Italian Brand Lancia to Revive Legendary Delta Nameplate for 2007

Swoopy Styling, Luxurious Accommodations and High-Performance Pedigree Ideal for North American Tastes

Fresh from its recent cash injection from General Motors, Italy's Fiat Group is on the upswing from its terrible financial

Having restructured and brought order to its state of affairs, Fiat will now turn to its interests in Lancia. (Photo: Lancia)

slump. It has unveiled several new critical vehicles across its associated companies, and has purchased legendary sports car firm Maserati outright from Ferrari. Having restructured and brought order to its state of affairs, Fiat will now turn to its interests in Lancia, the pseudo-luxury brand which has been left to languish over the duration of this rocky time period.

Decaying to worthlessness isn't on the agenda for Lancia, according to those in the loop; Fiat wants to restore the legendary brand name back to its glory, making it a household name once more. Aside from having a history filled with some of Italy's most beautiful cars, like the simple Aurelia two-seat roadster and sensational Stratos coupe, Lancia is also one of Italy's most prestigious brands, making lavish, custom limousines. The modern-day Thesis sedan is a stunning example of Italian luxury done right. But the deepest resource from which Lancia can tap is its rally heritage. Cars such as the Stratos,

Fiat wants to restore the legendary Lancia brand back to its former glory, making it a household name once more. (Photo: Lancia)

037 and Delta are synonymous with winning rallies; they are high-performance machines designed to dominate the road.

As per World Rally regulations, Lancia produced a limited run of specialty high-performance models, such as the mid-engined Stratos, Type 037, S4 and most famously, the Delta Integrale. Powerful, raw, and quick, these compact models were the European Lancer Evolutions and Impreza WRX STis of their time. And although it's been nearly fifteen years since Lancia halted production of any rally cars, the performance and capabilities of these cars have not been forgotten.