VIN: the Martini Racing Lancia Delta S4 'Corsa' chassis 219
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS 219
Lancia came into the 1986 season off the back of a dominant 1-2 finish at the RAC Rally which had been its only WRC outing with the Delta S4 in 1985. During the close season, further progress had been made with more low down torque unleashed. Tyre partner Pirelli had also developed a range of new compounds for the S4.
Three brand new cars were on hand for the opening World Championship event of 1986: the Monte Carlo Rally. Held between January 18th and 24th, the Monte comprised 36 tarmac special stages totalling 881km with a good dose of snow thrown in for extra measure.
All three Deltas weighed in around the 1000kg mark. They ran tarmac suspension settings with a 25:75 torque split and around 450bhp.
After their win on the RAC Rally eight weeks prior, Lancia pairing Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto were slight favourites. Also in with a shout of victory were team-mates Markku Alen / Ilkka Kivimaki and Lancia’s latest signings, Miki Biasion / Tiziano Siviero, the latter of whom were in this car: chassis 219.
After a strong start, by stage six the Lancias had moved to the head of the field with Toivonen leading from Alen and Biasion ahead of Peugeot’s Bruno Saby. However, poor tyre choice by the team (their slick tyres never reached the correct temperature) subsequently allowed Audi’s Walter Rohrl into second while Alen dropped to third and Biasion to fifth. Although still leading, Toivonen was also suffering from brake issues and Alen’s engine management system began playing up. Alen ultimately retired on stage 16 when the engine self destructed. By this time, Toivonen had severely twisted his chassis after hitting a pedestrian car travelling on the wrong side of the road during the overnight regularity section on day three.
The Lancia mechanics worked miracles to get Toivonen back on the road and he repaid them by blasting back to the head of the field. In the other remaining S4, Biasion suffered brake issues and an intermittent engine fault that saw chassis 219 occasionally drop to just three cylinders. Nevertheless, going into the final day, the Italian looked set for a well-earned podium finish on his debut for the team.
Unfortunately, more engine trouble for Biasion dropped him down the order before the Col de la Madone and, after roaring out of the service point with the problem seemingly fixed, Biasion’s slick tyres failed to adhere and he crashed out on stage 31’s first corner.
Fortunately for Lancia, Toivonen took victory by a little over four minutes from Peugeot’s ‘85 World Champion, Timo Salonen.
With a surplus of cars at the Lancia squad’s disposal, chassis 219 was not used in another WRC event.
Notable History
Registered A6 37615
18/01/1986 WRC Rallye Monte Carlo (M. Biasion / T. Siviero) DNF (#9)
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed
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