While Formula 1 rests between races, Fernando Alonso continues to make people talk. This time not from the cockpit of his Aston Martin or showing off his exclusive Pagani Zonda Green Diamond of 10 million eurosbut from the streets of Monaco at the wheel of an Italian compact from the 90s that many believed forgotten.
As and how did he count Motorpassionthe Asturian pilot has been seen circulating with a Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione Martini 6and the scene has generated both admiration and nostalgia among motor fans. If you were a teenager in the 90s and you liked cars, your room was surely decorated with a poster of this car.
Although it has not been officially confirmed that the car is owned by Alonso, there is a detail that suggests that the legendary limited edition Delta Integrale is already part of the two-time champion’s garage: it is the license plate that the car sports. in the videos that have gone viral on social networks: he wears the number 14, Alonso’s fetish number.
An icon of the rally with 310 units in the world
The Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione Martini 6 is not just any nostalgic whim. This version was launched in 1992 to commemorate the sixth consecutive constructors’ title that Lancia achieved in the World Rally Championshipa feat that no other brand has matched in the WRC. Only 310 units were manufactured of this Lancia Delta between the end of 1992 and 1993, which explains both its sentimental value and its current price on the collectors market.
RM Sotheby’s (Motorcar Studios)
The Martini 6 edition is instantly identified by its line with blue and red stripes on white bodywork, inherited from the team’s official sponsor, Martini Racing. Inside, Recaro seats in blue with red stitching, a carbon fiber shift knob and a numbered plate that indicates which of the 310 units manufactured the car belongs to.
Under the bulging hood to make room for the engine that characterized the entire Delta Integrale family, there is a 2-liter four-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged engine with 210 HP distributed among the four wheels, which allowed the vehicle to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.
To put it in perspective it was the same time a Ferrari Testarossa of the time, and could reach a maximum speed of 220 km/h. A real wolf disguised as an elegant Italian utility vehicle from the 90s.
RM Sotheby’s (Motorcar Studios)
From the original 40,000 euros to 350,000 in the current market
When it was released, the special edition Martini 6 It cost about 40,000 euros in exchange, a considerable figure that, at that time, was more typical of a Porsche 911 than an Italian compact.
Three decades later, and as has happened with many other models from the 90s, the collector market has multiplied that value spectacularly. In 2023, the Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione Martini 6 with the 272 frame went up for auction at RM Sotheby’s. The bidding hammer fell when it reached $117,600. The best preserved specimens and with about 20,000 kilometers they can already reach 300,000 euros, and those who have traveled less than 5,000 kilometers are close to 350,000 euros.
The Lancia is not the only classic with which Alonso has been seen in Monaco during the season break. In recent weeks too has circulated with a Ferrari F40, a Mercedes CLK GTR, a Lamborghini Sián and an exclusive Pagani Zonda Diamante Verde.
What differentiates this Lancia from the rest of the cars in Alonso’s garage is precisely its character. The Delta is neither a luxury supercar with stratospheric figures nor a work of art with hand-made body. It’s a 90s compact with racing pedigree. He last bastion of authenticity for the petrolhead. The memory of when mechanics and pilot were connected at a level that no current electronic control unit could match.
Image | RM Sotheby’s (Motorcar Studios), Fernando Alonso
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