The Lancia Delta Integrale Evolution II is as iconic as hot hatches come and Doug DeMuro recently had the opportunity to drive a stunning, bright-red example.
To non-die-hard petrolheads (or those simply too young to remember), the Delta Integrale is nothing more than a boxy-looking Italian hatchback, but to enthusiasts who know its history, the Evo II is unquestionably one of the finest performance cars to come out of Italy that doesn’t have a Ferrari or Lamborghini badge affixed to it.
Lancia built the Delta Integrale Evolution II on the back of its success at the World Rally Championship where it won six consecutive titles and, at the time of its introduction in June 1993, it was the epitome of Group A rally homologation specials.
Also Read: Live Your Italian Rally Driver Fantasy With This Lancia Delta Integrale
Under the hood lies a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with an impressive, for the time, 215 HP and 231 lb-ft (314 Nm) of torque. This intoxicating engine features timed sequential multipoint injection, self-adaptive injection times, automatic idling control, an anti-evaporation system, a larger Garrett turbocharger than the previous gen, and a three-way catalyst. Power is sent to all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.
In typical DeMuro fashion, this review looks at all of the interesting details of the Integrale Evo II that you may not have known about. And being an Italian car from the late 1990s, it sure is filled with curious features. However, the real action starts towards the end of the video, when he actually jumps behind the wheel to see what Lancia’s finest road car ever can do.