The Lancia belonging to a famous musician hated by Hitler is up for auction: forgotten in a garage for more than three decades, it is in new condition and has only 2,845 kilometers on the clock.

On October 18th, a unique Lancia Delta HF Integrale, a road car with a rally soul, will go up for auction in Salzburg, Austria. It's a 1988 model that belonged to the famous conductor Herbert von Karajan, famous for his genius with the baton and for his fall from grace with Adolf Hitler. The musician went from being his favorite to becoming his most hated. The reason for this was his disastrous performance of Wagner's works at the 1939 Bayreuth Festival in front of the King and Queen of Yugoslavia, invited to the event by the Führer himself.

The car, which will soon be put up for sale, has lain forgotten in the garage of the prestigious musician's home in Saint Moritz, Switzerland, for more than three decades and has now surfaced like a time capsule. With 2,845 kilometers on the odometer, it was a vehicle barely used by Karajan, who died less than a year after acquiring it.

Lancia unveiled the Delta at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA). Initially a modest, compact four-door sedan designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro , it later became a motorsport legend. The brand used it to create its rally car, first in the daring Group B and then in Group A, which replaced the previous model due to its dangerous nature.

To participate in this competition, it was necessary to produce almost 5,000 production units in a single year. Thus, in 1987, the Delta HF 4WD was produced, a 165-horsepower all-wheel-drive car that won a world title in its first season. In 1988, the first evolution arrived, the "HF Integrale," with 20 more horsepower and wider wings. The Integrale rose to the Olympus of rallying, winning six consecutive world manufacturers' titles and unexpectedly increasing sales for the Italian brand.

On the road, the Integrale was ferocious, fast, and yet still suitable for everyday use, something that the famous conductor Herbert von Karajan, a great car enthusiast, had the opportunity to experience—albeit very briefly. Known for his passion for speed, at the age of 80, he personally received his car in the autumn of 1988 from Gianni Agnelli himself. The two were not only old friends but also neighbors on the exclusive Via Suvretta in St. Moritz.

The musical genius didn't get much enjoyment out of his car. On one of his trips, he skidded on a layer of ice, despite having four-wheel drive. This led him to replace the tires with specific winter tires, which are still on the car and for which the original invoice in his name remains. After this incident, he drove it only two or three more times.

This Delta HF Integrale still bears the registration "EE 291 AA." "EE" stood for Escursionisti Esteri (foreigners without residence in Italy). These temporary registrations were usually valid for one year; in Karajan's case, until October 1989, months after his death.

After his death, the Delta was gradually forgotten: parked in the St. Moritz garage, it was covered in boxes and objects until it literally disappeared from sight and memory. More than three decades later, when the garage was emptied, the Lancia was suddenly found practically intact. And this week it goes up for auction. Its price could reach between €90,000 and €140,000.