Watermarked photography by Ted Gushue / Studio photography by Degler Studio
The Singer comparisons are inevitable, and apparently the founder of the popular Porsche modification outfit has already placed an order for one Automobili Amos’ Deltas, but we think this is a different take on the high-end restomod; one that’s less about combining and refining elements from different decades than it is about homing in on the essence of a single car and bringing it up to a modern standard of performance without losing its ’80s edge.
Eugenio Amos had been captivated by the Delta Integrale from the age of seven when he was sat in the back of his father’s (“Those memories are made of smells, of that soft Alcantara touch, of confused noises”), and after years of planning and development with a talented team of engineers and designers, he’s now realizing his mission to create the ultimate reimagining of the Italian rally box. It looks like a Delta, and it retains its flavor, but it’s been completely “gone through.”
The hatch is carbon, the fenders, bumpers, hood, front fenders, sills, engine cover, and fascia are too; the rear doors have been welded shut to give it an S4-esque two-door look; the ECU is new, the wiring looms are new; the turbocharged inline-four produces 330hp thanks to tuning from Autotecnica along with a reengineered cooling and exhaust system; the transmission is beefed up from its original spec (the car shown here began life as a 1989 Integrale); the upgraded suspension features an extensive use of aluminum; and Amos says in addition to the steel roll cage the frame of the car has been reinforced in line with Group A prep that the original WRC dominators went through. In all, the car has shed weight from its original spec, and now comes in at 1,250kg (roughly 2,755lbs).
It’s not solely based on performance though, and along with the modernized-but-faithful look to the exterior (the most noticeable changes to which are the lighting elements, wheels, and pumped-up box flares), the guts have been gone through. The cabin is fully reupholstered as you’d expect, but it hasn’t lost the classic rally-cabin look—the front seats are Recaro pieces, the rear bench is original Lancia with new wrapping, and the steering wheel retains the era’s proportions and presentation, but it has been tastefully updated with a selection of controls on the spokes.
We’ll be following up soon with more details about the car and its provenance with an interview with Automobili Amos founder Eugenio Amos, but until then, what do you think about the car? About its place in 2018? Not many are being built, and at a price of €300,000 (about $347,000 today), not many will be able to afford them—but as Amos says, “In the end the numbers really mean nothing in this context. Because I’m talking about passion and nostalgia and euphoria and these feelings are not measured in numbers.” How do you think it compares to another recent Lancia reimagining, the MAT-built New Stratos?
