Guide: the Final Push for RWD Begins - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Lancia 037 Rally Evoluzione
Background
A major contributing factor to the incredible pace with which Group B machinery developed between 1982 and 1986 was the Evolution rule.
Evolution variants enabled manufacturers to introduce a raft of mechanical and aerodynamic changes over the standard model. The first Evolution was allowed at the initial point of homologation and further Evolutions were permitted every twelve months thereafter. 20 of the uprated Evolution cars had to be built every time.
Lancia were the first manufacturer to run a fully fledged Group B rally car. Their 037 was homologated into Group B on April 1st 1982 and a pair of competition variants debuted that same day on the Rally Costa Smerelda. However, these were not Evolutions but lightly modified iterations of the standard road-going model.
Evoluzione Upgrades
The fully-fledged 037 Evoluzione did not arrive until August 1st when Lancia ushered in a host of modifications. They included increased protection for the fuel tanks and driveshafts, reinforced wheel hubs and front suspension arms, a bigger water tank and revised brake system with new Brembo four-piston front calipers.
The engine was uprated with a lightened crankshaft and flywheel. The Weber carburettors were replaced with a new Bosch Kugelfischer mechanical fuel-injection system. Abarth’s original R10 Volumex supercharger was switched to a bigger R18 unit, the released air from which was now fed into a transmission cooler when the throttle was lifted.
Output was 304bhp to 315bhp (up from a previous high of 270bhp).
Externally, the lighter and stronger bodyshell featured updated quick-fit front and rear clips. The new look nose came with larger headlights and an adjustable chin spoiler. The back end was opened up with a meshed fascia. New circular tail lights were easier to maintain.
Inside there was a simplified dash.
Otherwise the same basic specification was imported from the previous iteration.
Chassis
The 037 was based around a central steel monocoque with 2240mm wheelbase and subframes at either end. The front subframe was used to carry the suspension and radiators, the rear subframe supported the engine, gearbox, suspension and fuel tanks. Both subframes were made from tubular steel with a 35mm diameter.
Suspension was via double wishbones all-round with one gas-filled Bilstein damper per side at the front and two per side at the rear. Ride-height was fully adjustable.
Instead of four-wheel drive, Lancia decided to go for a lighter, less complicated, rear-wheel drive machine.
300mm Brembo self-ventilating disc brakes were fitted all round.
Two 35-litre fuel tanks were installed up against the rear bulkhead either side of the engine.
Engine & Gearbox
The Aurelio Lampredi-designed Tipo 232 AR4 engine was a supercharged and dry-sumped inline ‘four’ with cast iron block and light alloy DOHC four valve head. It displaced 1995cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 84mm and 90mm respectively. A 7.5:1 compression ratio was employed.
The five-speed transaxle comprised a ZF gearbox, single plate Valeo clutch and Abarth-modified ZF 25% self-locking limited-slip differential.
Weight / Performance
The Evoluzione initially weighed in at 975kg which was just 5kg over the class minimum. Acceleration and top speed varied wildly according to gear ratios. With the shortest possible gearing, 0-62mph took less than four seconds. Just as importantly, the Evoluzione proved more nimble than its predecessor which made up for a lack of traction on loose gravel surfaces.
1982 Season
Lancia’s driver line up for 1982 had originally comprised Markku Alen / Ilkka Kivimaki and Attilio Bettega / Maurizio Perissinot. However, on just his second event with the 037 (at the ‘82 Tour de Corse), Bettega had a nasty accident and broke both his legs which put him out of action for the next ten months.
As a result, Adartico Vudafieri, Fabrizio Tabaton and Jean-Louis Clarr all stepped up to deputise at various times during the remainder of the 1982 season.
In addition to the official Martini-sponsored Lancia crew, the Totip-backed Jolly Club concern were effectively a semi-works outfit. Jolly Club driver, Andrea Zanussi, replaced his original 037 with one of the first Evoluziones. Tonino Tognana (who for most of 1982 ran a Jolly Club Ferrari 308 GTB) also switched to an 037 Evoluzione as the season drew to a close.
While Markku Alen was testing the Evoluzione in Finland ahead of the 1000 Lakes WRC event at the end of August, the uprated 037 made its debut in the hands of Jolly Club.
1982 Rali Vinho da Madeira
The Evoluzione’s first appearance came at the Madeira Rally off the coast of Portugal. Held between August 6th and 8th, the three day all-tarmac event was round 31 of the European Rally Championship (ERC).
Jolly Club’s white, orange and green Totip-backed Evoluzione (chassis 319) was driven by Zanussi / Bernacchini and, despite several niggling problems, proved easily the quickest car on the event.
Zanussi was out in front from the start, but a repeat of an earlier loose ignition lead dropped him behind Tony Fassina’s Conrero Opel Ascona on stage four. Zanussi moved back to the head of the field a couple of stages later where he remained until the engine (rated at 304bhp) began to rapidly lose oil at the end of the tenth stage. Zanussi retired on the spot.
