[CAR NOISE]
CHRIS HARRIS: Hello, and welcome to somewhere in
Northern Italy.
Today I'm on a tire launch.
Now, I don't normally do tire launches.
In fact, I hate the bloody things.
But I received an invitation from Pirelli.
And the invitation said come to Italy and try our new tire
for historic racing rally cars, many rally cars.
It's called the P7 Corsa Classic.
Now, I read that and thought I've got no
interest in that, at all.
I can't sell it.
I can't be doing it because JF will kill me because it's
actually my normal job, I'm supposed to
review cars, not tires.
And then I found out what the itinerary was.
There was no chance to test the tire myself.
However, Pirelli was going to lay on a Delta S4, a Zero 37,
a Stratos, and-- would you believe it--
Markku Alen and Juha Kankkunen.
As you can see behind me, Mr. Alen is just chilling down
now, getting a cup of coffee.
This is the most extraordinary product launch
I've ever been on.
Only the Italians could launch a product where you don't get
to test the product yourself.
But you come anyway because they lay on
heroes and hero cars.
So this is my day and three of my favorite
motorcars ever made--
and two of my driving heroes.
It should be quite good.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: 40 kilometers outside San Remo town, up in
the foothills of Alps, the roads are sensational.
This is the first time the P7 Corsa Classic has
been used in public.
It's really Perelli trying to claw back its own territory
with a new construction, two new compounds, but retaining
that classic, asymmetrical tread patent.
As the cars on display, well, it's pretty
pornographic, really.
Beyond what I've already mentioned there's a 131
Miraifori, a Group A Delta, a cheeky 1997 Subaru road rally
car, a super 2000 Peugeot 207, and perhaps best of all, the
famous Group S 800-horsepower Lancia Stratos S4 ECV.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: Right.
I'm about to take a ride in the Lancia
Stratos with Markku Alen.
Now I've never been in a Stratos before.
I've never met Markku Alen before.
Both are heroes to me.
Probably Markku more than the car.
So it's not often I don't drive cars.
I don't like sitting in the passenger seat.
But sometimes there's no point in doing something yourself if
there's someone around who can do it so much better than you.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: So the car feels very balanced.
It's got lovely ride comfort.
And this little gearbox has got a lovely short row.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: The car feels agile as if he could just put
it into whatever he wants to.
Incredible.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: And the performance, as you can
imagine, it's got torque.
It's just a cool machine.
It's got a traction 305 section tire in the rear.
And at about 270 horsepower, this car--
gliding.
We've reached that rainbow stage with Markku Alen.
[CHUCKLES]
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: What a noise.
What a noise.
MARKKU ALEN: [SPEAKING ITALIAN].
That's also handling a very sporty car for years.
CHRIS HARRIS: The ride is so good over the bumps.
MARKKU ALEN: But no power steering
CHRIS HARRIS: Does it need to run for a little now?
MARKKU ALEN: Yeah, yeah.
It has to cool.
CHRIS HARRIS: Wow.
So for me to be in the passenger seat the two things
I found remarkable were, the car is very
subtle over the bumps.
And it seemed quite a drive to me.
MARKKU ALEN: Really?
Okay, we will go slowly.
But anyway, easy, easy.
But maybe now in--
I don't know the suspension.
Maybe it's completely new circumstance with this car.
Anyway, fantastic to drive today.
And maybe pick Pirelli tires, also.
I feel it is very safe.
And everything, the breaking point, the traction,
everything going so well.
So easy to drive, like I say.
CHRIS HARRIS: When did you first drive one of these?
MARKKU ALEN: Like here, Remo or something, '78.
CHRIS HARRIS: '78.
MARKKU ALEN: Yeah.
I mean, all of the time in 131, and I say, now it's time
to start us.
CHRIS HARRIS: When you drove the car, particularly on
gravel, how much slip angle could you use?
Not so much?
MARKKU ALEN: Not so you know.
I mean, that's important at that time, is you not having
hand brake.
Like today, boys are doing a lot of handbrake.
We are in only braking or accelerating, two
possibilities.
If you know something happened, you try to 360 or
you try to really turning corners, and I hope
everything's going well.
But no hand brake in this car.
MARKKU ALEN: Thank you.
CHRIS HARRIS: Thank you.
What a legend.
Next up four time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen in a
Lancia Delta S4.
On reflection, that's quite a good thing to say.
[CAR NOISE]
CHRIS HARRIS: Right.
So if it's him driving, I don't need to drive, do I?
Let's watch the master class.
A lot less than 900 kilograms, apparently, and they reckon
it's running 500 horsepower.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: Dear God.
Right, that is really fast.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: It's just got so much torque.
He's driving it smooth and fast.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: There it just takes off.
How does00 he just drives it with so much economy, motion.
And the motor, the motor starts out with loads of
torque, and then it just carries on going.
The supercharger brings it up, and then the turbo takes over.
It's fast, and actually feels quite neutral.
It's not understeering the way I thought it would.
It's the feeling that the engine kind of controls the
experience.
You don't actually sustain momentum.
You basically blitz it between the corners and get
it through the apex.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: That's extraordinary.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: Simply extraordinary.
And hit the brakes to keep up.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: What a car.
Thank you.
JUHA KANKKUNEN: Good?
CHRIS HARRIS: Yeah.
The engine is just incredible.
What an engine.
