Last update: October 21, 2024
Italian liqueur brand Martini has been faithful sponsor of the works Porsche team for many years. But in 1980 they switched to Lancia and achieved great successes together.
More non-Martini Lancias can be found here.
Lancia Beta Montecarlo
1980 Giro d’Italia, Lancia Beta Montecarlo. The Giro d’Italia automobilistico was a famous race around Italy, first held in 1901, then 1935, 1954 and then as annual event between 1973 and 1980. It was a combination of tarmac rally stages and races on several tracks around Italy. Lancia was used to winning the Giro d’Italia with the Stratos. In 1979 it all went wrong but the 1980 race was a double victory for the Lancia teams that both were a combination of a Formula 1 driver, rally driver and his co-driver. The other car had an experimental engine with a mechanical compressor, later to be used in the famous 037 rallye car. As it had no homologation, it was entered in group 6 for prototypes.
#698 Riccardo Patrese (I) / Markku Alen (FIN) / Ilka Kivimaki (FIN) – 1st
Lancia Beta Montecarlo turbo – 1.4 liter Lancia 14.78.T straight-4 turbo, approx. 380 hp. Pirelli tires. Weight 770 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Dallara #1001?
#699 Michele Alboreto (I) / Attilio Bettega (I) / Arnaldo Bernacchini (I) – 2nd
Lancia Beta Montecarlo turbo – 2.0 liter Abarth straight-4 compressor approx. 300 hp. Pirelli tires. Weight 770 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Dallara #1003?.
- BEST 200301 diorama box (diecast)
1981 Nürburgring 1000 km, Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Lancia and Dallara built this little Montecarlo group 5 racer that was succesful in the worldchampionship as well as the DRM. In 1980 Lancia won some worldchampionship races overall, in 1981 they only took class wins, but did that often enough the win the world title for makes. At the Nürburgring, the class win was for the GS team of Heyer and Ghinzani, also in a Beta Montecarlo. The Martini Lancia’s finished 2nd and 3rd in class.
#31 Andrea de Cesaris (I) / Henri Pescarolo (F) – 10th overall / 2nd < 2liter
Lancia Beta Montecarlo turbo – 1.4 liter Lancia 14.78.T straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Pirelli tires. Weight 770 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Dallara #1011
- BEST 9230 (diecast)
Lancia LC1 & LC2
1982 Le Mans 24h, Lancia LC1. Lancia’s group C racer wasn’t ready yet for the new regulations, so they did the unexpected. Lancia and Dallara built a small group 6 sports car (2 liter versions were still allowed in the worldchampionship) with the 1,4 liter turbo-engine from the Beta. The little Lancia’s won 3 times championship races but retired in the Le Mans 24 hour race.
#50 Riccardo Patrese (I) / Piercarlo Ghinzani (I) / Hans Heyer (D) – DNF
#51 Michele Alboreto (I) / Teo Fabi (I) / Rolf Stommelen (D) – DNF
Lancia LC1 – 1.4 liter Lancia 14.78.T straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Pirelli tires. Weight 665 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. Dallara #1003 & #1002
- TOP MODEL COLLECTION LM012 & LM013
1983 Le Mans 24h, Lancia LC2/83. Lancia’s only real group C car was a spectacular one, the chassis was built by Dallara and powered by a Ferrari V8 turbo engine. It could match the speed of the Porsche 956, qualifying 2nd, but not its reliability. All three Martini Lancia’s broke down, this one already after 27 laps with a gearbox failure.
#4 Michele Alboreto (I) / Teo Fabi (I) / Alessandro Nannini (I) – DNF
Lancia LC2/83 – 2.6 liter Ferrari Abarth V8 90º twin turbo, approx. 650 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 850 kg. Aluminium monocoque, chassisnr. Dallara #0002
- SPARK S0650 (resin)
1985 Le Mans 24h, Lancia LC2/85. In 1984, only one of the three Lancia’s reached the finish at Le Mans. In 1985, the final year of the program, the Italian beasts have become more reliable; they reach the 6th and 7th places behind an armada of Porsches. Later in the season it won the 1000 km race at Spa-Francorchamps.
#4 Alessandro Nannini (I) / Bob Wollek (F) / Lucio Cesario (I) – 6th
Lancia LC2/85– 2.6 liter Ferrari Abarth V8 90º twin turbo, approx. 720 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 850 kg. Aluminium monocoque, chassisnr. Dallara #0002
- SPARK S0656 (resin)
Rally Cars
Even more famous than their racing cars, are Lancia Martini’s rally cars. The achieved many wins and championships and I have a model of all of their three types.
