Lancia Delta S4
The Delta S4 (Abarth project code SE038) was Lancia’s answer to Peugeot and Audi. It shared only its silhouette with the everyday Delta hatchback. Underneath sat a tubular chassis with a mid-mounted engine, four-wheel drive, and both a turbocharger and a supercharger.
Lancia Delta S4 — indicative
Episode 6 — Lancia Delta S4 & Henri Toivonen
The fastest Lancia ever, its title favourite and 2 May 1986.
Engineering: the best of both worlds
In the 1980s turbochargers delivered huge power but responded slowly — the infamous turbo lag. A supercharger gave instant response but less peak power. Lancia combined the two: at low revs the Volumex supercharger fed the engine, and as revs rose the turbo took over. Lancia’s racing department was led technically from 1984 by Claudio Lombardi; design and construction were in Abarth’s hands, with Sergio Limone among the key figures. See designers and engineers.
The body was largely made of composite materials; the doors were hollow Kevlar shells without inner panels. A displacement just under 1.8 litres put the car — after the 1.4 turbo equivalence factor — in the same weight class as the Peugeot 205 T16.
Debut and 1986
On the 1985 RAC Rally Henri Toivonen and Neil Wilson won, with Markku Alén second: a dream debut. Two months later Toivonen, now with Sergio Cresto, also won the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally. Then things went wrong: engine failure in Sweden, withdrawal in Portugal after the Santos accident, and on 2 May 1986 the fatal crash in Corsica. Read the full story under iconic moments and Henri Toivonen.
Lancia completed the season. Biasion won in Argentina, and Alén in Sanremo (later annulled) and on the Olympus Rally, finishing runner-up in the championship. For the Safari, Lancia still used the 037, as the S4 was not considered reliable enough for Africa.
A turbo and a supercharger, a mid-mounted engine, four-wheel drive and a Kevlar body. The Delta S4 won on its debut and on its first Monte — and is forever linked with Toivonen and Cresto.
The Stradale
Homologation required 200 road cars. The S4 Stradale was built by coachbuilder Savio in Turin and, unlike the bare rally car, came with an Alcantara interior, air conditioning and power steering. Several sources suggest that fewer than 200 were actually produced; no exact figure has been reliably established.
The successor that never came
Lancia had planned to replace the S4 in 1987 with a car for the proposed Group S. When Group S was scrapped along with Group B, Lancia switched to the Delta HF 4WD in Group A.
Private hands
After 1986 a handful of S4s continued in national rally championships, including in Italy.
European and national championships
In private hands the Delta S4 won the 1986 European championship (Fabrizio Tabaton, six wins) and the Italian title (Dario Cerrato). Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto won the Costa Smeralda in a Martini S4 two weeks before Corsica. See the European Rally Championship.
Results in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship podiums of the car (all evolutions), year by year (1982–1986). win 2nd 3rd
4 WRC wins · 12 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 Heritage: an original Delta S4 at the Heritage Hub EN · museum
Where to see a 1985 works Delta S4 and an S4 Stradale in Turin today. - DirtFish: Lancia Delta S4, David Evans' favourite rally car EN · article
A personal tribute to the S4 and the drivers who tamed it. - FIA homologation: Lancia Delta S4 (form B-276) EN · archive
The FIA's homologation record with dates, extensions and the scanned form. - 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 Delta S4 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Delta_S4
- Stellantis Heritage, Lancia Delta S4 e S4 Stradale — https://www.stellantisheritage.com/en-uk/heritage/stories/lancia-delta-s4-e-s4-stradale
- Stellantis Heritage, Lancia. The rallying legend — https://www.stellantisheritage.com/en-uk/heritage/news/lancia-the-rallying-legend
- Wikipedia (EN), 1986 World Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_World_Rally_Championship
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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