'Supercharged and turbocharged'
Utterly, utterly insane, even by Gp B standards. It could accelerate to 60mph in a little over 2 seconds. On loose gravel. Yes, loose gravel. Bloody hell. Supercharged AND turbocharged it was practically un-driveable; the only man who even came close to being able to exploit it was Toivonen – and it killed him.
The fuel was petrol mixed with toluene (used in the manufacture of explosives…), which boosted the octane rating and helped boost power still further by allowing more ignition advance without pre-ignition. Peak power was 530bhp but it came in at a stratospheric 8400rpm driving through a 75:25 rear-biased four-wheel-drive system.
With another couple of year’s development it would have ruled the rallying world. Instead, it destroyed it.
Carlton Boyce
Carvulation.com
The fuel was petrol mixed with toluene (used in the manufacture of explosives…), which boosted the octane rating and helped boost power still further by allowing more ignition advance without pre-ignition. Peak power was 530bhp but it came in at a stratospheric 8400rpm driving through a 75:25 rear-biased four-wheel-drive system.
With another couple of year’s development it would have ruled the rallying world. Instead, it destroyed it.
Carlton Boyce
Carvulation.com
'Brute force of group B'
Best moment: Henri Toivonen winning on the car’s debut at the 1985 Lombard RAC Rally
Worst moment: Toivonen’s fatal crash at the 1986 Tour de Corse
Why we picked it: The Delta S4 perfectly embodied the brute force of Group B
Lancia had won hearts with their first Group B effort, the beautiful 037 coupé. But by 1985, the rear-wheel-drive machine was starting to flounder against its four-wheel-drive rivals. The vicious Delta S4, turbocharged, supercharged, and with all four wheels driven, was Lancia's solution. Henri Toivonen took victory in the car’s first two events. But then at the 1986 Tour de Corse, Toivonen lost control of the 550bhp S4 and was killed, along with his co-driver Sergio Cresto. The crash brought Group B to an end, with the FIA – the sport's governing body – ruling that the regulations would be outlawed at the end of the 1986 season. Despite that, the S4 won three more times after Toivonen’s death, while its successor, the Group A-spec Delta, would go on to become the most successful rally car of all time.
Greg Stuart on 23 November 2016
Red Bull
Worst moment: Toivonen’s fatal crash at the 1986 Tour de Corse
Why we picked it: The Delta S4 perfectly embodied the brute force of Group B
Lancia had won hearts with their first Group B effort, the beautiful 037 coupé. But by 1985, the rear-wheel-drive machine was starting to flounder against its four-wheel-drive rivals. The vicious Delta S4, turbocharged, supercharged, and with all four wheels driven, was Lancia's solution. Henri Toivonen took victory in the car’s first two events. But then at the 1986 Tour de Corse, Toivonen lost control of the 550bhp S4 and was killed, along with his co-driver Sergio Cresto. The crash brought Group B to an end, with the FIA – the sport's governing body – ruling that the regulations would be outlawed at the end of the 1986 season. Despite that, the S4 won three more times after Toivonen’s death, while its successor, the Group A-spec Delta, would go on to become the most successful rally car of all time.
Greg Stuart on 23 November 2016
Red Bull