1982 Lancia Rally 037

The World Rally Championship was rebirthed in the 1980s when new FIA regulations allowed automakers to homologate a relatively small number of road-going versions of their racing cars. For the 1982 season, homologation required 200 examples to be built, and the announcement of the new rules left scant time to develop an entirely new rally car. Consequently, Abarth and Pininfarina were immediately tabbed to design, engineer, and homologate the resulting Lancia vehicle using the Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo Gr.5 - their most recent joint project - as a basis. The Beta Montecarlo would serve as a wonderful starting point and at the time, was well on its way to delivering Lancia the 1980 and 1981 World Sportscar Championships. The new car, officially named simply 'Rally,' was introduced to the public in March 1982 and homologated on April 1, 1982, after 207 'Stradale' (road-going) examples had been constructed. Lancia debuted the 037 Rally in competition at the Tour de Corse Rallye de France on May 6.

Lancia had used a 'modular' approach for its Beta Montecarlo Turbo, a configuration that was bestowed upon its new rally car, utilizing the central monocoque tub of the production Montecarlo, with engine and suspension carried on tubular subframes front and rear. It was given a new rear subframe that would accommodate the reorientation (longitudinally) of its engine. Abarth's lead racing engineer and 'SE 037' project manager Sergio Limone had determined that (unlike the transverse-engined Gr.5) the 037's 2.0-liter, twin-cam inline four-cylinder engine would be mounted longitudinally to allow more flexibility in rear suspension design. Additionally, this configuration allowed better access to the gearbox and suspension. Rather than using a turbocharger (The GR.5 had used an exhaust-driven turbo), the 037 was given a Roots-type 'Volumex' supercharger to help improve throttle response. The supercharger was favored by Abarth president Aurelio Lampredi.

Stradale Specification
The engine was based on the earlier Fiat Abarth 131 rally cars, with a long stroke (84mm bore and 90 mm stroke) and four valve heads, but the original two carburetors were replaced by a single larger Weber carburetor in early examples. Examples built later in production received fuel injection. Initially, the engine delivered 265 horsepower, later increasing to 280 hp. The final Evolution 2 model's engine generated 325 hp from its enlarged 2,111cc (2.1 liter) engine.

The wheelbase measured 96.3 inches, the length at 154.1 inches, the width at 72.8 inches, and the height at 49 inches. It had a mid-engine configuration - like the Montecarlo - with an independent double wishbone suspension front and rear, with dual shock absorbers in the rear. The 037 was one of the few rally cars of its era that continued to use rear-wheel drive - most other rally cars used four-wheel drive.

The body was formed from kevlar reinforced with fiberglass. The transmission was a ZF five-speed and the wheels were Speeline 16-inch alloys wrapped with Pirelli P7 205/55 VR 16 tires.

Rally Car Specification
The Rally car weighed approximately 465 lbs less than the street version, and its engine produced approximately 50 more horsepower. The body was made of Polyester resin reinforced with glass fiber and its engine was tuned to deliver 255 horsepower (depending on configuration, upwards of 280 horsepower) at 8,000 RPM. In Evolution 2 specification, output rose to around 325 horsepower. The Abarth Volumex system delivered between 0.60 and 0.90 bar pressure, and the Evo 2 had 1 bar of pressure.

Motorsport Competition
The Lancia Rally 037 made its competition debut at the Rally Costa Smeralda in Italy in 1982. Both the cars entered by Lancia retired early due to gearbox issues. Lancia focused their 1982 season on intense development rather than a championship run. Despite being plagued with retirements, 037 did manage to achieve several notable victories, including its first win at the Pace Rally in the UK.

Having resolved many of its issues, the 037 had a much more successful season in 1983, with Lancia earning the World Rally Championship Constructors' title with Germany's Walter Röhrl and Finland's Markku Alén as its principal drivers.

The Evolution 2 version of the 037 was introduced for the 1984 season, and though its engine produced more output than its predecessor, it was not enough to outpace the 4WD competition, losing to Audi in both 1984 championships. In 1985, its final works season, it was outclassed by the 4WD Peugeot 205 T16. The final victory for the 037 was in 1984 when Alén won the Tour De Corse.

The final appearance of the 037 in the World Rally Championship was in 1986 at the Safari Rally by the Martini Lancia team.

The Lancia 037
The nimble Lancia 037 Stradale was truly a homologation special, echoing the world-beating pedigree of its racing sibling with commendable power and excellent handling.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2023