Competing for 3 seasons of the FIA World Rally Championship at the end of the fabulous and terrifying Group B era, the Lancia 037 was one of the last 2WD rally cars to be a winner, at a time when the 4WD monsters were starting their domination of the sport. HPI Racing is proud to offer the winner of the 1983 Monte Carlo Rally, the Lancia 037 in full Martini livery! Also available are two versions of the Lancia 037 in plain colors: Italian racing red or bright white!

These precision cast models are 1:43 scale, a convenient size (approximately 10 x 4 x 3cm) for any desk or display case. Each version comes in a crystal clear acrylic case with black base so you can easily stack the cases if you wish.

Incredible attention has been paid to make the cars as true to scale as possible. Fine exterior details like radiators, disc brakes, brake calipers, mirrors, wings, exhaust, headlight buckets, mirrors, tow hooks and radio antennae combine to make the models extremely realistic. The paint and even the sponsor logos are color-matched for exact scale representation. Each car has a fully painted and detailed interior, complete with a roll cage, racing seat, fire extinguisher, steering wheel, and dashboard. Engine detail includes the full cylinder block, exhaust system, radiators, oil coolers and more!

HPI uses the drawings and plans from the manufacturer to accurately reproduce what we feel are the finest 1:43 scale die-cast models available. Look at one close up and you'll agree! Remember: All of these die cast-models are made in limited quantities, once gone they will never be available again.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Lancia 037 Group B Rally Car 1982-1985

1983 Monte Carlo winner

Conceived to be Fiat Group's flagship in the most insane era of the World Rally Championship, the Lancia 037 was quite simply a no compromises rally car that was among the fiercest of the Group B era. And with the rallying legacy of Lancia's Fulvia HF and Stratos rally cars, Lancia's 037 needed to be a special kind of car to win in this dangerous era.

The Group B era was one of the most wonderful, yet tragic, eras in the history of the World Rally Championship. AS cars produced huge amounts of power; the FIA had set engine displacement limits in order to keep the engines from producing too much power. However, Group B coincided with Formula 1's turbo era, where technology had been developed to produce outrageous amounts of power from very small engines through turbocharging, although Lancia opted supercharging the 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine resulting 300+ horsepower. It was technology that found its way onto the Group B cars, such as aerodynamic developments that made the cars produce huge amounts of down force to help assist in somewhat manageable driving. The cars were so fast and so difficult to drive, even the great Walter Rohrl commented that the Group B cars were too fast for thoughts.  

As manufacturers such as Lancia, Audi, Opel, Porsche, and Peugeot pushed the technological envelope in their quest to beat each other through the forests and deserts of the world, the cars became, as was stated in the famous Duke Video documentary, "too fast to race".

When the Lancia 037 made its debut at the Corsica Rally in 1982, it was facing already stout competition. The Audi Quattro had made its debut earlier in the year, and ably driven by the likes of Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blonqvist and Michele Mouton, the four-wheel drive cars from Ingolstad had revolutionized rallying in the Group B era. The Opel factory effort was also strong, and in fact would beat Audi to the title that year, thanks to the unreliability of the new Quattro.

While the first few races of the 037's career brought mixed results as the car was developed, Markku Alen brought the car home in fourth at the RAC Rally in Great Britain to conclude the season. Coupled with a win in the Pace National Rally - an English National rally competition - hopes were high that the 037 would become a contender for the next season.

The World Rally Championship begins its season with its most prestigious event - the Rally of Monte Carlo. The Audi Quattros were heavily favored in this tarmac rally, which usually takes place on snowy roads, on which their four-wheel-drive would excel. For the 1983 season, Lancia employed the likes of Walter Rohrl, fresh from his World Championship with Opel, and retained Markku Alen and Miky Biasion for their Group B attack.

But the 1983 version of this classic rally did not feature much snow, something which happens very rarely in the principality in the winter. The Lancia crew also had a few tricks up their sleeves, such as employing the use of studded tires in the rear of the car during a stage which had much ice, and then stopping for lightning-quick roadside tire changes to more appropriate dry tires during a later part of the stage that was dry. Their tire supplier, Pirelli, had developed new tires for the 037, also relying on technology they had developed through Formula 1. The result was, despite the clear advantage of Audi's Quattro system, Lancia's crew and engineers had simply out-thought the Germans, and Walter Rohl won the most important rally of the year with Markku Alen in second.

For Lancia, the big focus of the season lay not on the individual driver's championship, but on the constructor's championship. Thus, when they had clinched the driver's title with one race left, they did not bother with sending a car to the final rally for Walter Rohrl, even though he had a chance to win the individual championship!

YouTube links to cool Lanica 037 video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq47kUUdfqo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piibe3IAjxc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDUqR3yO0E4

#957 LANCIA 037 RALLY '83 MONTE CARLO WINNER (#1)
#960 LANCIA 037 RALLY (PLAIN COLOR MODEL:RED)
#8032 LANCIA 037 RALLY (PLAIN COLOR MODEL:WHITE)