German magazine Sport Auto usually tests the newest and most impressive cars on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which makes it particularly enjoyable to see them take a classic for a spin. Specifically, a Lancia Delta Integrale Evo 2, the pinnacle of the World Rally Championship-dominating hot hatch. It may not be fast by modern standards, but that's not the point. Driver Christian Gebhardt doesn't drive aggressively, clocking a 9:12.58 lap time. The Evo 2 is the rarest and most valuable of the Delta Integrale road cars, so there's no need to take unnecessary risks. Nonetheless, he doesn't dawdle, and it's a joy to watch this modern classic being tossed over curbs and thoroughly tested.
This also highlights the advancements in hot hatches. Gebhardt set an 8:33.6 in the Hyundai i20 N a few years back, and in today's fastest hot hatch, the Honda Civic Type R, he achieved a 7:57.29. Even considering he's not driving hard in the Lancia, it demonstrates how rapidly today's sport compacts have evolved over the past three decades.
The Evo 2 marked the farewell for the Delta Integrale. Introduced in 1993, it delivered 212 horsepower from its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It also signified the end of the original Delta, which was succeeded after 25 years of production by the second-generation model. Lancia withdrew from rallying after 1993, and arguably, lost some of its essence. One could argue that the Evo 2 was the last great Lancia.
