topgear_grale_report.pdf

USED CAR OF THE MONTH

Photographs: James Mann

LANCIA INTEGRALE

They’ve excitement and verve aplenty but need an expert to spot the potential nightmares

The merest sight of a Lancia Integrale is

enough to set most fans salivating and it’s all

too easy to buy one purely on impulse – don’t.

Integrales are a unique breed, requiring spe-

cialist knowledge to find a good one. Buy

them solely on condition and seek a real expert

to vet any potential purchase.

As the meanest of the readily accessible

homologation specials, even early eight-valvers

gave a turbo-induced 185bhp. With a rally-

bred four-wheel-drive set-up and five World

Championship wins, the Integrale has always

had a keen following and is currently so

sought-after that dealers are forced to look to

Italy or Germany to supply demand in Britain.

early ’Grales start at £3,500-£4,000, but

buying on condition is vital. Expect to pay up

to £7,500 for proper stuff in a private sale,

with the trade asking at least a grand more.

The 16-valve model followed in September

’89 with a power hike on the 1,995cc turbo-

charged four up to 196bhp, plus seven-inch

wide alloys, beefier brakes and a swap to a

rear-wheel-drive bias – the eight-valve had a

56 per cent front/44 per cent rear split. Hence,

many end up buried backwards in ditches and

there’s a greater danger of buying a write-off.

Prices for the best ones are currently around

£10,000 to £13,000, with high mileage (there-

fore high maintenance) cars starting at £8,000.

The Evoluziones, arriving in January ’92,

were the sexiest of the bunch with a further

power boost to 210bhp, a bulging bonnet,

equally-sized headlamps and wider wheelarches

accommodating ABS-equipped brakes. The

track was increased too, improving handling,

and an adjustable roof spoiler was added to the

tailgate, largely for the pose. Distinguishing

between the three Evo models is tricky,

although the Evo II is usually associated with

the addition of a catalytic converter and larger

16-inch alloys. A couple of the very last ’94

micro-miles M-reg cars are still with dealers,

marked up at £27,000-£28,000. However,

sensible money for a pristine Evo I is £15-19k,

with Evo IIs now commanding £19-24k.

All Integrales came as left-hookers – beware

right-hand conversions which often used the

slower steering rack from the Delta HF Turbo.

Here’s our regular

used car of the month

feature, in which we

focus on the pros and

cons of buying a

particular model on

the secondhand

market. It’s all here:

the car’s history, its

style, the kind of

drivers it will appeal

to, which variant of

the model is the best

one to go for, what is

likely to go wrong and

how much you’ll have

to pay for the car

itself, spare parts,

servicing and those

insurance premiums.

TRAUMAS

The Integrale isn’t a cheap car to buy or own

and examples offered at low prices invariably

whiff of trouble. Stolen or stuffed cars are the

biggest nightmares and cloning is common –

always run an HPI check before buying. Most

will have taken minor knocks, so expect some

WHICH MODEL

The first and cheapest Integrale was the eight-

valver, emerging in February ’88 at £15,455.

Shy away from any Delta HF Turbo 4WDs

tarted up as faux-Integrales. Prices for genuine

132 February 1997 Top Gear

RALLY GOOD BUY

RALLY GOODBYE

INFO

BUY

Cherished cars with

service history

Cars with low mileage –

rec maximum 50k

Cars serviced every 9k

miles minimum

Monza red best, greens

and blues also popular

Buy in summer , sell in

winter

The Integrale holds its

price well and it could

well be a classic car of

the future, but value

depends on condition

Check the Recaro front

seat edges for wear

and tear in the trim.

