turbo- and Supercharged Fury, accessdate: 8. Jul. facts only, no text reused. roadandtrack.com
  6. Midghall, "The Death of Group B", CarThrottle, 2016-02-13. facts only, no text reused. carthrottle.com
  7. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dragzine: Lose Power To Make Power: ProCharger Parasitic Loss Testing - Dragzine, accessdate: 8. July 2018; Dragzine: Lose Power To Make Power: ProCharger Parasitic Loss Testing - Dragzine, accessdate: 8. July 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sempre Più Integrali", Quattroruote, January 1985, p. 182–183; "Lancia Delta S4 (Group B) Rally Group B Shrine", rallygroupbshrine.org, 18 January 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "1985 Lancia Delta S4 Stradale", supercars.net; "Lancia Delta S4", Lancia Pubblicità e Immagine, May 1986 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Lancia Delta S4" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fenu, "Ecco la «S4», una sportiva d'avanguardia", La Stampa, 4 October 1985, p. 17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Lancia Delta S4 (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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