OVERVIEW
1994 Lancia Delta Integrale EVO II
VIN: ZLA831AB000583114
104 original miles (166km)
Original as-new condition, one owner car
Rare paint color Bleu Lord
Stored inside of the owner’s home for 25 years
Possibly the finest example of an EVO II in the world
Lancia’s street version of their 6-time championship rally car platform
“A car is only original once” is the common mantra of collectors and enthusiasts who place the car’s originality above all else, valuing the factory’s way of completing the car. This Lancia Delta Integrale EVO II is a rare and perfect example of just how well a car can be perfectly preserved. With only one owner from Japan who purchased the car and immediately stored it inside his house, this 104 original mile EVO II is the closest thing to buying a new Lancia from the showroom floor. With its rare paint finish of Bleu Lord in perfect condition, the interior being as new and the rest of the car completely mechanically serviced, this Lancia Delta Integrale EVO II is the definition of perfectly preserved.
Purchased new by the only owner in Japan, this Integrale EVO II would live one of the most pampered lifestyles that any Lancia might have been able to. Immediately after purchasing the car, the owner drove the car to a Buddhist temple in order for the car to be blessed, where most of the 104 original miles came from. In Japan, some Japanese believe in the ritual of after purchasing a new vehicle that it should be blessed by a Buddhist or Shinto priest. This is believed to help you avoid accidents, tickets, and any ill-fate that might normally deface your new motorcar. Once the car was blessed, he received a small letter packet with the prayer inside and these two special pieces of paper would remain inside the Lancia the entire time it was in Japan.
Driving it home would be the last long trip for this EVO II, and the owner would take car storage to the next level. While most car enthusiasts might park in their garage, the picture-perfect Lancia was put inside of his house. Treated to an environment shielded from the elements, the EVO II was able to remain in mint condition with all of its paint, interior and mechanicals remaining in amazing original condition. It even was shielded from the cold, ensuring that no unwanted moisture touched the car. The car would remain like this for 25 years, until being sold to Canepa in early 2019.
Upon arriving at Canepa, the Midnight Blue Lancia was inspected from front to back to confirm its absolute original condition. All the surfaces of the car were as described, and then some. The exterior doesn’t have a single blemish, the interior has no wear whatsoever, and original mechanicals with finishes from the factory are still in pristine condition. The interior still had its original plastic coverings covering the cloth surfaces on the seats, floors, door cards, and even the floor mats. Even the underside of the car still retained the factory cosmoline. The Lancia was quickly entered into the Canepa system in order to clean and continue to preserve this rally-bred streetcar.
The Lancia had been fully mechanically serviced before arriving in the U.S. which Canepa confirmed through a mechanical inspection, allowing full focus on the cosmetics of the vehicle through the “Canepa Difference” process. All of the cosmoline was removed by hand, spanning over the course of three days to clean each and every angle and crevice underneath the car. This revealed all of the factory surfaces in stunning condition, with all of the gold zinc plated surfaces shining in as-new condition. Once the underside was completely clean, the car was treated to hand wash and polished using only a foam pad. The original Midnight Blue paint finish is 100% original, showing no signs of negligence over 25 years of being stored, and now has an immensely-impressive luster shine. The interior was cleaned carefully, with the entire interior presenting as new like the rest of the car due to the care of its only owner.
It is rare to have the opportunity to enjoy a car from brand new that was originally sold 25 years ago while enjoying all of the factory touches and quality that were made decades ago. This Lancia Delta Integrale EVO II is perhaps one of the finest examples of the breed. With the heritage of 6 rally championships following the EVO II family, there is no doubt that the Delta Integrale platform is one of the most successful rallying cars ever produced. This mint-condition EVO II represents an opportunity of a lifetime. With only 104 original miles since it was first purchased 25 years ago, stored inside the owner’s home, blessed by a religious priest for its safety, and the hottest and final version of the Delta Integrale production, it is a tour-de-force for any collector who values originality above all else.
