A key figure in Abarth and particularly with reference to the Lancia Delta was Sergio Limone. He had joined Abarth on his 24th birthday in July 1972 and initially was involved in many aspects of engine development, working specifically on the four-valve cylinder heads for the V6 Stratos engine and incorporating Kugelfischer injection for the Stratos entered on the Giro d’Italia. In 1975 he started working on the Fiat Abarth 131, this time mainly on the suspension, transmission and bodywork. One of his first tasks was to design uniball joints for all the 131’s suspension parts. By 1980 he had also taken on the task of drawing up the homologation papers for the cars that Abarth were developing first for Fiat and then Lancia. By 1986 he had started to represent the company at the FIA and later took part in their Technical Commission and Homologation Working Group as a representative of the car manufacturer’s organisation, the BPICA (Bureau Permanent International des Constructeurs d’Automobiles). Limone was a great believer in putting everything that was different, even those things that were completely allowed by the Group A regulations, on the homologation form so that any scrutineer anywhere in the world could see what had been done. This resulted in, for instance, the final version of the original Integrale homologation form A5355 running to 173 pages.
Limone recalls that immediately after the 1987 Monte Carlo victory, Vittorio Ghidella, the boss of Fiat Auto, asked the engineers what Lancia needed to be more competitive. The answer was a new car with more power from the engine, a wider body to allow it to use the wider tyres allowed in Group A, and better cooling. This latter point was ultra-important since the rules for 1988 would change from allowing intercooler freedom to restricting them to the size fitted to the standard model. The proposed car was ready as early as March 1987 for evaluation and was approved. The Chivasso manufacturing plant was charged with making the necessary cars. The new car was homologated in March 1988.
Limone’s engineering responsibilities for the Integrale covered its suspension, cooling systems (water, oil and the fuel/air mixture on the induction side of the engines), the fuel system and safety devices (e.g. roll cages). In addition, he was also responsible for all the tests of new parts plus their subjection to real life durability trials when fitted to actual test cars.
AUTOMOBILSPORT: Can you tell us a little bit about your working life at Abarth? How long did you work for Abarth and what were your main activities?
Limone: I started on 24 July 1972, which was my 24th birthday, and I officially retired on 31 December 2005. From 1972 until October 1975, I was involved in engine development. That included a lot of test work on the dyno, I spent many, many hours there. A lot of work was also done on the evolution of the engines. For instance, we developed special cylinder heads for Group 4, we built special engines for the Giro d’Italia, we found ways to install the Kugelfisher injection pump on the Group 4 engines, and so on.
The next step for me came in October 1975 when I joined the design and development car department as a junior engineer. That meant I no longer had anything to do with engines, electronics or electrical systems, as these were the responsibility of other departments, but I was involved in all the other aspects of the car. To give you an example, my first job was the fitting of uniballs on the suspensions of the Fiat 131 rally cars.
From 1980 onwards, I was in charge of the design and development car department and I also had to take care of the drafting of the FIA homologation documents, so that was a lot of paperwork to handle, as you can imagine! In 1986 I was appointed as a member of the FIA Technical Commission and the Homologation Working Group as a representative of the Manufacturers’ Commission, a position I held until my retirement at the end of 2005 …
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by John Davenport and René de Boer
Photographs: Sergio Limone, McKlein
