At 68, he was driving his Lancia Delta prepared for 650 hp... and is handing over to his son: «I can't drive like Vettel anymore»

An inexhaustible winning machine in the World Rally Championship between 1987 and 1992, the Lancia Delta went on to enjoy a second high-profile career in hill-climbing. We've already mentioned other diabolical deltas here, such as Milan Bubnic's, But Nobert Handa's was well worth the detour: despite its unprecedented power, it retained a look that was quite respectful of the original Delta!

Evolution 3, an unfinished dream

German hill-climb racer Nobert Handa was active for over 40 years, with a long career in the German championship. His speciality? Having always raced Italian cars! After starting out at the turn of the 70s and 80s with Fiat 124s and Fiat Ritmo, he switched to the Delta in 1989. He was highly placed on several occasions, winning the Touring class titles in 2002 and 2010.

Around 2009, after racing “classic” Delta HF Integrales, Handa switched to the E1 class, where he could give free rein to his imagination and develop unbridled silhouettes. Thus was born the Lancia Delta Integrale “Evolution 3”, which never really saw the light of day. The first evolution of the Delta was released in 1991, followed by Evolution 2 in 1993, but subsequent generations of the model were not as successful or as sporty...

Ramping up

Handa's Delta Evo 3 still looked very much like the production model, with a near-original body, but the first modifications arrived as early as 2011, with a bigger turbo boosting power to around 400 hp, while interior lightening was implemented. The major transformation comes in 2013 towards a very radical configuration: a high-pressure turbo is implanted that boosts the car to 550 hp, while the aerodynamics evolve significantly with a large rear spoiler, massive widening, increased chassis rigidity and much harder suspension.

Power gradually increases, year by year, to 650 hp as reliability improves. The final optimization is achieved in 2017, with track-tuned suspension settings, improved torque distribution and a refined aero system that sees the arrival of a front splitter. With a power-to-weight ratio of 1.45 kg/hp (940 kg unladen, 650 hp), the blue-and-white Delta was a real catapult.

A victory to conclude, and then the handover

As time went by and age set in, it was difficult to keep up with everything. The talented mechanic and designer called it a day at the age of 68, in 2018. Since the end of the 2017 season, he had travelled to Thuringia, twice to Parma in Italy and three times to Zagreb in Croatia, solely to overhaul the engine, repair the gearbox and refurbish the bodywork of his Lancia Delta Integrale HF a week before the start of the season.

These grueling journeys eventually took their toll on the seasoned driver, who found it increasingly difficult to maintain a consistent level of driving at the limit. «I can't just get in the car and drive like Vettel; I have to do everything myself - as a mechanic, organizer or manager”.

Norbert Handa was able to go out in style, winning his class in 2018 in his final race at the wheel. On the strength of his overall Touring Car victory at the Eichenbühl Hill Climb, Norbert Handa bowed out of competition after a record 42-year career. His blue-and-white Lancia Delta Integrale is undoubtedly one of the most famous and formidable hill-climbing cars ever seen. Christian Handa has taken over. But if he's driving a Lancia Delta Integrale HF, it's not his father's, but a near-production Evo version, which still boasts 300 hp.