Lancia RALLY- 037

In the history of motoring, there are many cars that became legends over time in the truest sense of the word. Then, however, there are vehicles that were born as legends. These were brilliant engineering projects with a clear purpose and goal from the moment they hit the drawing board: to win on world stages, regardless of the terrain beneath them. If any period in history can rightfully be called a golden era, it is, without hyperbole or sentimentality, the 1980s. You surely know where this introduction is headed. Let's step back 40 years through the following lines and recall Group B, alias Gruppo B, in its purest form. The 1980s represented the pinnacle of rally racing car evolution, and most of them were, in their own way, developed to the absolute limit of technical and human capabilities—not only mechanically and structurally, but also in terms of driving. These cars must be viewed as what they often were: rolling engineering laboratories, where every race served as a source of a massive amount of new measurements and data, providing entire teams and their engineers with an endless stream of input for further tuning.

When Group B is mentioned, most people picture the yellow-and-white Audi Quattro. While we all certainly admire and deeply respect this car, our blood type consists of vehicles of Italian provenance. Serving as a rival to the newly introduced Quattro drivetrain, which would define the years to come, a machine entered the 1982 and 1983 seasons that staked everything on a rear-wheel-drive layout and low weight. The Quattro system, after all, carries some weight, and nowhere else but in motorsport are kilograms so critical. And so, a machine bearing the name Lancia Rally was born, with the numerical designation 037 also becoming part of its name. Where did this number come from? And why do people today talk about the Lancia Rally as the Lancia 037? The numerical designation 037, more precisely SE 037, was actually the project code of the ABARTH sports division, which had been part of the FIAT group since 1971. SE thus stood for Studio Esperienziale, and 37 was the sequential number of the project. For instance, the Fiat 131 ABARTH carried the internal designation SE 031.

The Lancia team, led by Cesare Fiorio, and the racing department under the baton of Ing. Sergio Limone took the center structure of the road-going Lancia Beta Montecarlo and welded chromoly tubular spaceframes to the front and rear to carry the engine and the entire suspension. Engineer Limone was no novice but a brilliant designer, having graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in Turin in 1972. Right after university, he joined Abarth, and in less than 10 years, he was already heading the development of the Lancia 037. When I say heading, I mean truly leading and designing. He was responsible for the complete technical design of the chassis, suspension, aerodynamics, and more. An incredible career at just 34 years old.

Cesare Fiorio, on the other hand, was the racing team principal and a brilliant manager. His key role lay in organization, team management, communication with organizers and teams, and scouting the very best people—such as the aforementioned Ing. Limone.

In April 1982, the car made its debut at the Costa Smeralda Rally in Sardinia. However, this year served more to iron out glitches and teething troubles, such as gearbox issues. Markku Alén brought home the first points only at the end of 1982 from the RAC Rally. For the 1983 season, however, the team entered in full battle array. When you want to win, besides a flawless car, you need one more "thing": perfect drivers. And this is where Cesare Fiorio worked his magic, putting two major personalities into the cockpit—Walter Röhrl joined Markku Alén. Victory followed victory—let's mention mainly the tarmac events like Monte Carlo, the Greek Acropolis Rally, or San Remo. The result was the manufacturers' championship title in the 1983 season. Unfortunately, by 1984, the Quattro had assumed a dominant position, and the Lancia 037 had to yield. However, it created an excellent foundation for its successor, the equally famous four-wheel-drive Delta S4.

Let us now look at the technical details and engineering solutions with which the 037 was interwoven. For homologation purposes, it was necessary to produce a minimum of 200 road-going versions, and so the Lancia Rally Stradale—highly sought after by collectors today—was born. Exactly how many were actually built remains a question; some sources state 207, others 222. However, rumor has it that at the time the homologation series was supposed to be ready, only half of them had been manufactured. This 100-piece batch was presented to the inspectors, and during a lavish feast, all the cars were quickly moved to a different location and presented again as the remaining 100 units. Only Cesare Fiorio knows the truth :-).

