A superb and rare photo of the great 1982 Lancia Rally 037 - aka - Lancia Abarth 037 Tipo 151 Group B works rally car with Italian rider Attilio Bettega in 1982 during winter testing.

the photographed Lancia Rally 037 had chassis code TOY07377 – number 156 and shows Lancia worksrider Bettega during a final test in wintery conditions on March 27, 1982 as preparation for the 1982 Costa Smeralda Rally in Sardinia which was ridden between April 1–4, 1982 on the Island of Sardinia. Interestingly, this was the DEBUT RACE of the new Lancia Rally 037 rallycar!

Unfortunately Bettega and Perissinot had to retire from that rally due to mechanical problems (gearbox).

The Lancia Rally 037 (also known as the Lancia Abarth #037, Tipo 151) was a mid-engine rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s purely for the FIA Group B World Rally Championship. Driven by Markku Alén, Attilio Bettega, and Walter Röhrl, the car won Lancia the manufacturers' world championship in the 1983 season. It is the last rear-wheel drive car to win the WRC. In 1980 Lancia began designing the 037 to comply with the then new FIA Group B regulations that allowed cars to race with relatively few homologation models being built. As the project was number 037, this eventually became the name by which the car was known. Abarth, now a part of the Lancia-Fiat family, did most of the design work, even incorporating styling cues from some of its famous race cars of the 1950s and 1960s such as a double bubble roof line. The car was born from the collaboration between Pininfarina, Abarth, Dallara and the project manager, engineer Sergio Limone. Prior to its first participation in the 1982 World Rally Championship season, 200 road-going models were built to comply with Group B regulations. The car made its competition debut at the 1982 Rally Costa Smeralda in Italy, where two cars were entered but both retired due to gearbox issues. The 1982 season was plagued with retirements for the 037, but the new car did manage to achieve several wins including its first win at the Pace Rally in the UK. The 1983 season was considerably more successful for the 037: Lancia took the 1983 World Rally Championship Constructors' title with Germany's Walter Röhrl and Finland's Markku Alen its principal drivers, despite serious competition from the 4WD Audi Quattro. Both drivers, however, missed the final round of the series, despite Röhrl maintaining a mathematical chance of the drivers' title: such honours instead went to Audi's veteran Finn, Hannu Mikkola. For the 1984 Constructors' title defence, Lancia introduced an Evolution 2 version of the 037 with improved engine power, but this was not enough to stem the tide of 4WD competition, losing to Audi in both 1984 championships, and again to the 4WD Peugeot 205 T16 in its final works season in 1985. Indeed, Alen collected the final 037 win, and the sole one for the E2 model, on the 1984 Tour De Corse, before it was finally pensioned off in the Martini sponsored Lancia factory rally car line-up in favour of its successor, the uniquely supercharged and turbocharged 4WD Delta S4, for the season-ending RAC Rally in Great Britain. Driver Attilio Bettega died in a 037 crash in 1985. For approval in Group B it was necessary to build at least 200 road versions of the model in question. The road version had an Abarth developed 16-valve four-cylinder in-line 2000 cc engine, with a volumex supercharger which developed 205 hp (153 kW) capable of pushing the 037 to over 220 km/h (137 mph) and reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in less than seven seconds. Pininfarina production records show 220 cars built under 'Montecarlo Corsa' name. The Lancia 037 was a silhouette racer; while it was loosely based on the Lancia Montecarlo (also known as Scorpion in the US and Canadian markets) road car, they shared only the center section with all body panels and mechanical parts being significantly different. Steel subframes were used fore and aft of the production car center section, while most of the body panels were made from Kevlar. The mid-engined layout of the Montecarlo was retained, but the engine was turned 90 degrees from a transverse position to a longitudinal position. This allowed greater freedom in the design of the suspension and while moving engine weight forward. An independent double wishbone suspension was used on both the front and rear axles, with dual shock absorbers in the rear in order to cope with the stresses of high speed off road driving. The 037 is notable as it retained the rear-wheel drive layout that was nearly universal for rally cars of the pre-Group B period; nearly all subsequent successful rally cars used four-wheel drive, making the 037 the last of its kind. Unlike its predecessor, the V6-powered Lancia Stratos HF, the first 037s had a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder supercharged engine. Based on the long stroke twin cam which powered earlier Fiat Abarth 131 rally cars, the four valve head was carried over from the 131 Abarth but the original two carburetors were replaced by a single large Weber carburetor in early models and later with fuel injection. It features a ZF transaxle. Lancia also chose a supercharger over a turbocharger to eliminate turbo lag and improve throttle response. Initially power was quoted at 265 hp (198 kW) but with the introduction of the Evolution 1 model power jumped to 300 with the help of water injection. The final Evolution 2 model produced 325 hp (242 kW) thanks to a displacement increase to 2,111 cc.

