The 1990 Lancia Delta Integrale entered by Tanzania competitor Hans Navraaj is the first entry received for the Africa Concours d’Elegance. The year’s edition scheduled for September 28th at the Ngong Racecourse is dubbed “The Bob Dewar Memorial Edition” to honour and celebrate the life of the recently departed legend and event founder.
Hans Navraaj salvaged the car from a scrap yard in Dar es Salaam covered in grime and battered by the elements and transported it to Arusha where a team of skilled mechanics painstakingly restored it.
Introduced in the 1980s, the Lancia Delta Integrale was built for rally racing and became known for its exceptional handling, turbocharged performance and stability. During its peak between 1987 and 1992, the car became synonymous with success winning an astonishing 46 World Rally Championships (WRC) rallies and securing six consecutive manufacturers championships.
Hans explained, “Having spent many years admiring the legacy of the Delta Integrale, I was thrilled to own one. Restoring this rare rally machine was no mean feat. Finding authentic parts meant contacting suppliers from various corners of the globe and linking up with European enthusiasts and Lancia Clubs.
For me, this was not just about reviving a vehicle, it was about rekindling a legend!”
The car made its debut in the category for Rally and Racing cars in the 2023 Concours and came second in the class. Navraj hopes to take back to Tanzania the top prize in this class having made improvements on the car as recommended by the judges.
Another interesting entry in this year’s event is the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV made in 1976 entered for the first time from South Africa by Jonathan Somen. The 2000 GTV model carries what is probably the most famous engine built by Alfa Romeo and will be competing with several other Alfa Romeo’s entered by members of the Club which organizes the event.
The Concours recognizes and rewards the owners of well maintained cars and motorcycles with handsome prizes for the 13 car and nine motorcycle classes. In addition there are awards for the best placed newcomers, machines appearing at the Racecourse for the first time, meritorious performances and the best car and motorcycle teams.
For the first time, the event organisers have introduced a Masters Class for both cars and motorcycles. The class is open to vehicles that have been overall winners at the event during the past ten years.
“The Masters classes will enable past winners to compete in a category of their own and therefore give a chance to other Concours entrants to vie for the top honours as well. The regulations and entry forms are available from the event website (www.concourskenya.com),” Explained Peter Wanday, the Event Director and Chairman of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club.
This year will mark the 53rd edition in the annual series of what has become the classiest event on the Kenya motorsport calendar and a great family day outing organized by the Club.
