1995 Lancia Hyena

History

The Lancia Hyena was designed and built by the Italian coachbuilding firm Zagato. This series was the result of a Dutch Lancia dealer named Paul Koot, who tried to convince Lancia to create a limited-production coupe that was based on the Delta Integrale. This was a tribute to the Delta Integrale and its racing accomplishments on the rally circuit. The Hyena was introduced in 1986 and given a four-cylinder, two-liter, turbocharged engine that had eight valves and 185 horsepower. A sixteen-valve unit pushed the horsepower even higher, to 200. The car was given an aggressive stance with flared fenders and proper suspension.

Reducing the overall weight of the vehicle brought it to 2500 pounds, a 15% decrease in comparison to the production EVO. Zero-to-sixty took only five seconds. Originally, Zagato and Koot tried to convince Lancia to allow for 500 examples to be produced. Lancia/Fiat declined. The duo tried another approach to get their idea into production - they requested that Fiat sell them Integrale chassis and components so they could build the machine themselves. Fiat again refused. So Koot and Zagato went ahead with production anyways, managing to create 26 examples.

The way they went about making these cars was probably not the most efficient, but it worked. They purchased Integrale sedans and shipped them to Holland. The interior and bodies were removed. They were then sent to Italy, where the Zagato company outfitted the chassis with new aluminum coupe bodies. The chassis, mechanical components, and body were then resent back to Holland, where they were assembled. This made for a very hefty price tag, a staggering $75,000.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2019