The legendary rally-winning Lancia Delta Integrale is heading back to the dirt as an EV courtesy of French racing team GCK Motorsport and the 2022 World Rallycross Championship.
Rallycross is undergoing some major changes for 2022, including the mass adoption of electric drivetrains. Every machine on the 14-car grid will use identical powertrains comprising a pair of electric motors produced by Austrian company Kreisel developing a combined 671 hp.
But the body style and livery is down to the individual team, and GCK has picked the instantly recognisable boxy Delta that won six WRC titles between 1987 and 1992 when Group A rallying replaced Group B. We’ll not spend too much time dwelling on the fact that Delta was never quite so hot in rallycross back in the day.
The Lancia Delta Evo-e competition car will be based on GCK’s Exclusiv-e Delta Integrale road car, a restomod that swaps the original 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine for a 197 hp electric powertrain. GCK says its road car is good for 0-62 mph in 6.6 seconds, but with more than three times the output its rallycross alter ego should get there in less than two.
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“I’m super excited for GCK to be returning to the FIA World Rallycross Championship under its new electric banner,” said Guerlain Chicherit, President, Green Corp Konnection (GCK), which is also supplying the electricity to recharge the batteries of the Championships cars between races.
“The race format lends itself perfectly to delivering one of the most thrilling sporting spectacles with electric cars so far, and we chose the Lancia Delta Integrale because it is a vehicle that made us all dream.” The firm has yet to confirm who will drive the car in WRX’s inaugural electric season.
