Storied Italian brand Lancia announced its return to motorsport with the launch of 212 hp Ypsilon Rally4 Trofeo Lancia cup car – but the really exciting news was buried in the press release. A new, motorsport-inspired, all-electric 280 hp street version of the new Lancia Y is here. What’s more, it’s bringing back the iconic HF badge.
Back in the 1980s, the quickest, gnarliest, most dangerous cars in the world raced against each other in the Group B rally class. Renault ran the mid-engined R5 Turbo, Audi ran the devastating Ur-Quattro, and Lancia ran its legendary Delta HF Integrale. There’s a newfound interest and romanticism about that era these days, fueled in part by the companies, themselves, and low-production monsters like the 580 hp R5 Turbo 3E.
It’s proven to be a successful formula. The new-age Renault 5 selling like hotcakes, and the sizzling R5 Turbo 3E selling out in minutes.
Now Lancia is getting into the mix, with a less insane (but still lickedy-quick) 280 hp rally-inspired EV of its own, and it’s bringing back the classic HF nameplate – complete with a modernized version of the iconic “galloping elephant” badge.
Symbols of Lancia’s heritage, the badge’s core elements—the HF acronym and the iconic elephant—have been simplified in both line and form, creating a new balance that conveys innovation, premiumness, and the Italian spirit, with a touch of eclecticism, all while respecting the unmistakable geometries of the Lancia brand. In particular, the colors come from the official logo of the 1966 Fulvia Coupé, while the slant of the letters is inspired by the Lancia Delta logo from the 1990s to express speed and radicality.
LANCIA
As a car, the new Lancia Ypsilon HF EV features a lowered suspension and a wheel track that’s been widened by 3 cm (a little over an inch) compared to the standard model. Visually, dedicated front bumpers featuring an HF logo, special 18″ lightweight aluminum alloy wheels, an aerodynamic rear diffuser, and wheel arches that create, “assertive, muscular forms designed for performance and inspired by the brand’s most radical, iconic cars.”
The changes set the stage, and clue bystanders in to the car’s sporting possibilities – and those possibilities are very, very real.
Big, AWD shoes to fill
The last car to wear the HF badge, the Lancia Delta, was the single most successful model in the history of rally racing, scoring constructors’ championships in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992 – and that doesn’t include the Lancia 037 that won it in 1985, or the Stratos and Fluvia HF models that dominated the 1970s, either. All told, the brand has scored 11 victories at Dakar and an almost unimaginable 27 world championships.
Those are some big shoes tires to fill, and Lancia has given its new electric hot hatch 280 hp and 345 Nm (255 lb-ft) of torque, delivered to the ground through a Torsen limited-slip differential that can direct torque to the inside or outside tires, steering the car like a tank and maximizing its mechanical grip through corners.
The Alcon braking system—featuring monobloc four-piston calipers and enlarged 355-mm discs—ensures power, stability, and fatigue resistance; meanwhile, the fine-tuning of the chassis and suspension—with rigidity increased by up to 67% at the front and 153% at the rear anti-roll bar—guarantees precise and engaging driving dynamics.
LANCIA
The sprint from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) happens in about five-and-a-half seconds on the way to the Lancia’s electronically limited top speed of 180 km/h. That ‘s about 112 mph – which is positively moving on loose dirt and gravel, I promise!
Parent company Stellantis says its new Lancia Ypsilon HF offers 370 km (about 230 miles) of range with standard tires (based on the WLTP cycle), thanks to a highly efficient, 400V, 54 kWh lithium-ion battery capable of fast charging that adds up to 100 km of range for every 10 minutes it’s plugged into a DC fast charger.
Pricing wasn’t announced, but expect something in the €35-40,000 range. Order books are open now, with deliveries set to begin later this year.
Electrek’s Take
Look, I’m not here to lie to you people – I am a huge Lancia fan. I’ve owned a few Betas (two coupes and a gorgeous HPE shooting brake in Azzurro Metallizato), a Delta, a Montecarlo … and I’ll very probably own one or two more before I finally kick the bucket. As such, there is absolutely zero chance that I’m looking at this thing objectively.
I absolutely must have one, and I promise that I’ll race anyone who pulls up alongside me in a Renault or Audi. Bet.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis.
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