The heart of the power unit was a classic twin-cam engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi. A cast-iron block was chosen for its robustness, as it could more easily withstand the high pressures of supercharging and allowed for a higher compression ratio. The cylinder head was aluminum with a 16V valve train. The valves had a diameter of 35 mm for intake and 29.5 mm for exhaust. The engine displacement for the 1982 season was 1,995 cc, initially producing 250 hp (while still using carburetors), and later 280 hp with fuel injection, designated as the EVO I (the Stradale version had only 205 hp). Subsequently, for 1984, the EVO II version was created with the displacement increased to the maximum possible 2,111 cc, and the power output surpassed the 300 hp mark (reaching a maximum of up to 340 hp in the EVO II spec). From today's perspective, when a family wagon like the Golf R Variant offers 320 hp, these figures might not impress. But they must be viewed in a broader context. The car weighed 1,020 kg (960 kg for the Evo) and was perfectly balanced. Its strength lay in maximum grip, handling, and predictability, not in mere straight-line acceleration. Moreover, an output of around 300 hp was just right for a pure rear-wheel-drive car to fully transfer the power to the tarmac across the entire rev range. Overpowered 500–600 hp monsters did not arrive until 1985–1986, and they transferred that power via all-wheel drive.

To make the power as deliverable as possible and ensure a linear delivery, it was decided to avoid turbocharging and opt for a supercharger bearing the name Volumex (those VX letters on the grille...). There were two reasons for this. The supercharger is belt-driven from the crankshaft, meaning its speed matches the engine RPMs; this eliminates the time needed for a turbo to build pressure, and above all, the power is delivered progressively, rather than by the "all-or-nothing" method of the turbochargers of that era. The thought of a turbo building full boost in combination with gravel and rear-wheel drive would certainly not have led to victory. The supercharger generated a boost pressure of 0.6–0.9 bar and bore the designation Abarth R10 (Roots-type system). The car thus accelerated to 100 km/h in around 4 seconds, but more importantly, it possessed high torque, which helped it blast out of corners.

The fuel system was managed by a highly precise Bosch Kugelfischer injection system with slide throttle valves. The ignition was electronic, supplied by Magneti Marelli (AEI 200). To prevent lubrication failure due to oil sloshing away from the oil pan in sharp corners, an external oil tank was installed, and the car featured a dry sump system.

In light of the initial gearbox difficulties, the team turned to the absolute pinnacle—ZF from Friedrichshafen. The final fine-tuning was again handled by Abarth. The gearbox was a 5-speed unit, lacked synchronizer rings, and featured massive dog clutches (dog gears). This allowed drivers to upshift without using the clutch pedal, simply by lifting off the throttle, thereby gaining valuable hundredths of a second during acceleration. Downshifting then required precise heel-and-toe rev-matching to align the speeds of the gears. The gear ratios were altered for each specific track. The top speed range thus varied from approximately 170 km/h for technical tracks to over 250 km/h for tarmac stages with straighter sections. Everything was complemented by a cerametallic dry clutch capable of withstanding enormous stress and temperatures during gravel starts. The drivetrain was equipped with an Abarth-ZF limited-slip differential, which was also adjusted according to the track from 40% to 75% lock. Power delivery was handled by reinforced driveshafts with constant-velocity (CV) joints that allowed for severe angle changes during heavy suspension travel and jumps.

In the photographs, the appearance of the exhaust tailpipes immediately catches the eye. Here, too, the entire system was absolutely unique. Given the mid-engine layout and the complete absence of a rear bumper, there was relatively little space to install the manifold and silencer. Four individual pipes merged into two, which then entered a transversely mounted silencer. Emerging from it were another two pipes, each terminating in a distinctive, trumpet-like flared end. Far from being a mere styling gimmick, this was a strictly engineering-driven design—these flares functioned as a flash suppressor (spegnifiamma). A racing car of this caliber consumed a massive amount of highly volatile fuel. This fuel continued to enter the cylinders even when the driver lifted off the throttle before a corner; left unburnt, it passed through the engine into the manifold, where the extreme temperatures caused it to detonate, creating massive flames. These had to be contained somehow, and that is precisely what this flared section was for. Inside was a perforated tube, and as the expanding gases and unburnt fuel reached this point, the sudden step-up in diameter—and thus volume—effectively snuffed out the flames. The reasoning behind this was clear: Kevlar is highly flammable. However, these flared ends had an added benefit, as they significantly improved cylinder scavenging. The moment the kinetic acoustic and pressure wave of the exhaust gas hit this expansion chamber, it was reflected back toward the engine, but in reverse phase. It acted as a negative pressure wave, actively pulling the spent exhaust gases out of the combustion chamber.

Considering that the engine revved up to 8,000 RPM, this pressure wave pulsed through the exhaust tract 130 times per second! This just goes to demonstrate the staggering calculations required to determine the exact pipe length, as well as the sheer craftsmanship demanded during fabrication.