JUHA KANKKUNEN: Your face, it speak.
CHRIS HARRIS: It's the engine.
I just--
JUHA KANKKUNEN: Unbelievable.
CHRIS HARRIS: It's the torque and then the power.
And it's seamless.
You don't even know.
JUHA KANKKUNEN: You have the torque.
Like that car, like the Volumex, beginning, but then
when the turbo comes together, PSHT!
CHRIS HARRIS: That's amazing.
JUHA KANKKUNEN: It's amazing, isn't it?
It's a good drive.
CHRIS HARRIS: Do you think you could have been quicker in one
of these than the Peugeot?
JUHA KANKKUNEN: You never know.
I never drove these, but the Peugeot was a good car anyway.
CHRIS HARRIS: And maybe the Peugeot had an easier
handling, do you think?
JUHA KANKKUNEN: Yes, much easier driving.
It was more like a go-kart, a very easy car to drive.
CHRIS HARRIS: And this car, you find that you have to just
slow the car, get it turned--
JUHA KANKKUNEN: Yes, that's what you have to do.
CHRIS HARRIS: --and then power.
JUHA KANKKUNEN: Yep.
Peugeot, you could even have drove it a little bit sideways
and play more with the car than this one.
It was very, very easy.
The smaller road you had, the faster the Peugeot was.
CHRIS HARRIS: Yeah?
JUHA KANKKUNEN: Yeah.
CHRIS HARRIS: Thank you, very much.
Dream come true.
Thank you.
The most extreme interpretation of the Group B
regulations.
The supercharged, turbocharged four-wheel drive Delta S4.
And now it's older brother, the two-wheel drive,
320-horsepower Zero 37--
a few metal pipes, a supercharger, two-wheel drive,
and that noise.
So I'm here with Paolo Andreucci in a Lancia Zero 37,
another dream come true, the third so far today for me.
This man next to me is a six-time Italian champion--
six times.
For me, the 037 is a very special car because, it's one
of the few cars that covers both bases in that it is a
supercar designed to go rallying, but
it's rear-wheel drive.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: Good Lord.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: Yeah, that's what I love, actually.
I'm not going to talk about the car.
I'm just going to keep praying.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: This thing is electric.
The corner speeds.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: You can just hear the supercharger.
I can barely hear myself think, it has to be said.
Oh, my God, that was fast.
That was fast.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: Yes!
Yes!
Yeah, what a car!
What a car!
The balance!
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: Well, it's OK.
The faster change of direction is OK.
CHRIS HARRIS: Yeah
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: Yeah.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: OK.
The motor finally comes alive at about 4
and 1/2 on the tacho.
I'm going to [BLEEP]
right in my pants because he's properly going for it now.
A small fear.
A road where we shouldn't to be doing more than 20 miles an
hour, and he's doing 95, 100.
This car is noisy.
It actually feels more racey than any of
the other cars inside.
Wow!
He's definitely on it.
Fifth gear.
You shouldn't be in fifth gear now.
That shouldn't be possible.
Bit of oversteer on the exit there.
Bit of oversteer there.
Oh.
Oh, yes.
And that is why I'm not a rally driver.
So for you, you drive a modern car, a Peugeot 207 in the
Italian championship.
What's it like to drive this car?
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: Yeah.
It's very easy in the faster, because the
weight is very low.
And there is more of a loaded car.
In the faster change of direction, it's more precise.
CHRIS HARRIS: Is it?
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: Yes.
Because the weight is important.
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: With these tires, it has a
lot of grip as well.
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: Yes, very good.
It's a very good tire.
CHRIS HARRIS: You were just another gear, another gear,
another gear, another gear.
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: Yeah.
CHRIS HARRIS: That was fantastic.
Thank you, man.
PAOLO ANDREUCCI: Thank you.
Up to this point, the day ran surprisingly smoothly given
that there were three active road stages and a heap of
journalists.
I had an inkling of the mayhem to come, however, when I was
told that I could ride in the Delta S4 wearing
shorts and a T-shirt.
You sit on the fuel tank in an S4.
And less we should forget, they don't have a great
reputation for not catching fire.
At about 4 o'clock, the event schedule was slightly noveled
by some rain.
This meant the Stratos stopped running, and the gorgeous red
ECV still hadn't turned a wheel, at which point Paolo
jumped in the 22B and went for a squirt, returning to hand
over to Juha, who went very sideways, indeed.
Juha then spotted the S2000 car and said [DEEP VOICE]
I haven't driven one of those.
A few seconds later, he was doing this kind of thing.
Then the rain stopped, and we were treated to the theater
that is the experimental carbon vehicle
being coaxed into life.
They warmed it through, and then Paolo went up the stage
in it, returning to add some real Group B flavor by aiming
it vaguely in the direction of people
standing in the village.
I suppose there was only way the best day I've ever spent
not driving cars-- good end--
a bloke doing donuts in the best-looking
Subaru of all time.
And no, I still can actually tell you what a P7 Corsa
Classic is like to drive.
But what a day.
[CAR NOISES]
CHRIS HARRIS: Now, because you never
drove this car in theory.
MARKKU ALEN: Not in the rallies, no.
CHRIS HARRIS: Does this mean when you finish driving you go
back to Mr. Todd with a list of modifications for the 205?
MARKKU ALEN: Yeah.
[CAR NOISES]