History & photos via Girardo & Co
This magnificent 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Corsa Group B was a works Lancia Martini Racing test car and is a winner of the 1986 Rally 1000 Miglia with Jolly Club. It was piloted by Dario Cerrato, Markku Alen and Miki Biasion. It’s up for sale at Girardo & Co as part of the Campion Collection.
Abarth completed the car, chassis 208, at the end of 1985. Its first duty was testing for Lancia Martini Racing and Markku Alen, Miki Biasion and Giorgio Pianta would be handed the keys to complete the mission over the last three months of 1985.
Testing completed, the car went to Jolly Club, who finished it in ToTip livery and gave it its competitive debut in the 1986 Rally 1000 Miglia. Dario Cerrato took the wheel with co-driver Giuseppe Cerri, and the trio pushed to a comfortable win ahead of the Lancia of Giacomo Bossini and Ugo Pasotti.
The trio would be out again the following month, competing in the 1986 Rally Costa Smeralda. This rally would not be quite as successful as the car’s debut, but still see the S4 finish third with a few stage wins to its name.
208 was then registered in Italy to Fiat Auto SPA, and displayed at the Turin Motor Show alongside its sister S4 chassis 204.
Jolly Club held on to the car for the remainder of the 1986 season, using it as a test bed for various WRC, European and Italian Rally Championship events. After winning the Rally 1000 Miglia in the car, Dario Cerrato would go on to become 1986 Italian Rally Champion.
1986 was the final season of Group B competition, however the cars were still eligible for some events in Europe. Augusto Cesari became the S4’s next custodian, and would compete in Campionato Italiano Velocita Montagna (Italian Hill Climb Championship) events during 1987 and ’88.
2001 saw the car move into the hands of Lancia rally collector Antonio Da Rios, who put it on display in his private museum. In 2005, nineteen years on from their win in the Rally 1000 Miglia, Dario Cerrato and Giuseppe Cerri were handed the keys to the car to run as the course car at the 2005 Rally Porec.
In the hands of its next owner, Lucio Savino Giovanni Peruggini, the car received its Lancia Club Certificato Di Identita as well as its Automoto Club Storico Italian Certificato Di Indentita. It also received an engine rebuild to keep it in fighting fit shape.
The car joined the Campion Collection in 2016, wearing its Jolly Club ToTip livery from 1986. When the team confirmed 208’s Lancia Martini Racing history, they had it wrapped in the Lancia Martini Racing livery. The ToTip livery is protected underneath, and the option remains to remove the Lancia Martini Racing wrap to wear ToTip colours instead.
This highly-evolved Group B masterpiece is up for sale at Girardo & Co. Head to their official website here for the full details.
History & photos via Girardo & Co
The post For Sale: 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Corsa Group B appeared first on Motorsport Retro.