6 spectacular John Campion racing Lancias for sale

John Campion once said he didn’t have time for racing, so he did the next best thing by collecting great rally cars and enjoying them at private track days and showing them at special events. Perhaps it’s your turn to do the same.

The Campion Collection, a group of six stunning Lancia racers, is being offered for sale through London’s Girardo & Co. They aren’t just six Lancia race cars, they’re the six Lancia race cars—the best of the best, resplendent in Martini livery.

“The Martini livery is one of the most iconic in all of racing,” says Hagerty valuation specialist John Wiley. “Six Lancias adorned with the Martini stripes—all in excellent condition and with notable racing history—is an unrepeatable opportunity.”

The cars’ price tags are not published—email inquiries only—but their cumulative value is $7.5 million, according to a press release. Girado & Co. says the cars will be unveiled at this weekend’s Palm Beach Cavallino Classic at Mar-a-Lago.

If you aren’t familiar with John Campion, you’re likely new to the Hagerty readership. The Florida collector and his Lancia race cars have been the subject of many stories in the last several years.

As a young racing fan in 1970s Ireland, Campion developed an early affinity for the Lancia rally cars that periodically tore through his region. His love of automobiles travelled with him to America, where he took a roadie job with a rock band as “the fifth man on a four-man crew.” He soon recognized that traveling bands often lacked the electricity needed to power their lights and amplifiers, and in 1987 he founded Showpower, Inc., a California company that provided portable generators for the Rolling Stones, U2, KISS, and AC/DC. Today he is chairman and chief executive of APR Energy.

Campion’s first collector car purchase (in 1994) was a 1969 Intermeccanica Italia. Although he ultimately amassed a collection of 14 Ferraris, “They didn’t connect with me like rally cars did,” so Campion turned his attention to Lancia rally cars. His first was a 1975 Lancia Stratos HF that competed in the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally. More would follow. A lot more. And the best of the best are now for sale.

1981 Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo Group V

Chassis #N/A

Group V regulations balanced car performance by linking the engine displacement and minimum vehicle weight. The larger the displacement of your engine, the heavier the car had to be, which helped promote efficiency over outright brute power. The Beta Montecarlo featured a 1.4-liter four-cylinder Abarth engine (force-fed by a massive KKK turbocharger) and an all-new 16-valve cylinder head, which generated 500 horsepower. With Pininfarina performing the aerodynamic styling and chassis guru Giampaolo Dallara reworking the production-car-derived monocoque and suspension, the Montecarlo weighed less than 800 kg (1764 pounds).

The car has an impressive competition history, having scored a class win at the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans and all six rounds of the World Endurance Championship.

The last time a Beta Montecarlo Turbo Group V sold at auction was $300,000 at Bonhams’ 2007 Monaco sale. This may be the same car—the chassis number is not listed—and if it is, it has been restored in Le Mans livery. Hagerty valuation expert John Wiley values the Montecarlo at about $2M.

1982 Lancia LC1 Group VI

Chassis #LC1-0002

The streamlined 1982 Lancia LC1 Group VI was a factory entrant in the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans. Italy’s first ground-effect sports car is one of only four examples built. Winner of the 1982 Nürburgring 1000 km, the 450-hp race car was driven by World Sportscar Champion Teo Fabi and Formula One Grand Prix winner Riccardo Patrese.

It went on to score a pole and two second-place finishes, and today is in superb Lancia Classiche condition. Wiley gives it an estimated value of $2M–$3M.

1983 Lancia LC2 Group C

Chassis #LC2-0001

The subject of a Hagerty profile several years ago, the LC2 was arguably Martini Lancia’s most audacious project—Lancia’s answer to Porsche’s iconic 956 sports racer. Powered by a 2.6-liter twin-turbocharged Ferrari V-8 that produced more than 800 hp, the LC2 was fast—with a top speed of 240 mph—but it was plagued by mechanical issues and tough luck.

LC2 #001, the first of seven LC2s built, competed for Lancia Martini in the 1983–84 FIA World Sportscar Championship and raced at Le Mans in 1983. It later secured the pole for the 1984 Kyalami (South Africa) 1000 km and had its best-ever finish there, placing second. Today it is eligible for the Peter Auto Group C Championship, should its new owner wish to race it.

Another LC2 sold for $910,784 at RM Sotheby’s 2016 Duemila Ruote auction. Wiley values this one, with its impressive racing history, at $2M–$3M.

1984 Lancia 037 Rally Evo Group B

Chassis #ZLA151AR000000411

One of just 20 cars in this spec, chassis #411 debuted as a reconnaissance car prior to the 1984 Rally of 100 Lakes at the hands of World Rally Champion Markku Alén. Later assigned to the Jolly Club racing team, the Abarth Classiche-certified 037 was also raced by European Rally Champions Dario Cerrato and Enrico Bertone.

A similar 1983 Lancia Rally 037 Evo 2 in Martini colors (actually a road car converted to Evo 2 rallying spec) sold for $453,897 in October 2019.

1985 Lancia Delta S4 Group B

Chassis #ZLA038AR0 00000208

Lancia unveiled the ultimate rally car, the Delta S4 Corsa Group B, in 1985. The rear-engine S4 featured a backward-facing, longitudinally positioned, four-cylinder DOHC powerplant. The first car to use “twin-charging,” in which compressors forced air into its cylinders, the engine was capable of 550 hp, supercharged and turbocharged. It could accelerate from 0–60 mph in 2.5 seconds—on gravel.

This one (#0208) was used for testing prior to the Monte Carlo and Swedish World Rally Championship events before joining the Jolly Club Team and winning the 1986 Rally 1000 Miglia with European Rally Champion Dario Cerrato behind the wheel.

RM Sotheby’s sold #0202, also in Martini livery and winner of the 1985 RAC Rally, for $989,865 in October 2019. Wiley estimates that Campion’s car is worth about the same, placing its value at $800K–$1M.

1988 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 8V Group A

Chassis #ZLA831AB000417885

After debuting with a victory at the 1988 Rally Portugal, the 8-valve (8V) Delta HF Integrale added a second win in the 1988 Olympus Rally—one of the few World Rally Championship rounds held in the United States (1986–88)—behind driver Miki Biason. In all, the Lancia scored 36 world rally stage victories for Lancia Martini Racing. It has been fully restored to the exacting original specs in which it won in Portugal.

In November 2016, RM Sotheby’s sold a works 1989 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V for $263,648 as part of the Duemila Ruote auction. The Campion car, despite being one year older and with eight fewer valves, is in better condition and has a better racing record. Wiley estimates its worth at $300,000–$400,000.

Is it your turn to own one of these amazing Lancias? The race is on.

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