Lancia 037
The Lancia 037 Rally (also known as the Abarth 037) was a car built by Lancia intended exclusively for the FIA World Rally Championship. His line was based on the Lancia Beta Montecarlo. The name 037 comes from the project carried out by Abarth, a company belonging to the FIAT group, which was number 37. The street version was called Lancia 037 Stradale.
It was presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1982.
History
With the introduction in the World Rally Championship of the new FIA regulations that allowed Group B, a wide application of new technologies for racing cars of which only 200 units were required to be built, Lancia's sports policy He set out to build vehicles expressly intended for rally competition, without being derived from a production car. This is how one of the world rally legends was born, the Lancia 037, which can be considered the first Group B rally car.
In 1982, Lancia had already achieved, with the Lancia Stratos, three consecutive World Rally Constructors' Championships (from 1974 to 1976), although for commercial reasons, the Fiat group had decided to withdraw the Stratos in favor of of the Fiat 131 Abarth.
With the advent of the four-wheel drive and turbocharged Audi Quattros, which brought about a veritable revolution in the world of rallying, the chance of victory was almost nil. Therefore, the leaders of the Italian group decided to recover the winning formula of the Stratos and develop a new vehicle conceived by and to compete, attached to the regulations of Group B.
The Lancia Montecarlo, a mid-engined sports car designed and manufactured by coachbuilder Pininfarina, was used as a platform. The car in question was dismantled, leaving only the passenger compartment and from it, 2 highly rigid tubular subframes were assembled to accommodate the new double-arm suspensions expressly designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the WRC.
The original engine was replaced by a chain-actuated 4 valves per cylinder (16 total) Lampredi DOHC unit of 1995 cm³ (2 liters) inherited from the 131 Abarth, which was positioned longitudinally and was combined with a supercharger Volumex developed by Abarth. Finally, the original sheet metal body panels were replaced by others made of Kevlar reinforced with fiberglass. As a result, the newborn Lancia 037 combined a lightweight 960 kg (2,116 lb) (1,170 kg (2,579 lb) on the Stradale model) with an engine with linear power delivery ranging from 255 PS (252 hp; 188 kW) to 325 PS (321 HP; 239 kW) on Evoluzione models; and 208 PS (205 HP; 153 kW) in the Stradale model.
Its production was limited to 207 units, since its sole purpose was to sell the minimum number of units that had to be manufactured in order to homologate the vehicle in Group B and participate in the World Cup.
Specifications
| Aspiration | Overcharger Volumex root type Abarth of 0.6 bar (8.5 psi) |
| Diameter x race | 84 mm (3.31 plg) x 90 mm (3.54 plg) |
| Compression ratio | 7.5:1 |
| Lubrication system | Dry crate |
| Refrigeration system | Liquidated |
| Food | Weber 40 DCNVH double body carbitor 15/250 |
| Max. | 208 CV (205 HP; 153 kW) at 7,000 rpm |
| Maximum | 23 kg·m (226 N·m; 166 lb·pie) at 5,000 rpm |
| Fuel tank | 70 L (18.5 galAm; 18.5 galAm) |
Gearbox ratios:
| 1. a | 2nd | 3a | 4th | 5th | Reverse | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.417 | 1.611 | 1.136 | 0.846 | 0.704 | 2.867 | 5.25 |
Competition
The 037 was created to form part of the recently created Group B within the World Rally Championship, which in 1982 was divided into three categories: A, B and N. Its end in the world championship came in 1985, with the replacement by Lancia Delta S4 with all-wheel drive, although it participated in the tough 1986 Safari Rally replacing the S4 because the 037 was a technically simpler and more reliable car.
With stiff competition from all-wheel drive Audi Quattros, Lancia saw the need to have this technology in its rally cars and its replacement, the Lancia Delta S4, was developed at the end of 1985.
Despite having the disadvantage of having only 2-wheel drive compared to the Audi Quattro, the exceptional agility of the 037 together with its mechanical reliability allowed Lancia to win the title of constructors' world champion in the 1983 season, going on to history as the last 2 wheel drive car to do so.
The 037 was a winner in the rallies, but it is also remembered for the fatal accident of Attilio Bettega during the celebration of the Tour de Corse (Corsica) in 1985.
Honours of Prizes
| Titles | Winners |
|---|---|
 1983 World Championship of Builders
| Lancia, with 118 points |
| European Rally Championship Drivers 1983 |  Miki Biasion / Titian Siviero
|
| European Rally Championship Drivers 1984 | Carlo Capone
|
| European Rally Championship Drivers 1985 | Dario Cerrato
|
 Pilot Championship of the 1985 Rally Spain Championship
| Salvador Servi
|
| Pilot Championship of the 1986 Rally Spain Championship
| |
| Italy Rally Championship 1983
| Miki Biasion
|
| Italy Rally Championship 1984
| Adartico Vudafieri
|
| Italy Rally 1985 Championship
| Dario Cerrato
|
| Italy Rally 1987 Championship
| Michele Rayneri
|
| WRC victories | Pilot | Copilot |
|---|---|---|
 Rally de Montecarlo, 1983
|  Walter Röhrl
| Christian Geistdörfer
|
.svg){kind=small} Rally Corsica, 1983
|  Markku Alén
| Ilkka Kivimäki
|
 1983 Acropolis Rally
| Walter Röhrl
| Christian Geistdörfer
|
 Rally New Zealand 1983
| ||
| Rally San Remo 1983
| Markku Alén
| Ilkka Kivimäki
|
| Corsica Rally 1984
|
Specifications
| Carrocería | Polyester resin reinforced with fiberglass and flame retardant. |
| Aspiration | Overcharger Volumex root type Abarth from 0.6 bar (8.5 psi) to 0.9 bar (12.8 psi). |
| Diameter x race | 84 mm (3.31 plg) x 90 mm (3.54 plg). |
| Compression ratio | 7.5:1 |
| Lubrication system | Forged by dry carter with oil tank of 8 kg (18 lb). |
| Refrigeration system | Liquid, forced with bomb and radiator to the front. |
| Food | Bosch mechanical injection. |
| Max. | 280 CV (276 HP; 206 kW) at 8,000 rpm. |
| Maximum | 30.5 kg·m (299 N·m) at 5,000 rpm. |
| Embrague | Simple dry plate with sealing metal Valeo 230 mm (9.1 plg) diameter with hydraulic pedal. |
| Acceleration | 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.2 seconds. |
Gallery
Lancia 037 ex-Attilio Bettega.
037 at the 2007 Goodwood Speed Festival.
037 at the Historic Motorsport Show in 2006.
037 at Rally Safari.
Lancia 037 with the open cap.
Motor and rear suspension of 037.