Victory went to the Fassina / Rudy Opel which finished 86 seconds ahead of the similar Rothmans example driven by Jimmy McRae / Ian Grindrod.
1982 1000 Lakes Rally
The works Lancia squad then took a solitary Evoluzione to Finland for Alen / Kivimaki to drive on the 1000 Lakes Rally (August 27th to 29th). This event was round nine of the 1982 World Championship and took place entirely on gravel.
Following extensive tests, chassis 317 arrived with a 310bhp engine and harder rear springs.
Anticipation was high but unfortunately the car was affected by overheating oil and water from the opening stage. Alen did manage to post fastest time on the second stage and was third overall when the engine terminally lost compression approaching the end of stage five.
The works Audi Quattros took first and second places with Hannu Mikkola / Arne Hertz coming home 28 seconds ahead of Stig Blomqvist / Bjorn Cederberg.
1982 Rally Piancavallo
At the Rally Piancavallo (September 2nd to 5th, round eight of the domestic Italian championship), Fabrizio Tabaton was given a drive in a works Evoluzione (chassis 320).
Tabaton and his navigator, Luciano Tedeschini, had thus far driven a Grifone-prepared Group 4 Stratos in 1982. Having picked up several good results, including wins on the Elba and Colline di Romagna events, Tabaton / Tedeschini were handed an opportunity to use the latest equipment on this all-tarmac event.
They finished fourth overall, 15 minutes behind the winning Tonino Tognana / Massimo De Antoni Jolly Club Ferrari 308 GTB.
1982 Tour de France
The next outing for the Martini 037s was on round 39 of the European Rally Championship: the Tour de France (September 17th to 22nd).
Vudafieri / Perissinot were in one of the cars (chassis 303) while Andrea Zanussi was supposed to have his first drive with the works team in the second machine. However, when Zanussi was called up for five days of national service at late notice, Frenchman Jean-Louis Clarr was recruited for the drive instead. Clarr was navigated by Zanussi’s co-driver, Arnaldo Bernacchini, in chassis 320.
For this event (another all-tarmac affair), the 037s were producing 315bhp. Unfortunately, they suffered a host of distributor failures and the Martini crew had to carry out a combined total of five changes across the two cars.
Despite several delays, Clarr ultimately recovered to take an impressive third overall. He finished 21 minutes behind the Charles Pozzi Ferrari 308 GTB of Jean-Claude Andruet / “Biche” which led the works Renault 5 Turbo of Jean-Luc Therier / Michel Vial by 73 seconds.
Vudafieri did not fare so well. One particular distributor failure lost him 23 minutes and, although he later recorded a couple of fastest stage times, he could still only managed a twelfth place finish.
Homologation Upgrades
On October 1st, the FIA homologated another raft of upgrades for the 037 to include a new intake manifold, new heat exchangers, a new water tank, reinforced rear tie rods and reinforced steering gear. Power was further boosted by a new system where water was injected directly into the compressor for cooling.
1982 Rallye Sanremo
After their debut fourth place finish for Lancia on the Rally Piancavello four weeks earlier, Tabaton / Tedeschini joined Alen / Kivimaki for round ten of the World Champsionhip: the mixed surface Rallye Sanremo (October 3rd to 9th).
As Italy’s premier rally, it was vital for Lancia to have a good event. For improved torque, the 037s ran 290bhp engines and there was a new helper spring to reduce rebound on the gravel.
In addition to the works Martini 037s, Sanremo marked the rally debut of an Evoluzione prepared by Giuseppe Volta’s firm for Fulvio Bacchelli. Over the next few seasons, Lancias prepared by Volta would take on semi-works status. Bacchelli’s Evoluzione replaced the Astigiana Corse example in which he’d had a terrible accident on the Colline di Romagna in July that saw him thrown through the car’s roof.
Unfortunately, Tabaton crunched the nose on his Lancia (chassis 314) during the opening stage. It was effectively the end of the road but he struggled on until going over the allotted time on the fifth. Bizarrely, the Fulvio Bacchelli / Paolo Spollon example met exactly the same fate.
In the sister car (chassis 317), Alen emerged as an early pacesetter along with Tonino Tognana’s Jolly Club Ferrari 308 GTB. They pulled clear during the opening afternoon but then Alen took the lead as the rally moved on to rougher stages. However, it was not long before the Stig Blomqvist / Bjorn Cederberg Audi headed the field once the surface became better suited to four-wheel drive. Alen gallantly held on to second spot until his engine put a rod through the block on stage 40.
Blomqvist / Cederberg took the win by just over two minutes from team-mates Mikkola / Hertz.
1982 PACE Petroleum Rally
Lancia’s next appearance was at the Pace Petroleum Rally in Britain as preparation for the RAC Rally later in the year. The one day gravel event took place on October 16th and was the final round of the UK National Championship.
