By John R. Wright
If too much horsepower is just about right, then Lancia got it just about right with its Lancia S4 rally car. How to describe an all-out racing car used for rallying, one which according to one source would accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 2.3 seconds…on gravel! The Lancia could accomplish this feat as its engine was twin-charged. It was turbocharged and supercharged, the supercharger cutting out when the turbocharger had spooled up to provide sufficient power. Normally set up the engine would produce outlandish horsepower – some sources say 560 horsepower but Lancia engineers tested an engine at 5 bars of boost and achieved around a 1000 horsepower, more than any sane man or woman could use in a rallying event.