Today, we are moving on to a rally icon, and another welcomed model from Solido – the 1991 Lancia Delta HF Integrale. Those who watched rally racing in the 1990s, will not need any introduction to this six-time consecutive world titles winner. For those born in the new millennium, let me explain. To continue the ongoing success and domination of the Delta at WRC, Lancia introduced a revised version of the earlier car in 1991 and called it Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione.

The car received some notable internal upgrades such as larger brakes, beefed-up suspension and a stronger exhaust system to name just a few. On the exterior, wide arches, hood and bumpers were all revised. The roof spoiler at the back of the car was now manually adjustable to three different positions. Interestingly enough, with all the improvements Lancia decided to discontinue the involvement of the factory rally team at the exact same time. With six manufacture championships, four driver titles and forty-six rally wins, Lancia Delta became the most successful rally car. Even the road-going version as the one I will review today is sought after by car collectors around the world.

We have seen Kyosho make a fully opening version of this car with a higher price tag, which makes me curious to see how this budget one will present itself. For those new to the hobby, this model is made from die-cast metal in 1:18 scale with opening front doors giving access to the interior. This one comes with the mirrors attached and is packaged in the usual Solido box with see-through plastic on the front and sides.

Out of the box, the first impression is good – the paint is consistent, and I do not see any overspray or thickening around the edges. As this is an entry-level budget model, perforated grilles are not present, and fender cutouts are solid black pieces. At the front, I do appreciate a few things such as the red inner outline inside both silver grilles, the HF badge on the left, and the Lancia logo in the middle. Headlights are on point, as are the orange turning signals and fog lights. All these components are constructed from separate plastic pieces. The front bumper has the correct number of cutouts and is true to the real car.

Moving on to the side, I feel everything looks reasonably well. I do like the black frames around the windows as they accurately replicate the real car. This could have been easily omitted to cut costs and kudos to Solido for not going that route. The little Lancia logo on the pillar in between the doors is present, the front door handle has a dot of silver paint to simulate a key lock, the gas cap is a separate piece finished in silver and black, and the side turning signal is an orange separate piece. The rim design is accurate, however, I feel the size is a tad too small. Comparing the wheels and tires with car pictures found online, I feel they should have been a little bigger (maybe one size). The wheels are steerable, however, I wish they would not swing as much toward the front and back of the fender when turned in either direction. The tire tread is present, but the tire branding is not.

The back of the model looks as good as the front. Window defogger, rear wiper, rear lights, reverse lights, Lancia and Integrale badges are all present. As with other Solido models, I do like the choice of a license plate, reading “Delta Integrale HF”. The three-way adjustable roof-mounted wing on the real car is however a static piece on the model seen here. The exhaust pipe has nice depth, the tow hook is present and everything else appears to be on point.

Looking at the interior, you are reminded of square-style dashboards as they were presented back in the day. There is not much colour, and you are greeted with a mostly black interior. You will have to look really close to see some colour on the gauge clusters and some buttons inside. The interior of the door is all black as well. Lancia has made some special edition models later on and I really hope Solido makes those in the future, as they were offered with more colourful interiors. On this spec, the overall execution is acceptable and in line with the budget price of the model.

To sum things up, this is another decent budget model from Solido. Lancia Delta HF Integrale is a rare sight on the roads today, and I feel this model will definitely keep the legacy alive for many collectors and car enthusiasts. It gives us a chance to appreciate it, well, in 1:18 scale at least. I think Solido has been really good at selecting the right subject matter, which caters to collectors from all parts of the world.