A low-slung driver’s seat, unobstructed vision, a single central rear-view mirror to see what’s happening behind, and a stripped down interior. Welcome aboard the Lancia LC1. Only four copies of the Group 6 open prototype were produced in 1982. No driving aids, no telemetry. Just you and the car. With its iconic, instantly recognizable, Martini livery, the LC1 is a unique car which is also very fast, having been designed to take advantage of... a loophole in the regulations. It’s an illustration of the great intelligence of the Lancia racing department which Ascott Collection invites you to discover today. Be warned, you’re going to fall straight in love with this lovable prototype!

The Lancia LC1, The Ultimate Group 6 Car

After the Beta Montecarlo’s three season long epic (from 1979 to 1981) and the successes it chalked up, Lancia wished to continue the journey and tackle the challenge of constructing a prototype cut out for endurance racing. The problem was that the new Group C regulations, in force from 1982, imposed the construction of closed prototypes, which would have required considerable work. Cesare Fiorio went through the rules with a fine tooth comb and found a loophole he could exploit. For the first year of Group C racing (1982), the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) still allowed Group 6 cars to compete, provided they had an engine size below 2.0 litres. They couldn’t score any points in the constructor's championship, but could simply allow their drivers to compete in the championship that applied to them. Lancia saw a huge opportunity in this: to carry on exploiting the Beta Montecarlo’s excellent 1425 cc Turbo engine (equal to 2 litres thanks to the 1.4 coefficient rule), while using a less complex monocoque chassis than for a genuine Group C car. It was a great opportunity  for considerable media exposure and a major sporting adventure, for a modest investment. Thus was born the LC1, a sort of heir to the Beta Montecarlo, and a true gateway to the more complex LC2 of 1983. Ascott Collection is very pleased to offer chassis LC1-0002 for sale today, one of the four that were built at the time.
As was the case in 1979 with the Beta Montecarlo Group 5 programme, the Italian manufacturer assigned a small team to the LC1 project. At the time, the model taken as a reference was the Porsche 936. 
For the chassis, Giampaolo Dallara was again entrusted with the work. The monocoque was designed as for a Formula 1 car and weighed only 55 kg! It was made from Avional (aluminum alloy) sheets with three ribs and magnesium alloy reinforcements.
For the engine, the unit that had already proved its worth with the Beta Montecarlo was reused. The block was partially redesigned to be reinforced, with a cylinder head based on that of the Fiat Abarth 131 but with an optimized design of the combustion chamber. The engine was rotated 90° so that it could be mounted longitudinally. Internally codenamed 14.81 PT, the engine was again the work of Abarth.
An interesting fact: the Lancia LC1 is one of the rare premier category prototypes to be powered by a "small" engine. In this sense, it’s on a par with the 2011 Aston Martin AMR-One with its 2.0-litre inline 6-cylinder engine and the Porsche 919 Hybrid with its 2.0-litre V4 engine.

The turbulent open prototype that shook up Group C

When it made its first appearance in January 1982, the Lancia LC1 may have seemed frail in comparison to the first true Group C cars such as the Porsche 956s or Ford C100s. Yet with a total weight of 640 kg (25% less than the other Group C cars), and around 450 hp, the LC1 had an excellent weight/power ratio. With its side skirts being so close to the ground, the LC1 could take advantage of very effective ground effect when braking and cornering. The body had a long tail that covered the rear wheels, while two versions of the nose were available: a concave one for more downforce on slow circuits, and a convex one for fast circuits.
Simple in design and well thought out from the outset, the LC1 did not suffer from the fuel consumption limits imposed on Group C cars.
This was how, from the very start of the season, the LC1 made a great impression. Three overall victories marked the 1982 season: at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the 1000 kilometers of the Nürburgring and the 1000 kilometers of Mugello. Each of these successes was impressive. The LC1-0002 chassis being offered for sale today by Ascott Collection is the one that won in Germany, on the very last ocasion that the longer Nordschleife circuit was used in a world championship.

Lancia LC1 chassis LC1-0002

The Lancia LC1-0002 made its debut with its sister car LC1-0001 at the 1982 edition of the 1000 km of Monza. Piercarlo Ghinzani and Teo Fabi shared the wheel, but were forced to retire after 104 laps due to timing problems. The other car had the same problem but before retiring Riccardo Patrese first had time to set the fastest lap in 1m 44.300s. The top speed and agility of the LC1s were there right from the start.
At Silverstone, there was another fastest lap in the race for Patrese in the LC1-0001 and a victory, ahead of the Porsche 956s and 936Cs! Piercarlo Ghinzani and Teo Fabi again retired with an engine problem. But the car’s luck turned at the 1000 km of the Nürburgring, where it was driven this time, by Michele Alboreto and Riccardo Patrese alongside Teo Fabi. The trio won at the "Green Hell" after 5h54' of racing, one lap ahead of the Rondeau M382C Ford Cosworth of Henri Pescarolo and Rolf Stommelen. The Lancia Martini LC1 became the last sport-prototype ever to win on the Nordschleife circuit, which was never again used in the World Endurance Championship. LC1-0002 is thus truly a part of Nordschleife history. But also of Le Mans’ history.
For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, preparation was clearly limited. The Lancia Corse team fitted its cars with the convex nose equipped with headlights, and added a specially made rear spoiler with reduced downforce, in search of maximum speed on the very long Mulsanne straight.
Lancia’s objective was the championship, as they knew their Group 6 cars couldn’t stand up to the Group C cars over 24 hours. But in pure performance, the LC1s were in the running. With their 4th and 5th places on the starting grid, the Martini Racing crews were ahead of the official Ford C100s and the Porsche 956 n°3, among others. Both cars were forced to retire, after an engine failure for No. 51 (chassis LC1-0002) at the 9th hour, then electrical problems for No. 50 (chassis LC1-0003) at the 17thhour.
At the 1000 km of Mugello, chassis LC1-0002 finished in second place, allowing Lancia to secure a one-two finish ahead of Porsche. Finally, for the last leg of the championship at Brands Hatch, another second place brought the season to a close. Teo Fabi and Riccardo Patrese finished less than five seconds behind Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell in their Porsche 956!

Competition history

1982
1000 km of Monza - WSC - Piercarlo Ghinzani / Teo Fabi - retired (No. 52)
6 Hours of Silverstone - WSC - Piercarlo Ghinzani / Teo Fabi - retired (No. 51)
1000 km of the Nürburgring - WSC - Teo Fabi / Michele Alboreto / Riccardo Patrese - winner (No. 50)
24 Hours of Le Mans - WSC - Teo Fabi / Michele Alboreto / Rolf Stommelen - retired (No. 51)
1000 km of Mugello - WSC - Alessandro Nannini / Corrado Fabi - 2nd (No. 40)
1000 km of Brands Hatch - WSC - Teo Fabi / Riccardo Patrese – 2nd (No. 50)