Lancia 037 – The Development and Rally History of a World Champion
By Peter Collins
Long-time VR author and photographer Peter Collins should be no stranger to readers of this magazine. In addition to his beautiful photographic work, Collins has often shared his positively scary amount of knowledge of Italian cars on these pages and, in fact, is arguably one of the leading authorities on Lancias, anywhere in the world. As such, it may come as no surprise that Collins’s latest project is an extremely thorough analysis of the history and development of the famed Lancia 037 rally car project.
After enjoying tremendous success in the late ’70s with the spaceship-like Stratos rally car, Lancia found itself challenged on the international rally scene by the introduction of all-wheel drive, most notably in the form of the new Audi Quattro. Thus, under the guidance of Abarth engineer Sergio Limone, a radical new all-wheel-drive, turbocharged rally car was developed to compete in the FIA’s new Group B category. In Lancia 037, Collins pulls together years of research and first-person interviews with the engineers and drivers of the 037 to create an amazingly detailed and insightful account of the birth and competition of this legendary rally car. Between the detailed background on the car’s development, its rally race history, driving impressions, and over 340 rare photographs, this book stands as the definitive treatise on the 037 and a must-have for any fan of Lancia or rally history.
Available for US $79.95 (£39.99) at www.veloce.co.uk
