The Group 5 sportscar made its debut in the 1979 Silverston Six Hours, Lancia’s first fielded race car in eight year. The car was the winner of the World Championship for Makes under 2.0lt division the same year. It was the overall winner the next two years.
Hans Heyer also won the 1980 German Racing Championship in a Montecarlo. The same year, the Lancias placed first and second at the Giro d’Italia automobilistico with Riccardo Patrese/Markku Alén/Ilkka Kivimäki and Michele Alboreto/Attilio Bettega/ Arnaldo Bernacchini respectively.
Others who have race the cars included Gilles Villeneuve, Riccardo Patrese, Walter Röhrl, Eddie Cheever and Emanuele Pirro. The chassis that will be in Adelaide was driven by Pirro, Martino Finotto and Carlo Facetti in the Daytona 24 Hours in 1981 and finished fifth overall.
Being a silhouette car, the Montecarlo was silhouette constructed with only the centre section of the body from a production car. The front and rear tubular subframes supported the suspension and housed the turbo-charged 1.4lt and 1.7lt 365kw engines.
It will join other classics of the past, like the Mazda 767B sportscar and a Mercedes-Benz 190E DTM Group A touring car in the Invitational category as further additions will be announced soon.
Categories featuring Formula 1, V8 Supercars, Group C and A touring cars, sportscars, IndyCars and more will again feature over the course of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, with more news on categories, star cars and drivers and on and off-track activations coming soon.
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Cars already confirmed for the include the Australian Grand Prix-winning Benetton B190 Ford; the V10-powered Benetton B200; the Bathurst 1000-winning Nissan Skyline GT-R R32s and Holden VH Commodore SS. They will be joined by motorcycle grand prix bikes, the Yamaha YZR 500cc and Aprilia ART GP13.
Finnish Formula 1 race winner Valtteri Bottas will be at the event on Sunday March 17 while categories featured include Formula 1, V8 Supercars, Group C and A touring cars, sportscars, IndyCars and more.
For further information and ticketing details visit AdelaideMotorsportFestival.com.au.
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