Specifications Lancia Rally 037 Stradale:

* Body: kevlar reinforced with fiberglass

* Weight: 1,170 kg (2,579 lb) in running condition

* Dimensions: length 3,915 mm (154.1 in), width 1,850 mm (72.8 in), height 1,245 mm (49.0 in), wheelbase 2,240 mm (88.2 in)

* Engine: mid-engine mounted longitudinally, 4 cylinders in line

* Displacement: 1995 cm³

* Bore and Stroke: 84 mm (3.3 in) x 90 mm

* Maximum torque: 23 kg·m (226 N·m; 166 lb·ft) at 5000 rpm

* Maximum power: 205 hp (153 kW) at 7000 rpm

* Supercharger: Abarth Volumex system with pressure between 0.60 and 0.90 bars

* Lubrication: dry sump forced

* Traction: Rear wheel drive

* Distribution: Dual overhead cam shaft driven by belt

* Clutch: Single dry plate, diameter 230 mm (9.1 in) with hydraulic foot pedal

* Gearbox: ZF The type claw, five-speed plus reverse

* Differential: Self-Locking with two shafts fitted with CV joints

* Front suspension: independent double wishbone, coil springs, gas shock absorbers and stabilizer bar

* Rear Suspension: Identical to front but with dual shock absorbers and without bar

* Wheels: Speedline 16" alloy wheels, Pirelli P7 205/55 VR 16 tires

* Steering: Rack and pinion, lubricated and shock

* Cooling: Forced with pump and radiator front

* Ignition: Electronic inductive discharge Marelli AEI 200 A

Specifications Lancia 037 Rally Group B

* Body: In polyester resin reinforced with glass fiber and flame retardant

* Weight: 980 kg (2,161 lb) in running condition

* Dimensions: length 3,890 mm (153.1 in), width 1,850 mm (72.8 in), height 1,240 mm (48.8 in), wheelbase 2,240 mm (88.2 in)

* Engine: mid-engine mounted longitudinally, 4 cylinders in line

* Displacement: 1995 cm³, 2111 cm³ in latest version

* Bore and Stroke: 84 mm (3.3 in) x 90 mm, 85 mm (3.3 in) x 93 second evolution

* Maximum torque: 30.5 kg·m (299 N·m; 221 lb·ft) at 5000 rpm, second evolution 34 kg·m (333 N·m; 246 lb·ft) at 5500 rpm

* Maximum power: 255 to 280 hp (190 to 209 kW) at 8000 rpm, the second evolution from 310 to 325 hp (231 to 242 kW), 350 hp (261 kW) delivered the latest version with the help of a cooling system using the injector volume

* Supercharger: Abarth Volumex system with pressure between 0.60 and 0.90 bars, the second evolution up to 1 bar

* Lubrication: Forced dry sump oil tank 8 kg (18 lb)

* Traction: Rear wheel drive

* Distribution: Dual overhead cam shaft driven by belt, four valves per cylinder

* Clutch: Single dry plate with sealing metal-Valeo, 230 mm (9.1 in) diameter with hydraulic foot pedal

