1991 Lancia Delta HF Turbo

Highlights

• 1.6-litre HF turbo, five-speed manual
• MOT to July 2025
• Extensive history, including pre-import service book
• Unmodified, factory specification
• Believed to be fewer than 20 on the road in the UK

Overview

We love a plucky underdog in the car world. Something truly capable, but maybe a little overlooked or unnoticed. The 80s and early 90s had many of them, especially in the crowded hot hatch field. But perhaps none has been quite so overlooked as Lancia’s Delta Turbo.

“Don’t be daft”, we hear you cry, “the Delta is a rally hero and performance legend beloved of petrolheads the world over”. Well, yes… Kind of. But also no. Allow us to explain. The Delta Integrale was a rally hero and performance legend, with its bombastic styling, all-wheel drive and turbo the size of a small town. But the HF (High Fidelity) Turbo was a different animal altogether.

Designed to take the fight to the Golf GTI, Escort RS Turbo and Astra GTE, the HF Turbo was Lancia’s front-wheel drive blue collar champion. A true ‘everyman’ performance machine, still turbocharged, but more focussed on revs and constant momentum than out-and-out power. And while Integrales have become ever more collectible and valuable, the humble HF Turbo has been largely forgotten.

But that seems to be changing, with values increasing and good examples of this fabulous little hot hatch becoming more sought after. Which makes this fine example the perfect way to park an appreciating slice of 80s/90s performance car culture on your driveway.

Presented in unmodified, factory specification, with a long MOT and plenty of history, we think there’s bags of potential here. From the angular Giugiaro design to that powerful yet lightweight engine it’s a wonderful machine, a great survivor, and deserves to be enjoyed for many more years to come…

History and documentation

• 1991MY car, originally supplied to the Netherlands market
• Imported to the UK and first registered here 29 April 1998
• Four previous owners
• Vendor only selling due to a health issue
• 176,993Km on the clock (109,978 miles)
• Fewer than 20 left on the road in the UK (according to How Many Left)
• Large folder of service history, invoices and receipts
• Original service book from the Netherlands included
• Two sets of keys
• Current MOT expires 4 July 2025
• V5 present in owner’s name
• HPI clear (checked July 2024)

Interior

• Grey cloth upholstery with period, multi-coloured stripe motif to the seat centre panels and door cards
• The seats look to be in good condition for their age, with some pilling to the grey fabric in evidence (a common and expected issue with this material), and some wear to the outer bolster of the driver’s seat
• Light grey carpeting is fitted through the main cabin and looks to be in good order, this is complemented with black overmats to the foot wells
• There is dark grey carpeting to the boot, which appears to be in good condition, free from prominent stains and with no notable damage
• It appears as if the rear parcel shelf is missing
• The vendor informs us that the headlining is beginning to sag a little
• The wide, angular dashboard looks to be in fine fettle, with no cracks or warping we could see
• We noted a little wear to the material on the steering wheel, but no more than should be expected considering the car’s age and mileage
• A bank of sporty yellow-on-black gauges sits before the driver, giving readouts for oil temperature and pressure, boost pressure, voltage, water temperature and revs
• All of the instrumentation and switchgear shows well, being in fine condition with no obvious damage and nothing missing as far as we could see
• The vendor tells us that everything works as it should, other than the heater fan control – although a good condition used set of controls has been ordered and will be supplied
• A period Sony radio/cassette system is installed
• There is a full set of billet OMP performance pedals installed
• Overall, the interior is in good, presentable condition, and it’s nice to see that the previous owners have left it in factory specification

Exterior

• Handsome metallic gunmetal grey paintwork, which presents in good overall condition, with just a few minor marks and chips
• The bodywork looks to be in very good order, with all the panels being straight and well aligned, with even panel gaps and crisp swage lines
• We didn’t see any corrosion or damage of note, other than a small amount of what appears to be surface corrosion on the lower corner of the rear near-side door
• All of the trim and badging appears to be present and correct, with no damage we could see other than some chipping and fading to the badges on the front grille
• Sporting touches include the smart side-skirts, front fog-lights and red keyline around the front grille
• The glass and light lenses all looks clear and free from cracks or major scratches
• Underneath everything looks to be straight and solid, the underside looks to have been well treated with a corrosion-inhibitor
• There’s a little surface corrosion on some of the suspension components and sill seams, but nothing out of the ordinary for a car of this vintage, although the front pipe of the exhaust looks to have some heavier corrosion
• The wheels are the correct two-tone, 15-inch items and are eminently usable but would benefit from some refurbishment
• A full set of matched Landsail tyres has been fitted

Mechanical

• 1,600cc inline-four, turbocharged eight-valve engine
• The engine delivers a perky 140bhp to the front wheels
• Five-speed manual transmission
• Unassisted steering, for excellent feedback
• The engine bay is clean and tidy, with no evidence of obvious leaks or other issues
• It starts well and idles smoothly, with a burbling exhaust note
• We’re assured that the car drives and stops just as it should, with no mechanical issues reported
• The front brakes are due for replacement, and new disks and pads (EBC Ultimax) are included
• There’s also a brand-new Dayco timing belt kit included
• In July 2023, the car was sent to Delta Works in Worcestershire for maintenance work including: new handbrake cable, new rear brake calipers and pads, new rear shocks, new rear strut top mounts, new water temperature sensor
• With a full year’s MOT and a good service history, we believe that this handsome hatch could be the perfect everyday classic

Summary

Everything about this Delta HF Turbo screams ‘future classic’. From that fizzy little powerplant to the brilliant period interior and ‘designed with a protractor’ exterior styling, we love everything about it.

We particularly adore the fact that it’s not an Integrale. An odd thing to say, but it actually makes this a rarer, more left-field and dare we say cooler choice. With 140bhp on tap from that 1.6-litre motor, there’s more than enough grunt to extract every drop of enjoyment from the morning commute, and probably enough to have you yearning for the long way home.

Presented in its original specification, with a good history and long MOT, we don’t think you can go far wrong with this. It’s handsome, quick, rare and original. Go on, what’s stopping you?

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.