You might naturally wonder why later Group B monsters spat meter-long flames behind them. Most of them had switched to turbocharging, which held far greater power potential. In a turbocharged engine, a reverse pressure wave would inevitably slam straight into the turbine wheel, making this type of scavenging system completely unviable. However, the flames in those cars were not a byproduct of design failure, but a completely intentional strategy. When a driver lifts off the throttle, a turbocharger loses turbine speed due to the drop in exhaust gas energy. When the driver gets back on the gas, this causes a time delay—turbo lag—before full boost is restored. To combat this, engineers injected a fresh mixture of fuel and air directly into the exhaust manifold upstream of the turbo, allowing it to ignite when the throttle was closed and keep the turbine spinning. The flames licking out of the exhaust were simply a matter of physics. Thus, the Anti-Lag System (ALS) was born.

Speaking of exhaust gases, it is fair to say that today's green-conscious Europe would commit hara-kiri over a single Lancia Rally. What exited those tailpipes was a toxic cocktail of poisons and carcinogens. Fuel regulations back then were relatively lax, so the baseline fuel of choice became AVGAS (Aviation Gasoline), boasting a 100–130 octane rating. The requirement for a higher octane rating arose from the air being compressed by the supercharger; a lower octane fuel would have caused catastrophic engine knocking and detonation. Furthermore, tetraethyllead was added to the fuel to lubricate the valves and valve seats. On top of that, benzene and toluene were sometimes thrown into the mix—a truly lethal concoction. The EVO versions pushed the envelope even further, injecting methanol into the intake tract downstream of the supercharger. This acted as a chemical intercooler to cool the charge air, making it denser while actively supporting combustion. For optimal weight distribution and to minimize fuel sloshing in corners, the Lancia featured twin independent fuel tanks mounted in the flanks behind the crew's seats, each with a 35-liter capacity. It is worth adding that under full racing conditions, fuel consumption hovered around a staggering 50 to 70 liters per 100 kilometers!

The rear suspension was the result of a collaboration between Lancia and the engineering firm of Ing.Giampaolo Dallara. It features unequal-length double wishbones anchored directly to the chromoly tubular spaceframe, utilizing uniball joints to ensure the most precise handling possible. Suspension duties were handled by twin Bilstein dampers per side—making a total of four shock absorbers on the rear axle—specifically chosen to withstand the brutal bottoming-out forces during jumps. The technicians and engineers designed the entire rear assembly, including the gearbox mounting, around just two bolt sizes. This allowed mechanics to completely swap out the gearbox and differential in the service park in a staggering 15 minutes! 

 Since going fast is one thing and stopping safely is another, Lancia—or rather Abarth—staked its success on a partnership with Brembo. All four wheels were equipped with 300 mm ventilated discs and four-piston calipers. On all four corners. Furthermore, the driver and co-driver could adjust the brake bias between the axles on the fly via a cockpit knob. Because the car was strictly rear-wheel drive, sufficiently wide tires were vital to transfer the power to the tarmac. Consequently, the car ran 8-inch wide tires on 15-inch rims up front, and massive 10 to 11-inch wide tires on 16-inch rims at the rear. The official supplier was none other than Pirelli, and their 290-width rear tires earned the legendary name Pirelli P7 Corsa. The wheels themselves were supplied by another classic Italian brand, Speedline. 

Speaking of the mechanics' rapid pace, the bodywork design also deserves a mention. While the basic silhouette resembled the road-going Beta Montecarlo, it actually shared very little with it. The body panels were crafted from a material combining Kevlar and fiberglass, making them extremely lightweight yet rigid—essentially a precursor to carbon fiber. The bodywork was conceived as two separate, fully detachable clamshells. Mechanics could strip off both the front and rear sections in under 20 seconds, granting them perfect service access to all the car's vital components. The striking design of the body was penned by the Pininfarina styling house. 

Only a fraction of the originally produced cars survive to this day. As a result, the Rally Stradale version is an exceptionally valuable piece of automotive history, with prices hovering around half a million Euros. The market value of race-proven cars with authentic competition history routinely climbs well into the millions.

 The car you see in the gallery is a genuine racing survivor, which I came across at the 20th edition of the Benacus Rally in northern Italy. The owner was gracious enough to allow me to publish these photos. 

With this, I send a massive thank you to the owner in his native Italy! 

Photo: Filip Hron 2026