* Change: The type ZF modified claw, five-speed plus reverse

* Differential: ZF-Abarth type self-locking with two shafts fitted with CV joints

* Front suspension: independent wheels with two wishbone, coil springs, Bilstein gas shock absorbers and anti roll bar

* Rear Suspension: Identical to front but with dual shock absorbers and without bar

* Wheel: Gravel version: Speedline 15" on the front alloy wheels, Pirelli P7 tires Corsa 205/50 on the rear wheels 16" with 295/60/16 tires; Asphalt version: 18" wheels on the rear and 16" front but only on the latest versions

* Steering: Rack and pinion with scaler

* Brakes: Brembo-Abarth disc brakes on all four wheels with alloy calipers

* Cooling: Forced with pump and radiator front

* Ignition: Electronic inductive discharge Marelli AEI 200 A

Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more luxurious alternative to the models in the Fiat range upon which they are based. One of the firm's trademarks is the use of letters of the Greek alphabet as the names of its models. Lancia was founded on 29 November 1906 in Turin by Vincenzo Lancia and his friend Claudio Fogolin, both being Fiat racing drivers, as Lancia& C. The first Lancia automobile the "tipo 51" or 12 HP (later called Alfa) was made in 1907 and produced from 1908. This car had a small four cylinder engine with a power of 58 bhp. In 1915 the Jota, Lancia's first truck, appeared and there followed a series of Jota trucks. In 1937 Vincenzo died of a heart attack, and his wife Adele Miglietti Lancia and his son Gianni Lancia took over the firm. They persuaded Vittorio Jano to join Lancia as an engineer. Jano had already made a name for himself by constructing the Alfa Romeo 1750 Sport Alfa Romeo 6C, 2300, 2900, P2 Alfa Romeo P2 and P3 Alfa Romeo P3, some of the most successful racers of its time. Lancia is famous for many automotive innovations. These include the 1913 Theta, which was the first production car in Europe to feature a complete electrical system as standard equipment. The first car with a monocoque-type body – the Lambda, produced from 1922 to 1931 also featured 'Sliding Pillar' independent front suspension that incorporated the spring and hydraulic damper into a single unit (and featured on most production Lancias until the Appia was replaced in 1963). 1948 saw the first 5 speed gearbox to be fitted to a production car (Series 3 Ardea). Lancia premiered the first full-production V6 engine, in the 1950 Aurelia, after earlier industry-leading experiments with V8 and V12 engine configurations. It was also the first company to produce a V4 engine. Also, Lancia pioneered the use of independent suspension in production cars, in an era where live axles were common practice for both the front and rear axles of a car. They also developed rear transaxles which were fitted to the Aurelia and Flaminia ranges. The innovativeness, constant quest for excellence, the fixation of quality, the complication of the construction processes and the antiqued machinery meant that all cars essentially had to be hand-made. With little commonality between the various models, the cost of production continued to increase extensively, while demand did not. The original Lancia logo was designed by Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia. The logo shows a lance and shield with flag. The Turin automobile museum is named after him as Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile “Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia”. The logo was redesigned in 2007. Lancia was not closely associated with any other manufacturer until the late 1960s. By this time, the company's expensive, high standards of production had become unsustainable. In aiming to produce a product of the highest quality, company bosses had sacrificed cost-effectiveness and when Fiat launched a take-over bid in 1969, they accepted. This was not the end of the distinctive Lancia brand, and new models in the 1970s such as the Stratos, Gamma and Beta served to prove that Fiat wished to preserve the image of the brand it had acquired. During the 1980s, the company cooperated with Saab Automobile, with the Lancia Delta being sold as the Saab 600 in Sweden. The 1985 Lancia Thema also shared a platform with the Saab 9000, Fiat Croma and the Alfa Romeo 164.

The photograph that the winner of this auction will receive is a very nice and very rare photo that reflects a wonderful era of LANCIA‘s automotive history in a wonderful way.  This is your rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 10" (ca. 20 x 30 cm).  It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.

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