Lancia Considering Buying into STR

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns20358.html

The word from Italy is that the Fiat-owned Lancia brand is considering buying into Scuderia Toro Rosso, as part of its plan to revive the marque by expanding sales of Lancia models in Europe and beyond. The company's sporting heritage is impressive, dating back to 1906 when former Fiat Grand Prix driver Vincenzo Lancia set up the business, convinced that he could bring new ideas to the growing automobile business. He insisted that the company stay out of competition and concentrate on building luxurious and sporting road cars. He died in 1937 and his son Gianni took over the company and in the 1950s he hired Alfa Romeo racing designer Vittorio Jano and recruited Ferrari drivers Alberto Ascari and Gigi Villoresi and entered F1 with the D50, powered by a 2.5-liter V8 engine. The team began winning non-championship races in 1955 but the death of Ascari in a Ferrari sports car and serious financial problems resulted in Gianni Lancia selling the D50s to Enzo Ferrari. In 1956 the D50s won five of the seven World Championship events and continued to do well in 1957.

The Lancia company remained independent and in the 1960s Cesare Fiorio's HF Squadra Corse began to achieve good results in rallying with Lancia products. The team won the European Rally Championship in 1969, the same year as Lancia became part of the Fiat empire. HF Squadra Corse moved to the Lancia factory and became the motorsport department. In the 1970s Lancia won a string of WRC titles with the Stratos and also enjoyed some success in sports car racing, winning the World Championship in 1981. There was talk in 1980 of building a turbo engine for the new Toleman F1 team but in the end rallying remained the focus with the Lancia Delta. Six consecutive Manufacturers' titles and three Drivers' titles followed until 1992 when the factory pulled out of the WRC, leaving a few privateers to battle on for a period. Poor sales pushed it back into the Italian market and it came close to be closed down in 2004.

The firm is now being run by Frenchman Olivier Francois, who has been in the job for the last couple of years, and is committed to tripling Lancia sales to 300,000 cars in 2010. His aim is to add new models, get better dealerships and expand into new markets. At the moment the company is 80% dependent on the Italian market.

Among the strategies that Francois has introduced is to use Carla Bruni, the Italian singer-supermodel and new wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the advertising campaigns. It is worth noting that before joining Lancia, Francois worked at Peugeot Citroen in France and there may be links with recent rumours suggesting that Nicolas Todt, son of Jean Todt (formerly at Peugeot Citroen before joining Ferrari), might buy into the Italian-based team, to create a secondary Fiat-owned operation. This makes sense as the team would be allowed to use Ferrari engine and drivetrain technology but would need to build its own chassis. That would be a similar story to the Lancia Stratos, which was powered by a Ferrari engine.

 

Thats good news. I would have liked it to be Alpha but good news just the same.

 

Lancia-Ferrari? I wish it would have been Alfa also but I'm hoping that Alfa would build a diesel sportscar to go against Audi, etc. as Alfa's diesels are supposed to be quite good and it would help them showcase their technology.

Wouldn't be the first time Ferrari/Lancia hooked up:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/minipixel/1098525546/

Fangio's WDC mount.

PS-a new Delta Integrale S4 to be sold alongside the Fiat Cinquecento in the US? YES PLEASE!!!

 

I certainly like the sound of that!!

Toro Rosso is already using Ferrari engine. Let's hope they can design their own chassis too.
Another 'independent' team falling in the hands of a car manufacturer.

Nevertheless, it would be good for F1.

Now, who is going to do a charitable act and buy Super Aguri ?

 

There are NO Alfa Romeo Diesel engines.

Alfa Romeo belongs to FIAT, and diesel engines fitted on Alfas are FIAT engines.

FIAT pioneered the Common Rail Diesel technology.

 

Won't this be like 4 factory Fiat cars on grid? That would be stacking the deck in my mind even if I am a Ferrari F1 fan.

 

You are right. Ferrari has provided engines to other teams before (Minardi, Sauber, Prost, Spyker, Red Bull, Force India, Toro Rosso), but never to another FIAT outfit.

Also, it's a pity that for commercial reason, FIAT would decide to revive Lancia in GP, where Maserati would be more appropriate.

I certainly like the idea of an official Ferrari 'B' team.

 

I wish it would have been Maserati but that is great news

 

Fan of the marque but I can't see this progressing far. Sales of 20,000 cars p.a outside of Italy and a budget of what ?optimistically $60 million? to be a perennial midfielder at best?
Lancia's history in F1 is known by perhaps 5% of those who were fans of the marque when they went rallying, and that's where they should return if they want positive world recognition. First thing to do; get Loeb and any zing e waunt.

 

How about Lambo? Those guys are such posers. WE need to see some Lambos on track!

 

STR would have to switch engine suppliers