The Running Elephant On Lancia’s New Ypsilon HF Rally Car Is The Cutest Racing Livery Ever – Jalopnik

Lancia introduced final May that it might be returning to rallying with its new Ypsilon hatchback, revealing the primary pictures and particulars of the rally model alongside a road-going HF efficiency trim that regarded fairly superior. Now, a yr later, the Ypsilon HF is able to attain buyer fingers, and so is each the Ypsilon Rally4 HF and a brand new Ypsilon HF Racing mannequin that is geared toward drivers who’re simply beginning their careers.

The Ypsilon HF street automotive (pictured beneath) is totally electrical, with 280 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque despatched to the entrance wheels by a Torsen diff, a 5.6-second 0-to-62-mph time, larger brakes and upgraded suspension, and a 230-mile vary on the European cycle. It has a rad bodykit, superior material seats, sick flying star–like wheels, a blue and orange inside colour scheme, and paint colours impressed by the Fulvia and Stratos. It appears to be like superior, I believe.

Lancia

But oh my god, the rally variations. For each street and rally Ypsilons, Lancia introduced again its previous HF emblem that encompasses a prancing purple elephant, however whereas the manufacturing Ypsilon HF solely makes use of it on a couple of small badges, Lancia confirmed off the Ypsilon HF Racing with an elephant livery that could be the cutest racing livery of all time.

Now, some historical past on the elephant, which sadly does not have a reputation. The firm says it was chosen because the model’s mascot in 1953 by Gianni, son of CEO Vincenzo Lancia, and that in Eastern mythology elephants are “a symbol of good luck and victory, as long as it is represented with the trunk extended forward.” Here’s what else Lancia has to say in regards to the elephant emblem and its new interpretation:

The HF Logo debuted on the 1960 Geneva Motor Show, when a bunch of passionate Lancia automotive house owners based the “Lancia Hi-Fi” (‘High Fidelity’) membership, an unique assembly level for the model’s most loyal clients and particularly for individuals who had bought at the very least six new Lancia automobiles.

The HF emblem then turned a trademark of the HF Squadra Corse Lancia, based in 1963 by Cesare Fiorio along with drivers and passionate house owners of Lancia automobiles, and was used because the ‘signature’ for most of the model’s victories. The historic emblem was made up of uppercase white “HF” letters on a black background, with 4 purple elephants operating throughout them, and “SQUADRA CORSE” written in white uppercase letters on a purple background beneath. The little elephant was chosen as a fortunate appeal based mostly on the legend that, as soon as they begin operating, elephants turn into unstoppable, making them symbols of efficiency and driving pleasure. The new HF emblem reinterprets its historic counterpart with a recent aptitude: its core components have been simplified in each line and kind, creating a brand new steadiness that conveys innovation, premiumness, and the Italian spirit, with a contact of eclecticism, all whereas respecting the unmistakable geometries of the Lancia model. In specific, the colours come from the official emblem of the 1966 Fulvia Coupé, whereas the slant of the letters is impressed by the Lancia Delta emblem from the Nineties to specific pace and radicality.

Along the aspect of the Ypsilon there are a number of elephant outlines painted purple, black and grey, all sharing one eye and positioned and overlapping one another in a means that offers the looks of movement. That impact particularly obvious when taking a look at photographs of the automotive really in movement. There are different graphic stripes in the identical colours alongside the edges and entrance, and the tailgate and hood have giant HF logos. It’s cute.

Last yr Lancia revealed the Ypsilon Rally4 HF in a basic Martini livery, and there are some notable styling variations between it and the lower-spec Ypsilon HF Racing. The Rally4 HF automotive has the identical bodykit and wider fenders because the HF street automotive, plus a roof scoop and extra hood vents, whereas the HF Racing mannequin makes use of the identical styling as the usual Ypsilon. It does have some wonderful steelie wheels, although.

Unlike the electrical street automotive, the Rally4 HF has a turbocharged 1.2-liter inline-3 engine with 212 hp mated to a five-speed racing gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip diff. Other enhancements embody bigger ventilated brakes, MacPherson suspension with Ohlins adjustable dampers, Sparco racing seats, a roll cage, Marelli engine software program, and Speedline wheels.

Then there’s the HF Racing, which Lancia says is “a project designed to make the racing world accessible to a new generation of drivers that doesn’t compromise performance, safety, and construction quality, while maintaining exceptionally low operating costs.” Its turbocharged three-cylinder solely has 145 hp, however you do get a 6-speed guide transmission and a mechanical handbrake, brakes which can be larger however not fairly as large because the Rally4’s, and the identical chassis setup and inside because the Rally4 automotive.

Lancia hasn’t mentioned how a lot the Ypsilon Rally4 HF will value, however the HF Racing mannequin is sort of accessible, beginning on the equal of round $46,000 earlier than VAT. Talking additional in regards to the clients its going for, Lancia says:

The whole improvement course of was geared toward creating an agile, high-performance automobile full of technical options, however with extraordinarily low working prices. The Ypsilon HF Racing was established to assist the coaching and refinement of rally driving strategies, serving as a strong place to begin for drivers firstly of their careers. Created in collaboration with knowledgeable rally drivers and topic to rigorous dynamic testing, the automobile embodies the model’s core values: dynamism, accessibility, and driving pleasure. With a “race-ready” setup, it’s geared toward a big and various market to assist create an inclusive and progressive motorsports tradition.

It’s already accessible to order by the Stellantis Motorsport Racing Shop, and first deliveries will happen this summer time. The Ypsilon HF street automotive has but to be priced both, with it occurring sale after summer time. All of the fashions have been developed at Lancia’s new Balocco Proving Ground, with the Ypsilon HF driving over 100,000 kilometers over greater than 1,500 hours on the asphalt monitor, utilizing at the very least 100 tires.

Lancia

Lancia