If one car could truly
sum up Lancia's DNA it would be the amazing ECV1 and,
two and a half decades after its first public appearance
at the Bologna Motor Show in late 1986, shocked the
rally world this 600 bhp rally 'laboratory' prototype
fitted with sequentially-operated dual turbochargers
finally hit the special stages in anger over the weekend
in San Marino during 8th Rally Legend 2010.
The company that the
pioneering Vincenzo Lancia founded more than a century
ago was built on a fundamental reputation for
technological innovation, advanced engineering and
Italian style, and in the LCV1 these core ideals were
perfectly fused and realised, a vehicle that broke fresh
ground in every area. Much more than fresh ground, it
tore up established thinking. But time had passed on
before this fearsome machine even turned a wheel,
rallying reassessed itself and took a cautious step
backwards and the Group B era came to a close before its
successor formula, Group S (for which the ECV1 was
built) even got off the drawing board.
The appearance of the LCV1, fittingly in dazzling
Martini colours, at 8th Rally Legend 2010, held
on the famously demanding sweeping asphalt stages dotted
around the tiny principality of San Marino, created a
stir of anticipation amongst aficionados of Lancia and
rally fans in general, and, fittingly, in the hands of
Miki Biasion the amazing car was the star of the
proceedings. The LCV1 was prepared for its debut in the
'Legends' parade, by renown Lancia specialist Beppe
Volta who was advised in his ambitious task by the
brand's famous former engineers
Sergio Limone and Claudio Lombardi whose gifted hands
created a plethora of competition winners.
The ECV1's stage debut, twenty
four years after it was built, fulfilled the hastily
aborted dreams of countless rally fans, and in the hands
of Biasion, who during that same decade raced to FIA
World Rally Championship glory for Lancia, the legendary
car fittingly took part in the "The Legend" stage, which
was run twice last Saturday, at noon and then at 4:00
PM.
The ECV1's dominance of the
event was utter, it's screaming 'Triflux' engine, the
waft of its 'special brew' fuel and purposeful,
aggressive lines, made it stand out from the pack in the
way a Lancia was born to. And as the ultimate rallying
brand the ECV1 was surrounded by its pack of
title-winning sisters.
As well as the stage action
there was a well-attended forum: Rallies … it’s us!
being
the main theme,
with Claudia Peroni hosting Lancia Epic,
Formula 1, Moto Gp … but rallies are passion and
Lancia ECV … tomorrow never dies among other topics,
while in the mix was the legendary former Lancia team
manager Cesare Fiorio. Meanwhile fashionable clothing
company Freem (an amalgamation of "free minds") and
supplier to top sports people including Alex Zanardi and
Kristian Ghedina as well as Biasion, created a special
t-shirt dedicated to the event and featuring the ECV1.
ECV1
The ECV1 (Experimental
Composite Vehicle) was a composite technology concept
car testing the use of carbon, kevlar, thermosetting and
thermoplastic resins, glassfibre and honeycomb in car
production. It was considered Lancia’s prototype Group S
car. In essence, it was a further development of the S4,
featuring the same basic design but incorporating huge
technological strides, with many of the components now
made from composites, including the main, load-bearing
section of the body. Other composite parts included the
wheels (8x16” in asphalt trim, but weighing only 6kg)
and the propshaft. It was powered by a 1759cc twin turbo
(dual KKK units) engine producing 600bhp at 8,000 rpm,
using a brand-new design known as ‘Triflux’, where the
two turbochargers were used sequentially depending on
the engine speed. An overall weight of 930kg was
achieved.
However, the ECV1 was
to never turn a (composite) wheel in anger. Until now, a
quarter of a century later. Consigned to the Lancia
museum as the Group A era kicked off in 1987, it was
forgotten by time. Meanwhile Lancia kept bringing home
victory after victory as it dominated the early years of
Group A, continuing to build up the legend that helps
form the mystique of the brand today by beating all
comers on the rally tracks. But now, the ECV1 will get
its first-ever outing, and it will be in the hands
another of Lancia’s rally legends, Miki Biasion, a
driver who was integral to Lancia’s success in Group A
and who took two world titles at the wheel of the Delta
integrale. He is “excited and impatient” to give the
ECV1 its long-awaited debut, a day that rally fans
thought would never arrive.
Photos:
Lawrence Clift Photography
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