1:24 Lancia Delta Integrale HF Engine set

The turbo that kept Lancia on top

The Delta HF Integrale came about as the road version of the car with which Lancia dominated the world rally championship at the end of the 1980s. Under the hood worked a turbocharged two-liter mounted transversely, in later versions with a sixteen-valve head. Characteristic is the substantial intercooler above the engine, the aluminum intake manifold and a dense tangle of hoses, which makes the engine bay a rewarding object for a modeler.

The road version, not the competition one

The maker lists two engine sets for this car and they differ exactly in specification. This one carries the designation of the road version and is the narrower of the pair in scope. The competition version is more extensive, because it adds elements connected with racing preparation. Anyone building the homologation road car will reach for this one; anyone who wants the car in competition livery with the accompanying modifications should look for the other.

Within the workshop's range the engine sets belong to the middle tier by scope. They are more extensive than wheels, tires or small interior items, but markedly narrower than the complete rebuilds of a whole car.

Practical points for the build

The hoses and the lines take the most work. It pays to tell them apart in color and to replace a few of them with flexible wire, so that they run in a natural curve. The intercooler stands out when its fins are underlined with a dark shadow and the edges are drybrushed with a lighter shade. Aluminum parts do not look good in silver straight from the bottle; a better result comes from a darker base and a fine polish with a metallic pigment, because the surface of the casting then reflects light unevenly, as real metal does. The turbocharger and the headers tend to be heat-stained into blue-violet and straw tones, which can be suggested with very thin coats.