LANCIA MARTINI - LC1 Groupe 6 spider - 1982 This Lancia LC1 is one of the four “Group 6” cars built in 1982. Wearing the Team Martini colors it was part of the Lancia works team entered in the Endurance World Championship of this year. #004 was first raced after Le Mans to be driven by Alboreto and Ghinzani for the rest of the season. On its first race on Sept. 5, 1982 at Spa the Italian team had to retire although they took the best lap in the race. Two weeks later at Mugello this car won with the best lap again then had to retire twice in a row at Mount Fuji (after a pole start) and Brands Hatch. In 1983 the “Group 6” cars were banned from the Championship. In order to go on racing, they had to be rebuilt according to the Group C specs. The remaining three chassis (# 001 had been crashed by Patrese in practice at the Nürburgring) were rebodied by Bersini and Vittorio Bellasi. The latter who had made F3 cars had also built a F1 in 1970 for Silvio Moser. This rather heavy car was fitted with a 3-litre Cosworth engine and the gearbox coming from the Swiss driver's Brabham BT24. Although the weight was problematic with the 1970 F1 car, it was not the case for the LC1 which put the scales at 640 kg for the Group 6 but had to weight 810 kg in the Group C. Thus the nice barchetta was rebuilt as a not-so-elegant coupé. Despite this weight increase the same 1.4-litre Turbo engine used in the 1979 Lancia Beta Monte Carlo was kept. The extra 170 kg obviously spoiled the power-to-weight ratio to the point of deleting any chance of winning for the rebodied LC1s entered by Civama Motors. This team sponsored by Gaggia (coffee machines) and managed by Daniele Audetto (an ex Ferrari manager) had raced during the 1982 season the ex-1980-81 World Champion Lancia Beta Monte Carlos. The team was based in a big Fiat garage at Novarra where the Fiat works rally cars had been formerly prepared. The modified Civama Racing LC1s were first raced at Monza on April 10, 1983, the same day the new Lancia LC2 Group C cars made their debuts. On this day the Civama cars were driven by not-so-notorious Italian drivers and veterans who were joined occasionnally by the rallymen Fabrizio Tabaton and Franco Cunico more used to drive the Stratos and 037 Group B cars than these track machines. After the Monza, Silverstone, Nürburgring, Imola and Le Mans events, the team showed its limits at the end of the season. At Kyalami the cars showed in a poor condition. Then they were taken back to the factory and rebuilt as Group 6 barchettas wearing again the original Martini colors before being sold : 002 went to the Rosso Bianco Collection in Germany, 003 and 004 to Régis Fraissinet who sold 004 to “Beurlys”. Racing car 100 - 150 000 €