One to Buy: Nero / Nero 1 of 24 1992 Lancia Hyena
The idea to drape arguably the best homologation special of its era with a pared down shell designed by one of Italy's most highly regarded coachbuildres should have been a recipe for a major commercial hit.
That was the idea of Lancia's Dutch distributor, Lusso Service Holland, who planned to revive a stillborn Zagato proposal and create a run of 500 Integrale Evoluzione-based Hyenas.
Unfortunately, two major factors resulted in the project failing to even hit 5% of its anticipated production target.
Firstly, Lancia in Italy refused to supply cars in component form which meant complete Integrales had to be dis-assembled in Holland, sent to Milan for bodywork and then returned to the Netherlands for completion which inevitably forced the price up.
Secondly, by the time the Hyena was ready to sell, the red hot collector car boom that spawned so many low volume specials had long since fizzled out. Instead, a long hard economic recession had set in that massively reduced demand for high end motor cars.
Against this backdrop, Lusso Service Holland managed to sell just 24 Hyenas which were completed between 1992 and ‘93.
The second of these cars, chassis 552454 (Hyena build number 002), is currently on offer at Girardo & Co.'s UK showroom in Oxford.
Uniquely configured by its first British owner with a 300bhp power upgrade, a long-range 90-litre fuel tank, cross-drilled brake discs and rear seats, this handsome black-on-black example is offered in superb condition throughout having covered just 26,200km from new in the hands of four owners.
Reprinted below is Girardo & Co.’s description for this ultra rare Zagato-bodied Integrale Evoluzione:
Chassis no. ZLA831AB000552454
One of just 24 Zagato-bodied Lancia Hyenas built
Enhanced with a range of thoughtful performance-and refinement-oriented modifications
Showing just 26,200km on the odometer
Accompanied by a generous history file including its Certificate of Origin, original Lancia user manual and period photos of the car at Zagato
An ultra-rare and genuinely coach-built modern classic fusing two of Italy’s greatest automotive names: Lancia and Zagato
An English banker after an exciting yet comfortable car in which to travel between his English and Italian residences originally acquired this Hyena, the second of just 24 built. Prior to taking delivery, a number of thoughtful modifications were made to the car with a view to increasing engine power to 300bhp, including installing a gas-flowed cylinder head and a tubular exhaust manifold.
In light of its increased performance and long-distance requirements, cross-drilled brakes were also fitted in addition to a larger 90-litre competition fuel tank (good for a 450-mile range) and an upgraded stereo system. It’s also worth nothing that this is the only Hyena homologated with the Delta’s original rear seats.
Number 002 changed hands in October of 2004, the car’s second owner picking up where the first left off and promptly making some changes. Mavcorse Preparazione Sportive in Milan was entrusted with carrying out the work, which included refinishing the Zagato coachwork in the stunning dual-layer shade of black (the original shade of the Delta donor car) and adding a layer of noise-reducing Teknofibra insulation beneath the interior.
A French collector acquired this Hyena in 2012, further enhancing the car’s already impressive performance with a Garrett GT28 turbocharger, Koni Yellow sports dampers, real-time engine mapping and an adjustable twin-piston pop-off valve, among others. He retained the car until 2018, which is when we had the privilege of selling it to its current owner United Kingdom-based owner. During his four-year tenure as 002’s owner, he has re-registered the car in the UK and enjoyed using it in the manner in which its former owners clearly intended. The odometer currently reads 26,200km.
A fantastic history file accompanies this Hyena, comprising everything from the car’s factory Certificate of Origin, spare key and original Lancia user manuals to period photos of the car when it was displayed at Zagato’s Milan headquarters and copies of the model’s press correspondence. There is also a wealth of invoices documenting the extensive modifications made to the car and the fastidious maintenance bestowed upon it over the years, right up to the present day.
The idiosyncratic and ultra-rare Hyena embodies the very best of two Italian automotive history’s greatest names, Lancia and Zagato, and this thoughtfully enhanced example is arguably among the ultimate Delta HF Integrales from a performance driving perspective – a glorious 1990s what-might-have-been.
