Thursday 4th March 2021

BOOK REVIEW  By Peter Baker 

The Essential Buyer’s Guide - LANCIA HF 4WD & INTEGRALE 1986 to 1994 

This superb pocket-size manual, written with expert input from my friends Paul Baker and Peter Collins, is more than just a buyer’s guide, it provides a complete run-down with pictures on all variants of this four-wheel-drive classic, including all the subtle differences that confuse newcomers.

The overall shape may have stayed pretty well the same between 1988 and 1993, but because the car was, in essence, a homologation special, each new season brought with it change. More power, bigger wheels, and bigger wheel arches, all those things that make such a difference to value. A cheap HF can still be had for £10,000, but a coveted Final Edition, with history and low miles, goes for 10 times that.

As always in this series, the book pinpoints weaknesses. Actually, the integrale is over-engineered but, sadly, with so much power and road holding on tap, inevitably it is the body shell that takes the strain. Hard-to-repair cracks can appear in all the wrong places. I know. Rust is no worse than any other car, but some colours, such as red, fade badly and are difficult to match. That said, all the rubbish cars have long since been crashed through hedges, so with care, and with the help of the bible, you should come out a winner, just like the car itself.

Published by Veloce, and available now it represents superb value at £13.99.

The Essential Buyer’s Guide - LANCIA HF 4WD & INTEGRALE 1986 to 1994
Written by Paul Baker
ISBN 978-1-787115-38-5
Available through Veloce Publishing Ltd.
Price £13.99