Giuseppe Volta 1946-2017

Engineer who became the leading restorer of Lancia rally cars

THE WORLD OF historic rallying lost one of its most enthusiastic exponents on 3 April, when Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Volta was killed in a freak accident near Turin. Volta, 71, had been in a car crash and was checking the condition of the other driver’s vehicle when struck by an oncoming car.

Volta started his engineering career in circuit racing, working with Osella in the late 1960s. He set up his own operation in 1970, working first on sports-prototype racers before moving to rallying amd assistance on the Fiat 131 Abarth project. His preparation firm became one of the most respected non-factory efforts – a go-to operation for anyone wanting a well-sorted 131 or Lancia 037.

More recently, Volta became well known in historic rallying for his work to restore and preserve Lancia rally prototypes. He acquired the Italian brand’s near-mythical ECV1 (Experimental Composite Vehicle) and restored it to working condition. This meant not only bringing the chassis and bodywork back to working order, but also building a working version of the novel ‘Triflux’ engine layout, which allowed twinturbocharging on an in-line four-cylinder engine.

The work took several years, but the ECV1 – which had never been seen moving after its debut at the Bologna Motor Show in 1986 – was brought to life at the RallyLegend event in 2010, in the hands of double WRC champion Miki Biasion.

Volta didn’t stop there. Inspired by some of the engineering in the ECV1, he collaborated with a number of external firms to create a unique ‘hybrid’ version of the 037. The 037 4WD-H mixed the car’s traditional rear-engined, rear-drive layout with an electric motor driving the front wheels. It joined the ECV1 on the exhibition circuit, giving thousands of rally fans a glimpse of how the Italian manufacturer’s competition vehicles – and rallying itself – could have developed, had Group B been allowed to evolve into Group S as intended.