LANCIA LC 1 & 2. Lancia won world titles in 1979, 1980 and 1981 but it was clear that its 1.8 li

For 1983 Lancia had no choice but to produce a Group C coupe and it equipped this with a Ferrari engine. At the same time the LC1 spyder was sold to the Siva Motors team which reworked the chas-sis to conform to Group C regulations, complete with cockpit enclosure and man-datory flat bottom area. Two examples of the underpowered machine were run at Le Mans (one by a French team) and both finished, albeit unclassified after head gasket failures.

The LC2 works car, like the LC1 was a Dallara design utilising a similar aluminium monocoque. The engine was a 2.6 litre Ferrari V8 fitted with twin KKK turbocharg-ers and rated 620 bhp at race boost. The engine was equipped with a Marelli Weber engine management system and fed its power through a Hewland gearbox. The chassis carried an evolutionary carbon fibre/Kevlar body with nose radiator and side mounted intercoolers and ground effect underbody above which was a wide fin-mounted wing.

At Le Mans in 1983 the two works LC2s qualified second and fourth only to retire with transmission and turbocharger prob-lems while a privately entered car went out with a broken engine. In 1984 the LC2 returned to La Sarthe with better fuel con-sumption from a more powerful 3.0 litre engine and a more reliable Abarth devel-oped gearbox. Aerodynamic changes were also evident. In the absence of the Porsche works team the works LC2s qualified first and second and both led at various stages only to hit problems. Wollek/Nannini fin-ished eighth overcoming transmission trouble while Baldi/Barilla/Heyer suffered a broken camshaft in the 20th hour. A private entry retired before half distance with a blown head gasket.

At the 1985 Le Mans race two works cars appeared with further revisions to the bodywork and widened track allowing big-ger venturi tunnels. The engine was reput-edly producing 850 bhp in qualifying. Third on the grid, the Wollek/Nannini car led for the first three laps but fell back with turbo trouble. Eventually it finished sixth, just ahead of the sister car of Pescarolo/Baldi. The Lancia Group C effort finished in 1986 but a private LC2 appeared at Le Mans in 1988 run by the Dollop team. It failed to make an impression and eventually retired with a broken transmission.

LANCIA FERRARI

LC2 - 1983 90 degree V8 Alloy monocoque 2.65 litres Suspension: Alloy block wishbone front Fuel injected wishbone rear 32 valves Engine stressed d. o . h.c. Newland gearbox Twin turbo Ground effect car 620b.h.p.