Lancia Rally 037
The Lancia Rally — known to everyone by its Abarth project code, 037 — was Lancia’s first car built specifically for Group B. Where Audi chose traction, Lancia chose lightness, balance and a supercharged engine that responded instantly.
Lancia Rally 037 — indicative
Episode 2 — Rear-Wheel Drive’s Last Stand: Lancia 037 vs Audi quattro (1983)
Why a two-wheel-drive car could beat the Quattro in 1983.
Origins
Lancia had dominated the 1970s with the Stratos, before the Fiat 131 Abarth carried the group’s colours. For the new Group B rules, Fiat had Abarth develop a new car. The project engineer was Sergio Limone; the chassis — a central cell with tubular subframes front and rear — was developed with Dallara, while Pininfarina styled the body and tested it in its wind tunnel. Visually the car stayed close to the Lancia Beta Montecarlo, but technically it was a new design.
Lancia deliberately chose a supercharger (Volumex) rather than a turbo. Peak power was lower than the Audi’s, but throttle response was immediate — a big advantage on twisty asphalt. Rear-wheel drive kept the car light and simple.
Debut and 1983
The 037 made its debut on the 1982 Tour de Corse, but that first year was mostly about teething troubles. By 1983 it was ready. Cesare Fiorio’s team won the Monte Carlo Rally with Walter Röhrl ahead of Alén, then Corsica, Greece, New Zealand and Sanremo. Lancia were manufacturers’ champions by two points from Audi. See 1983 season.
The last two-wheel-drive car to win the manufacturers’ title. Light, supercharged, engineered by Abarth with Dallara and Pininfarina — and in 1983, faster than the Quattro.
Evolution 2 and the end
In 1984 came the Evo 2, with a larger 2.1-litre engine and more power. Markku Alén won in Corsica and finished third in the championship, but against the Audi Quattro A2 and the new Peugeot 205 T16 the 037 was too slow on gravel. It soldiered on in 1985 until the arrival of the Delta S4; that year Attilio Bettega was killed in a 037 in Corsica. In 1986 Lancia ran the 037 once more on the Safari (Alén third).
Private teams
Outside the works team the 037 was popular with private teams and in national and European championships. Italy’s Jolly Club took world championship podiums with it (Vudafieri third in Corsica 1983, Biasion second in Corsica 1984 and in Portugal 1985). Miki Biasion won the 1983 European championship in a 037. In Portugal (Carlos Bica, second in 1986) and elsewhere, 037s kept competing well beyond 1986.
Drivers
Walter Röhrl, Markku Alén, Attilio Bettega, Henri Toivonen, Miki Biasion, Adartico Vudafieri, Dario Cerrato and others.
European and national championships
The 037 won three European championships in a row: Miki Biasion (1983), Carlo Capone (1984) and Dario Cerrato (1985), all in private Lancias. It also won national titles in Italy (1982–85), Spain (Salvador Servià, 1985 and 1986), Belgium (Patrick Snijers, 1985) and Switzerland (Jean-Pierre Balmer, 1986). See European and national championships.
Results in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship podiums of the car (all evolutions), year by year (1982–1986). win 2nd 3rd
6 WRC wins · 29 podium finishes, 1982–1986
Photo gallery 5 photos
Historic Group B cars photographed at events, demonstrations and museums; each caption states where and when.
Further resources
- Stellantis Media: the 1983 Monte Carlo-winning Lancia 037 EN · article
Lancia press release on the collection's 037, the car that won Monte Carlo and the 1983 makes' title. - FIA homologation: Lancia Rally 037 (form B-210) EN · archive
The FIA's homologation record with dates, extensions and the scanned form. - Lancia 037 (Rally Giants) — Peter Collins (Veloce, 2008) EN · book
The 037 from design to its 1983 world title. ISBN 9781845840761. - Motor Sport: Lancia 037 and Delta S4 EN · article · subscription
Feature on Lancia's two Group B cars and the engineering behind them. - Lancia Rally Group B — Sergio Remondino (Giorgio Nada Editore, 2021) EN · book
Insider history of Lancia's 037 and Delta S4 programmes. ISBN 9788879118477.
More from Cars
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN), Lancia Rally 037 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Rally_037
- Stellantis Heritage, Lancia. The rallying legend (2023) — https://www.stellantisheritage.com/en-uk/heritage/news/lancia-the-rallying-legend
- Wikipedia (EN), 1983 World Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_World_Rally_Championship
- eWRC-results — https://www.ewrc-results.com/
All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.
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