Lancia Ypsilon HF: the Elefantino is back, and it wants to bite

HF: three decades of legend in two letters

Before talking horsepower and kilowatts, a reminder is in order. The acronym HF — for High Fidelity — embodies Lancia's competitive DNA since the 1960s. It was under this badge that the Fulvia Coupé HF claimed its first laurels, that the Stratos dominated rallies in the mid-1970s, that the 037 resisted 4×4s in Group B, and that the Delta HF Integrale crushed the competition with six consecutive manufacturer titles between 1987 and 1992. In total, eleven WRC Constructor's World Championship titles: an absolute record, still unbeaten.

Then silence. Lancia left the heights of competition in the early 1990s, and the brand languished for three decades, reduced to a handful of markets and a single Ypsilon. Until Stellantis decided, under the impetus of its CEO Luca Napolitano, to rekindle the flame.

The road version: 280 horsepower and an electric soul

The Ypsilon HF road version, launched from spring 2025, makes no joke about the figures. Under its hood — figuratively speaking — sits a 280-horsepower permanent magnet synchronous motor with 345 Nm of torque, shared with the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce. The 54 kWh battery propels this city car from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds, placing it squarely in the company of Alpine A290, electric Mini John Cooper Works and other expected Volkswagen ID. GTI. Size-wise, the Ypsilon HF gains 4 centimeters in width compared to the base version, reaching 1.80 meters, with widened tracks, more aggressive bumpers and, under the bodywork, a mechanical limited-slip differential borrowed from the Abarth 600e. Inside, the headrests sport the HF badge and the ambiance tastefully evokes the sports cars of yesteryear.

The ladder of glory: from Trofeo to Monte Carlo

What makes this comeback particularly serious is the method. Lancia didn't simply slap an HF badge on a road car: it rebuilt a competitive pyramid from scratch.

First rung: the Ypsilon Rally4 HF. Powered by a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol engine producing 212 horsepower, with a five-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential, this competition version was born from the collaboration between Lancia and Stellantis Motorsport. It was developed with the assistance of Miki Biasion, two-time rally world champion (1988 and 1989) at the wheel of a Delta. In 2025, it shone in the Trofeo Lancia, a single-marque series running six events of the Italian Rally Championship: over one hundred cars sold, roughly forty teams entered, and an Italian two-wheel-drive championship title claimed convincingly. The trophy winners, Gianandrea Pisani and Nicola Biagi, concluded their season with a round in hand over their pursuers. Lancia was back in competition with a bang — and success to boot.

Second rung: the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, unveiled in November 2025 from Stellantis Motorsport's workshops in Satory, France. This weapon of war — powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter petrol engine, developed with the expertise garnered from Peugeot and Citroën rally programs — entered the WRC2 category as of January 2026 at Rally Monte-Carlo, an event in which Lancia boasts 13 overall victories, an absolute record. At its wheel: Yohan Rossel, WRC2 vice world champion in 2025, and Nikolay Gryazin. The 2026 program covers at least eight WRC2 rounds, the European Rally Championship and several national championships in Italy, France, Spain and Belgium.

A few figures to appreciate the scale of the comeback

Eleven WRC constructor titles. Thirteen Monte-Carlo victories. Thirty years of absence. One hundred competition cars sold in the first Trofeo season. Sixty units of the Rally2 HF Integrale already acquired by teams and private customers before even its first official outing. And the 2025 Trofeo champion joining the official team in ERC 2026: Lancia isn't building an image, it's building a program.

This comeback is also a fine lesson in consistency: the same Ypsilon silhouette, from the supermarket parking lot to the snowy roads of Monte-Carlo. Hard not to smile.

The rebirth of a legend in everyday life

The Lancia Ypsilon HF embodies something quite rare in today's automotive industry: a comeback that delivers on its promises. An electric city car with bite, a competition family that gains momentum step by step, and a symbol — the red Elefantino — that returns to life after three decades in the archives. Turin is back on the motorsport map, and this time, it's not just about nostalgia.

Want to know all about the Lancia Ypsilon and its variants? Find the available Lancia Ypsilon brochures on Brochure Auto and also consult the Lancia Ypsilon user manual to know everything about your future electric machine.