Guide: Bad Luck, Bad Timing - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Lancia Hyena Zagato
Background
After the FIA decided to ban Group B cars on safety grounds, the humble Lancia Delta found itself catapulted to the forefront of world rallying.
When Group A took over in 1987, the turbocharged, four-wheel drive Delta HF began an inexorable rise to international dominance.
The original Delta HF 4WD was superseded by the HF Integrale for 1988. This was in turn replaced by the HF Integrale 16v in mid 1989.
Between 1987 and 1990, Lancia won all four Group A World Manufacturers’ Championships.
The 1987, 1988 and 1989 Drivers’ titles also fell Lancia’s way, but the 1990 crown went to Carlos Sainz of Toyota.
To re-assert their dominance, Lancia created one final Integrale-based homologation special: the Evoluzione.
Arguably the most extreme Integrale yet, the Evoluzione came with a host of improvements. The suspension, brakes, wheels, engine and body were all uprated in an attempt to keep Lancia out front on the special stages.
It worked. Lancia reclaimed both World Championship titles in 1991.
Lancia’s association with Zagato stretched all the way back to the 1920s when the Lambda was in production.
In the decades that followed, the two firms collaborated on a multitude of projects. Perhaps the most significant were the Appia, Flaminia, Flavia and Fulvia models produced between the late 1950s and early 1970s.
Between 1975 and 1982, Zagato had been commissioned to manufacture bodywork for the Pininfarina-designed Lancia Beta Spider. Since then, Lancia had taken most of their body production in house.
In 1990, Zagato stylist, Marco Pedracini, had toyed with the idea of producing a Delta Integrale with a sportier body. Several proposals were shown to Lancia’s management, but the project failed to garner any interest.
A few months later, Paul Koot, who headed the Dutch Lancia distributor, Lusso Service Holland, found out about the proposal. In the absence of support from Lancia, Koot decided to embark on the collaboration with Zagato himself.
The Zagato-bodied Integrale Evoluzione was unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1992. Dubbed the Lancia Hyena Zagato, Paul Koot initially planned to sell 500 of the things. However, owing to higher than expected production costs, this figure was quickly scaled back to 75.
Part of the problem was that Lancia’s parent company, Fiat, wanted nothing to do with the project. This meant Lusso Service Holland had to purchase finished Evoluziones which were shipped to the Netherlands, stripped of their bodywork and then transported to Milan for conversion. Once equipped with new bodywork and interiors, the cars were then taken back to Holland for final assembly.
Bodywork
The Hyena’s bodywork was entirely new. Not a single panel was shared with the regular production variant.
Aluminium panels were used throughout.
The low profile nose incorporated headlights from the Alfa SZ (another Zagato design). Four of the SZ lights were mounted behind clear glass covers along with the indicators. Another pair were housed in the bumper either side of ten meshed cooling grilles.
A large body coloured NACA duct was carved from the sloping front lid.
The cockpit incorporated custom glass throughout. It was topped by a traditional Zagato double bubble roof.
Behind each front wheelarch was a blended swage line that wrapped around the back end of the car. Also down each flank were bulbous fender flares and Alfa Romeo Spider door catches.
The stubby rear end had an extremely short overhang. Rectangular tail lights were mounted behind glass covers. Additional reverse and fog lights were housed on the rear apron.
As there was no boot, buyers had to make do with whatever luggage space they could find inside the car.
A standard Evoluzione fuel filler cap was mounted on the rear deck.
Most Hyena’s came with a single left-sided exhaust. Cars equipped with the 300bhp engine upgrade came with a centrally exiting twin pipe arrangement.
A Zagato badge was added behind each front wheel and a stylised Hyena script was normally applied to the rear fenders.
Interior
Inside, although the seats and switchgear were imported from the standard Evoluzione, the rest of the cockpit was entirely new.
Among the Hyena’s most striking features was its carbonfibre dash; curved fascias ahead of both driver and passenger flanked a flat central section that adjoined the transmission tunnel.
As per the dash, the transmission tunnel, door panels, the sills and the leading edge of roof were all finished in exposed carbonfibre.
No less than nine new black-on-white gauges were installed. A large rev counter was positioned directly behind the three-spoke steering wheel and a matching speedometer was located off to the left. To the right were six smaller gauges (turbo boost, battery condition, fuel level, water temperature, oil pressure and oil temperature). An analogue clock was added underneath.
Two fresh air vents were located in the centre of the dash below which were various switches from the standard car along with toggles for the heating and ventilation system.
Most Hyena’s were equipped with the kind of high-backed Recaro front seats used in the Integrale Evoluzione special editions.
Electric windows were standard and an ID plate was either located on the centre console or above the rear view mirror.
If the customer wanted a two-seat cockpit layout, the rear quarters were typically kitted out with diamond quilted leather upholstery and luggage straps. Owing to the lack of a boot, the spare wheel / tyre was also normally located in the back of the cockpit.
Chassis
In Holland, the Evoluzione’s steel unibody chassis was stripped down to the floorpan and bulkheads.
The original coil sprung independent suspension layout was left alone. MacPherson struts were used at the front and double transverse arms at the rear. Hydraulic shocks were installed along with anti-roll bars at each end.
Updates introduced on the Evoluzione had included reinforced struts and bushes, larger diameter Koni dampers plus bigger and stiffer springs. An aluminium strut brace was also fitted. At the back, the geometry had been revised with stronger struts, thicker transverse arms and dampers that offered extended travel.
The Evoluzione came with brake discs that had been enlarged to 281mm at the front and 251mm at the back. Four-piston aluminium calipers were installed as well.
Steering became more responsive thanks to a larger steering box. The Evoluzione also benefited from a supplementary radiator to cool the power steering fluid.
All Hyenas are believed to have been equipped with the ABS upgrade that was optional on the standard car.
The Evoluzione had also ushered in wider 7.5 × 15-inch alloy wheels that featured a new multi spoke design to assist brake cooling. Five fixing bolts were used instead of the four seen on earlier cars. Most Hyenas came with special five spoke rims but a few ran on standard Evoluzione wheels.
Engine & Gearbox
By tweaking the boost and replacing the original Eprom chip, Lusso Service Holland gave Hyena engines a substantial upgrade over standard. Peak power went from 210bhp to 250bhp at an unchanged 5750rpm. The torque rating was the same as before: 220lb-ft at 3500rpm.
Otherwise, the inline four cylinder engine with its DOHC 16-valve head remained largely unaltered.
Displacement was 1995cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 84mm and 90mm respectively. Compression stayed at 8.0:1 and Weber IAW fuel-injection was once again employed. A single T3 turbocharger was supplied by Garrett.
Options
Optional extras included a 300bhp engine complete with gas-flowed cylinder head, uprated camshafts and custom exhaust system.
Buyers could also request a Momo steering wheel, cross-drilled and ventilated discs, a long-range 90-litre fuel tank and one of various Sony audio systems. Leather front seats with embossed Hyena script on the headrests was another option. If a 2+2 cockpit layout was required, the standard rear seats were installed.
Weight / Performance
At 1148kg, the Hyena weighed 152kg less than a regular Evoluzione.
Thanks to less weight and more power, the 0-62mph time dropped from 5.8 seconds to 5.4 seconds. Improved aerodynamics helped top speed go from 137mph to 143mph.
Production
Because the Hyena ended up costing around three times the price of a standard Evoluzione, demand was subdued. However, arguably more significant were the poor trading conditions of the time. When production was taking place between 1992 and 1993, most major economies were in the depths of a severe recession.
As a result, only 24 Hyenas are understood to have been built, all of which were left-hand drive.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Zagato - https://www.zagato.it/