Also check the glove-

box lid for warping

AVOID

The adjustable spoiler

was added mostly for

looks but is the mark of

the Evoluzione with

higher spec and prices

Cars driven hard will

have damage to the

low front spoiler, plus

broken/cracked lights

and chipped paintwork

Plain white cars

Steer clear of anything

rallied

Silly money dealer cars

HF Turbos disguised as

eight-valves, 16-valves

disguised as Evos

Clones or write-offs

Anything without

provenance or proof of

paid-up import duties

High milers

Originality is important

– check factory seams

and paintwork. Though

some of these points

need a trained eye

Clutches that have had

to endure standing-

starts at high revs and

loads of town driving

may only last 30k or so

COST

Prices only for cars in

very good condition

88E 8-valve 95k £5,450

89F 8-valve 85k £7,100

90G 16-valve

75k

A full service history is

everything. Regular

services at 9k miles

and oil changes every

3k show a loved car

The interiors were a bit

flimsy even when new.

Check all the gauges,

the electric windows

and the central locking

£8,850

91H 16-valve

50k

£11,195

91H 16-valve

95k £8,050

92J Evo I 45k £12,650

92J Evo I 70k £10,295

93K Evo II 30k £15,800

94L Evo III 20k £17,700

Water-cooled turbos on

the powerful engines

can last for over 100k

miles on 16-valvers

and later models

Tyre-wear on the inside

of the wheel can point

to misaligned tracking

or the four-wheel drive

being out of kilter

PARTS

(Prices for a ’93K

Evolution II, plus VAT)

Front Shocker £115.36

Front Brake

Pads

touched-up paintwork or a swapped wing. But

when Evos have an off it’s usually a big one –

to the extent that very few of the original UK-

registered cars are still on the road. Check

carefully for non-factory welding seams and

excessive overspray, or inexplicable welds along

the sills or under the headlining. Don’t buy

anything that has been butchered or shows the

slightest signs of chassis damage.

Terminal rust, like that found on earlier

Lancias, is unlikely and cars showing much rot

will have been unloved, with drain holes

allowed to clog up and stone chips left

exposed. Check for rust, though, by pulling

back the windscreen rubber and searching for

scabbing around the edges. Also check around

the sunroof and where the tops of the rear

doors scrape against the roof.

Interiors were less than solid, even from new.

So look for warped glovebox lids, rips in the

alcantara trim covering the Recaro front seats

and ensure that the electric windows, central

locking and all gauges work as they should.

Expect cars that have covered 60-70k miles

to be ready for a suspension rebuild. If the car

pulls to one side under acceleration or braking,

the shockers and rubber bushes front and rear

will need replacing. Likewise check the brakes,

with extra attention paid to warping or obvi-

ous wear of the front discs.

Mechanically, the Integrale’s Achilles heel is

the cambelt. Lancia recommended a replace-

ment cycle of 60,000 miles, but, actually, 16-

valves and Evos need a change at 25,000 – ask

for evidence that it has. On eight-valves the

cambelt will last 48,000 miles before needing a

change. Clutches also tend to go twang, some-

times lasting only 25,000 miles if regularly

revved high on standing-starts. Also check for

holes in the exhaust and for dings to the cat.

Turbos are strong and it’s hard to predict

when they’re going to fail, but allow £450

(plus fitting) for a replacement. Turbos on the

eight-valvers can last an average of 60-70,000

miles. The water-cooled turbos in the 16-

valvers and all later models can be expected to

last over 100,000 miles.

16-valves have a tendency to burn oil and

some cars have problems with faulty dipsticks,

leading to a danger of the engine being run

dry. If it doesn’t completely seize, it’s likely

that new crankshafts will be needed – the only

tell-tale sign may be a slight misfiring, so avoid

anything that doesn’t sound right.

Chipped cars are a risky buy. There is some

argument for tweaks in the ECU if done well

with new head gaskets and gearbox strength-

eners, but if carried out badly, they can result

in more vices than a Jackie Collins novel:

resale values, engine life, driveability and the

car’s originality can all be sacrificed. After all, a

standard Integrale is fun enough without loads

of unnecessary meddling n

£71.98

Front Disc

£106.72

Exhaust Back

Box

£141.46

Alternator

£268.17

Front Bearing

£28.92

SERVICE

(Prices include all parts,

labour and VAT)

9,000 miles

£107

18,000 miles

£257.50

27,000 miles

£113.50

36,000 miles

£278

cambelt change

£250

clutch swap

£550

INS GRP

All models

Top Gear February 1997 133

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