Lancia Delta HF Integrale

At the begining, I found this body new and complete, and I was using it randomly with my TB-01 chassis.The problem was that using it for rally sessions could only lead to destroying it, so I had to modify the TB-01 with on-road settings each time I want to run it with the Lancia body. Of course, I could have installed this body on the TT-01 chassis, but this would have required a serious modification of the body mounts for every session.

This is why I took the opportunity to give this splendid body a dedicated chassis, and by the way, getting the exact model kit on which it first appeared in Tamiya product range (kit 58117).

The TA-01 chassis familly

The TA-01 chassis it the on-road adaptation of the DF-01 chassis first seen on the Manta Ray in 1990: more information about this in my Tamiya history of on-road and off-road chassis articles.

58096 Toyota GT-Four Rally	58099 Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo	58108 Mercedes Benz 190 E	58112 Ford Escort RS
58113 Schnitzer BMW M3 Sport	58117 Lancia Delta HF Integrale	58119 Toyota Celica GT-Four RC	58120 Axia Skyline GT-R
58125 Michelin Pilot Cosworth

This chassis actually features few models, but it is very important in Tamiya history since let the manufacturer efficently answer a major and sudden RC market move. The TA-01 will end its career in 1993 to leave room for the TA-02 and then to a full lineage of evolutions of this plateform that stil exists today.

The chassis when it arrived

I received a very well assembled bare chassis that I will setup for pure on-road use. Of course, it is meant to receive the Lancia Delta HF Integrale bodyset.

As you can see, the chassis is in an almost new state, it is fully ball raced and already equiped with hydraulic dampers. I only have to install all the electronics: for the rest of the equipment, it will be standard with a Mabuchi 540 motor, a TEU-101BK speed controller and a radio receiver.

The chassis is now fully equiped and all cables are tied: at the front, I installed an urethane bumper (reference 53353) after some cutting. It will provide shock protection to the front of the body, but it is mainly for my personal peace of mind: any real hit will be lethal to the body, whatever bumper you may fit.

The body

What is specific to this body, apart from being beautiful, is to feature a complete cockpit set. This is the original body that can be found on the kit 58117 based on the TA-01 chassis but also on the kit 58342 (TT-01 chassis) and kit 58446 (DF-03Ra chassis). Given the complexity of this body decoration, I chose to get the painted set. Well, the cockpit set still has to be painted: I planned long hours holding a thin brush.

The beautifull Lancia Delta HF Integrale painted body	The cockpit set to be painted, driver and co-driver's heads and stickers
Many hours later...	Once installed in the body

The result brings even more realism to the whole bodyset but it doesn't resist to a close inspection due to my very low-level skills in painting. After all, my models are not meant to be shelf decorations 

First runs

I had already driven with this bodyshell fitted onto the TT-01 chassis of my Xsara WRC and on the TB-01 chassis of my Focus WRC. This time, I drove it with its original TA-01 chassis on the track.

This bodyshell is still very beautiful even if it now shows use even after reinforcing and repairing it from the inside with scotch. About the chassis, I discovered its behavior in a pure on-road use which is pretty different from the off-road version of my Ford F-150 (which chassis is not a true TA-01).

The TA-01 is great to drive as it is very well balanced and very similar to my Xsara WRC. But there is a real difference: whereas the TT-01 remains silent, the TA-01 sings a pure vintage sound worth the best Hollywood FX. The main driveshaft makes this sweet sound that definitely reminds our grand-ma's coffee mill . Of course, you can upgrade it with a reinforced main driveshaft to shut this mechanical opera, but I think this would drastically cut the TA-01 from one of its outmost remarkable feature (this option is highly recommanded when using a more powerful motor though).

More photos on the gallery.

And now the video with pure sound from the famous central shaft:

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First publication: june 07, 2010 Last modified: january 21, 2012

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