Restomod of the Week: Lancia Delta Evo-e

This, angry mob, is the Lancia Delta Evo-e. It’s based on the Delta Integrale, you know, the one that won the World Rally Championship six times in a row between 1987 and 1992, and is considered one of the greatest rally cars ever? In four of those years it delivered world titles for its drivers as well, two apiece for Juha Kankkunen and Miki Biasion. So quite a lot of heritage there.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: yes, it’s electric. And yes, it’s an outrage, down with this sort of thing etc, etc. But before you begin marching in the streets, hear us out. It’s recently been reported that Lancia - which is owned by automotive supergroup Stellantis - is being revived in Europe as an electric-only brand, and the Delta is very much part of those plans. So, does it not make sense to see what an EV Delta looks like in conversion form before we get the real thing in a few years?

Yes? Perhaps? Ok, here’s some more info…

Images: GCK

A French firm called GCK (Green Corp Konnection), which describes itself as ‘an ecosystem of industrial companies at the forefront of the transition to green energy’. It was founded in 2017 by industrialist Eric Boudot and 2009 FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup champion Guerlain Chicherit, and it’ll give an electric or hydrogen makeover to virtually anything: cars, trucks, industrial machinery, boats… you name it.

The Delta Evo-e is built under GCK’s luxury brand, Exclusive-e. “Excellence and aesthetics are at the heart of GCK Exclusiv-e,” explains Chicherit. “I wanted to launch GCK Exclusiv-e with a limited edition of a car that has always fascinated me: the Lancia Delta Integrale.”

More than we’ve got time to type as there are ‘263 new features’, but the basics are this. The process starts with a complete restoration of the donor car, with the body hydrostripped, reinforced parts added, mechanicals refurbished and everything metal rustproofed. 

There’s a new bonnet, fender, bumpers and a grey matte finish is applied, with a long list of carbon parts that includes the front splitter, rear air extractor and roof spoiler. The brakes, shock absorbers, optics, wiring harness and subframes are all refurbished, and the bodyshell is fully dismantled and reinforced with all the chassis welds restored. There’s a reinforced central diff added too, to cope with the car’s new-found performance.

Which brings us to the powertrain. Out goes internal combustion and in comes a leccy system with 197bhp at its disposal. A 30kWh lithium-ion battery gives 124 miles of range, although it’ll probably be less than that when driven in the spirit of the original.

Oh, and the five-speed manual transmission has been retained, so you can still enjoy the sensation of punching your way through the ratios. See, it isn’t all sacrilege.

A total of 47 will be made: 36 examples of the Delta Evo-e and a further 11 Rallye editions. The latter gets a livery inspired by the WRC racer of the Eighties and Nineties, with a full carbon rear shell and aluminium chassis for added raciness.

You also get Sparco SPC ultra-light seats in Alcantara with red and blue stitching to match the exterior, plus an Alcantara-finished rear bench, a new wool red carpet and a carbon plate-mounted Quick Shift stick for more aggressive gear changes. To cap it all off, you’ll enjoy a handover from brand ambassador Didier Auriol, who is a two-time winner of the Monte Carlo Rally in - yep, you guessed it - a Lancia Delta Integrale. He was also WRC champ in 1994, but that was in a Toyota Celica…

It’s nifty rather than fast. The 197bhp powertrain produces 258lb ft of torque and reaches a rotational speed of 8,000rpm, with 0-62mph taking 6.6 seconds. According to the official literature it’ll do a 1,000-metre sprint in 26 seconds too. Not often you see that figure quoted, but there you go.

GCK makes you work out the weight yourself: 7.2kg/hp apparently, which means it tips the scales at 1,440kg or so. A little bit more than the original, then, and probably not as agile through corners.

That’s a good question. GCK is keeping tight-lipped on prices and optional-extra costs, which suggests that your bank balance will need a lot of digits in it to be able to afford one.

Of course, you’ll also need to factor in the annual cost of employing several ex-mercenaries to act as your security team, such is the danger posed by running into a 1990s rally fan with an axe to grind over your, um, potentially divisive choice of electrification project.

Certain types of people will be left frothing at the mouth by the Delta Evo-e, and you’ve got to admire the company’s confidence in backing a concept that’s bound to cause a stir. That’s bold, and we like bold. You should too.

And as we mentioned, it looks like Lancia is coming back in the not-too-distant future and internal combustion won’t factor into the equation. So get used to it.

How about a selection of little interesting facts? We didn’t really cover the interior earlier, so let’s briefly explore some of the modern touches inside the Delta Evo-e. There’s an Alpine multimedia touchscreen that’s compatible with iOS- and Android-based smartphones, and there’s a rear-view camera so you can safely reverse away from the tree you’ll inevitably hit when you start pretending you’re heir to Carlos Sainz. The defrosting front windshield is a useful touch, and the audio system consists of six speakers (four in the front, two under the seats) and a subwoofer and integrated amp in the boot.

The interior is chiefly finished in Alcantara with orange stitching, and Recaro Sportster CS front seats are provided for a balance of comfort and fit. A Momo Racing steering wheel completes the look. Here’s to many hours of happy drifting.