Lancia decided to re-enter the world of sports car racing in 1979 after a very successful spell in the World Rally Championships with the charismatic Stratos.
The World Championship for Manufacturers was an international series for Group 6 prototypes and Group 5 modified production cars with two classes, up to 2000cc and over 2000cc. Group 5 was essentially a 'silhouette' formula with a requirement for the car to be based, some would say rather loosely, upon a standard production car.
For the works-backed campaign, Lancia Corse sporting director Ceasare Fiorio chose the pretty Montecarlo coupe version of the Lancia Beta. Fiorio had concluded that a turbocharged version of the Montecarlo's 1425 cc engine could be powerful enough to compete effectively in the under 2-litre Gr. 5 category. It was also concluded that a bored-out 1429 cc version might well be capable of overall victory in Group 5.
The Dallara Automobili Company of Varano, Italy had created the Group 5 racing version of the Stratos (which had triumphed in the Giro D'Italia in 1976) and were contracted to build the racing Montecarlo. Development of the body styling, aerodynamics and chassis were charged to Pininfarina utilising their wind tunnel facilities. Engine development fell to Gianni Tonto at Abarth.
Under the Group 5 regulations significant modifications were allowed to the bodywork - with the proviso that both the silhouette and wheelbase of the production vehicle were maintained. As with other Group 5 cars of the time, notably the Porsche 935/78 and the Zakspeed Ford Capri, the final shape of the racing car was somewhat different to the road car. A lowered centre section of the production Montecarlo was augmented by front and rear space frames wrapped in lengthened and streamlined bodywork. At the rear, the bodywork incorporated huge widened wheel arches and an aerodynamic wing. The front section was lengthened with the addition of a spoiler to generate more 'downforce'. The overall length was some 785 mm greater than the production vehicle and 285mm wider. This gave the car a Cd value of 0.32 as compared to 0.44 for the Porsche 935. Despite the modifications, the Gr. 5 Montecarlo weighed-in at around 740 kg or 300 kg less than the production car.
The Beta's 1425cc production engine was used for the racing version but the unit was boosted by a KKK turbo charger. This increased power output to 370 bhp at 8800 rpm with a power-to-weight ratio of 1.95 kg/bhp.
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