Before the Ford Focus, before the Subaru WRX, and before the Mitsubishi EVO, there was the Lancia 037 Stradale. This vehicle is arguably one of the greatest rally cars ever created, despite winning only a single manufacturer’s title in the 1983 season of the World Rally Championship. You see, the Lancia 037 accomplished that feat as a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform running against the seemingly indomitable Audi Quattro. Even as the beast from Ingolstadt kicked off the sport’s inevitable mass migration to all-wheel-drive grip, the Lancia 037 somehow clawed its way to victory over the mighty German competitor. The pitched battles fought between these two titans has become the stuff of rally legend, and now, the Lancia 037 sits as the final rear-wheel-drive car to win a WRC manufacturer’s championship.
As part of the homologation rules set forth by the FIA, Lancia was required to create 207 street versions of its 037 for public consumption. Essentially a full-blown rally racer for the street, this vehicle gives no quarter to comfort or practicality. Everything about it connotes a single mindedness, an all-encompassing drive to velocity. A long list of Italian speed-makers can attach their name to this car, including Abarth, Dallara, and Pininfarina. Lift up the lightweight bodywork, and you’ll find a steel subframe hiding underneath. The power plant behind the cockpit produces 205 horsepower, which is quite impressive for a 2.0-liter engine made in the early 80s. Even the interior on the streetcar incorporates features specifically designed for use by a co-pilot.
Most of the 207 original street Lancia 037s have disappeared into the mists of time, with many receiving a full transformation to competition race trim and the consequent beating such an outfit entails. Actually running across an original is extremely rare, but every so often, you get incredible finds like the example pictured here. This thing is about as cherry as they come: chassis number 045, single owner from new, less than 14,000 km (8,699 miles) on the odometer, unmodified and in showroom condition. It even has the original Pirelli Cinturato P7 tires. Yes, even the tires are original.
This car is a thick slab of rally history, a physical manifestation of a long-gone era in one of the most exciting sports in the world. And now, it’s going up for auction.
Click past the jump to read more about the 1982 Lancia 037 Stradale.
Lancia 037 Stradale originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 21 January 2015 11:00 EST.
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