1983 Rally Monte Carlo, Lancia 037. In 1983, the only AWD group B car was still the Audi Quattro. Competition came from some ‘classic’ rally cars such as Opel Ascona 400 and Sunbeam Lotus, but the only real contender was the new Lancia 037; a mid-engined rear wheel drive car, designed by Abarth with a 4-cylinder engine with mechanical supercharger for greater drivability. Walter Röhrl and Christian Geistdörfer won the first rally of the championship, the Monte Carlo. Röhrl would win another 2 rallies and so dit his team mate Markku Alen. In the end, Lancia took the manufacturer’s title with a 2 point advantage over Audi. Audi driver Hannu Mikkola took the driver’s title.
#1 Walter Röhrl (D) / Christian Geistdörfer (D) 1st
Lancia 037- 2.0 liter Abarth 232 AR4 straight-4 compressor, approx 280 hp. Pirelli tires. 960 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Abarth SE37 #00000305
- WHITEBOX WBR002 (diecast)
1986 Rally Monte Carlo, Lancia Delta S4. In 1986 the Group B rally cars were at their peak. The AWD Lancia Delta S4 (Abarth SE 038) had to fight the fast Ford RS 200 and the evolution versions of the Peugeot 205 turbo and Audi Sport Quattro and some more. Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresta won the traditional season opener, the Rally Monte Carlo. Sadly both got killed in an awful accident during the San Remo Rally when the car fell into a ravine and burst in flames. This accident led to the end of the group B rally cars.
#7 Henri Toivonen (FIN) / Sergio Cresta (USA) – 1st
Lancia Delta S4 – 1.8 liter Abarth A233 ATR 18S straight-4 turbo + compressor, approx. 490 hp. Pirelli tires. Weight 950 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Abarth SE38 #215
- ALTAYA #unknown (diecast)
1989 Rally Monte Carlo, Lancia Delta Integrale. The group B cars were banned and replaced by group A, these were based on road going cars. The Delta HF AWD and HF Integrale dominated for three years in a row. The first rally of the 1989 season, the Monte Carlo was won by Miki Biasion and Tiziano Siviero. They would win 4 more rally’s and the driver’s championship.
#4 Miki Biasion (I) / Tiziano Siviero (I) – 1st
Lancia Delta Integrale – 2.0 liter Abarth straight-4 turbo, approx. 280 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 1120 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr Abarth SE043 #unknown
- IXO SCR 002 (diecast)
1989 Rally Monte Carlo, Lancia Delta Integrale 16V. Also in 1989, the 16-valve version of the Integrale was homologated. Biasion and Siviero won the San Remo rally with it in a striking red Martini outfit.
#1 Miki Biasion (I) / Tiziano Siviero (I) – 1st
Lancia Delta Integrale – 2.0 liter Abarth straight-4 turbo 16-valve, approx. 300 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 1120 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr Abarth SE043 #unknown
- ALTAYA #unknown (diecast)
Not a Lancia … but an Alfa Romeo
1995 DTM Championship, Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI. Alfa Romeo is just like Lancia part of the FIAT Group (nowadays Stellantis). The new DTM was a battle between Opel, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo. Nicola Larini won the championschip in 1993 with the AWD Alfa Romeo but was less competitive in 1995. He only managed 1 win and became 6th overall, still the best of the Alfa squad.
#8 Nicola Larini (I) – 6th
Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI – 2.5 liter Alfa Romeo 690RC – V6 60º, approx 420 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 1100 kg. Steel spacegrame, chassisnr. Abarth SE062 #95/001
- MINICHAMPS MC430 950208 (diecast)
1996 ITC Championship Mugello, Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti. The DTM championship was very popular and the organizer changed it in International Touring Car Championship (ITC). De series expanded to races in other European countries such as Italy, France, UK, Finland and Portugal but also included races at Interlagos and Suzuka. The costs were much too high and it was the last season of the DTM in this format. It would last to 2000 before a new series was launched. Gabriele Tarquini was another former F1 driver that raced the DTM/ITC. The Alfa Corse cars raced with support from Martini in the white Alfa’s. JAS Motorsport, Tarquini’s team, had Martini sponsoring on their red car for the Mugello race only. The other races, Tarquini raced in silver and red and managed a win at Silverstone.
#18 Gabriele Tarquini (I) – 13th race 1 / 6th race 2
Schübel Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti – 2.5 liter Alfa Romeo 690RC – V6 60º, approx. 440 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 1100 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. Abarth SE062E #unknown
- ONYX XT 021 (diecast)
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