This just in from the buyer of the 1992 Lancia Delta Integrale Evo I that was listed on BaT Auctions 10/31/17 (link):

“I grew up like many people in my generation playing Gran Turismo and Forza; my wife and I actually had our first date playing Gran Turismo together. My car of choice was always something light, AWD, and turbocharged because they were perfect all around vehicles.

While trying to decide what car I wanted, I learned about all the amazing Group A cars and the Lancia became my car of choice. The Lancia story was always so amazing to me – just a scrappy Italian team on a shoestring budget that somehow won WRC 6 years in a row against giants like Audi, Ford, and Toyota.

There was also something to be said about how they were unobtainable in the U.S., so I eagerly awaited until the 25 years were up so I could finally make my dream come true. I wanted the last of the Group A champions – an Evo 1. An added difficulty was I have a thing for blue cars. I had actually bid on the Lord Blue Lancia on BAT about a month earlier but lost out.

When this vehicle came up for sale, I was immediately interested and started talking with the dealer. In a bizarre coincidence, I had planned a business trip that would take me within 15 minutes of the seller. I visited the car in person and fell in love. It was absolutely immaculate and almost completely stock.

The seller had a bunch of top-notch cars they had imported including another Lancia and he took the time to walk me through the many quirks of the car and where problems may arise. Every question I asked was immediately answered and it was obvious he knew these cars inside and out and had tons of documentation.

During the bidding process I got so nervous I had to walk away from the computer – my wife was actually the one that put in the final bid that had us winning the car.

Our plans are mostly to just drive the hell out of the car and continue doing auto crosses and track events. We’ve been slowly starting to restore some parts of it (replacing faded lights and badges). I’m hoping it will be eligible for some classic racing events at some point and would love to take it on a rally stage one day.

Best,

Kevin F.

@kpflynn“