https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIGVoxUH3BQHaving just read his books on the 037 and Pianta (reviewed some time back in the journal) I looked him up on YouTube.
At the end of the story, as FIAT favoured Alfa over Lancia, they all moved to the Alfa touring car project. Alfa anecdotes: One of the early learning points was to put cars in the pits with noses to the track not the other way round. In terms of sportsmanship at the end of the season they'd swap cars with Mercedes for a test day.
A surprise to me was that ahead of the 037 they looked at a mid engine Strada concept (like Renault 5s) and a Delta with the engine in the front and box at the back "like a Porsche 944" he said in the book, or "like an Aurelia"
In the film homologation sounds quite the pantomime.
...and a film of Limone and Pianta "at the office":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2jqYOizFroThe track was built by FIAT as a PRIVATE test track. They were able to run an Escort there in the 131 era that they'd rented from I think David Sutton. In the books it sounds tight and looks it in photos but all the more on film. Early 037 tests were at Pirelli's facility with the luxury of run offs and gravel traps.
I don't speak Italian, but this is clearly the book launch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7K4v3m2LqwNot seen it in a while, but an old favourite, from before Chris Harris was famous:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXgWWNJVdYA&list=PLdbvv_10rgbbI_lwduIOObAorqmq0pinU&index=12&t=665sThe Grand Tour film on the 037: Am pretty sure this isn't the whole segment, but the others are horrid bootleg versions. Anyone got a better link?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieawx-IKL6Uhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghUldLcBCYw&t=147sSeeing Jezzer in the red one am reminded that the 037 Stradale had a tarmac rally setup. In the film up the top Limone describes the Stradale Stratos as "soft"
The GpB car in the film is genuine, and now for sale.
https://www.thehairpincompany.co.uk/for-sale/1983-lancia-rally-037-worksJohn Hughes, ever the entrepreneur, became involved in the production company behind the well-known motoring show, The Grand Tour, and it was this very 037 that featured in their show on Lancia and the 1983 WRC season. This was voted ‘best segment’ of the season by viewers and includes a superb video of the car being driven in anger on dirt roads by professional rally driver, Mark Higgins. Sadly, John never got the chance to see the final edit as his health deteriorated rapidly and he died during the filming. We know that he would have been very proud to see the marque he had such passion for being portrayed so well to a modern audience and giving his car deserved justice.Following its return to Keysport after the filming, the car was fully appraised and serviced, #180 had certainly been driven in a spirited manner for the video and hence the engine top end, steering box, gearbox and Volumex were rebuilt. This last film is not particularly good, but the gear change speed is impressive, and plenty of sound track to have in the background deleting junk emails.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=badFXU_HtQs&t=808s