Despite chassis 317’s down on power 280bhp engine, Alen / Kivimaki led the nine stage contest from start to finish and set fastest times on all but one section. They finished just under two minutes ahead of the Andrews Heat for Hire Vauxhaull Chevette 2300 HSR of Russell Brookes / Mike Broad to take the 037’s first outright win.
Afterwards, the team spent a further two days testing in the local forests.
1982 Rally 100,000 Trabucchi
While one contingent of the Martini crew were busy in Britain, another division ran an Evoluzione for Tabaton / Tedeschini on the mixed surface Rally 100,000 Trabucchi which took place between October 22nd and 24th (round ten of the domestic Italian series).
Jolly Club were also in attendance with an Evoluzione for Zanussi / Bernacchini (chassis 303) and Fulvio Bacchelli entered his Volta example which was navigated on this occasion by Arles Montenesi.
Best placed of the Lancias at the finish was that of Zanussi which came home in fourth, just under six minutes behind the winning Conrero Opel Ascona 400 of Miki Biasion / Tiziano Siviero. With his hopes of the European title having slipped away, Zanussi played no further part in the 1982 season.
Bacchelli / Montenesi finished seventh while Tabaton / Tedeschini retired in the factory car.
1982 Ivory Coast Rally
Considering the 037 had developed a well-earned reputation for fragility, it was perhaps surprising that the Martini crew would enter the Ivory Coast Rally (October 27th to November 1st). Held over nearly 5000km of gruelling terrain, this second African event of the year was round eleven of the 1982 World Championship.
The lightly modified Evoluzione entered for Vudafieri / Perissinot (chassis 319) ran with front protection bars, a roof-mounted spare wheel and supercharger pressure reduced to 0.6 bar for a peak output of 270bhp. Weight was up to 1050kg as a result of the additional equipment.
Unfortunately, there was no fairy tale change of fortune and Vudafieri retired on stage eight of 54. The Lancia went out of the event on the second day; its engine was misfiring as the water temperature rose and the oil pressure fell.
1982 Rallye di San Marino
Greater success was had on the all-gravel Rallye di San Marino which took place from November 11th to 14th (round 45 of the European championship).
The Martini and Jolly Club crews were on hand with Evoluziones for Tabaton / Tedeschini (chassis 314) and Tognana / De Antoni (chassis 303). The event was the first drive in an 037 for Tonino Tognana / Massimo De Antoni who had successfully campaigned a Jolly Club Ferrari 308 GTB so far in 1982.
An outright debut win for Tognana in his plain white Lancia meant he left the event as the points leader. In the Italian series. He finished two-and-a-half minutes clear of the second-placed Biasion / Siviero Conrero Ascona while Tabaton retired his factory car with gearbox trouble.
1982 RAC Rally
The final World Championship event of 1982 was the mixed surface RAC Rally (November 21st to 25th) for which the works Martini outfit entered a solitary Evoluzione for Alen / Kivimaki (chassis 320). The car had been detuned to 290bhp in an attempt to solve some of the reliability issues experienced thus far.
Alen battled with the Audi of Hannu Mikkola and Pentti Airikkala’s Mitsubishi Lancer 2000 Turbo early on until Airikkala terminally damaged his car on stage four which left the other two to set the pace.
Alen and Mikkola traded fastest stage times until the Lancia lost power and started to run hot owing to a slipping distributor drive. Once rectified, Alen climbed back up the leaderboard in determined fashion and, although the distributor problem did intermittently return, the Finn recovered to place fourth at the end which was Lancia’s best WRC result of the year.
The 037 eventually finished ten minutes behind winners Mikkola / Hertz who were followed home by Audi team-mates Michele Mouton / Fabrizia Pons.
The result meant Audi won the 1982 World Championship for Manufacturers. They finished on 116 points compared to Opel’s 104. Lancia were a distant ninth on just 25.
The Championship for Drivers was won by Opel’s Walter Rohrl who would join Lancia for 1983. Rohrl ended up with 109 points while Audi pilots Michele Mouton and Hannu Mikkola were second and third on 97 and 70 respectively.
1982 Rally d’Aosta
Outside of the World Championship, the 037 Evoluziones contested one further round of the European series.
At the tarmac Rally d’Aosta (round 47, December 10th to 12th) Tabaton / Tedeschini took victory in their works car (chassis 314). They finished 62 seconds ahead of the privateer Nicola Busseni / Daniele Ciocca Ferrari 308 GTB while Tognana / De Antoni were just under three minutes further down the road in third. Privateer 037s came in fourth and eighth.
Conrero Opel driver, Tony Fassina, was crowned European rally champion on 446 points. Second went to Rothmans Opel driver Jimmy McRae (368 points) and Andrea Zanussi was third (264).
Tonino Tognana emerged as the Italian champion ahead of Fabrizio Tabaton and Miki Biasion.
After a season of mixed fortunes, Lancia would be back for 1983 with a stronger driver line up but most importantly, greater reliability.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lancia - https://www.lancia.com
