By the early nineties, an onslaught of Japanese manufacturers were targeting rallying as the ideal shop window to promote their cars. Toyota in particular had risen to the forefront of the sport, culminating in Carlos Sainz securing the Drivers Championship in 1990. Lancia regained both titles by the slenderest of margins in 1991 but to ensure they stayed on top, gave the Integrale its biggest revamp to date. By the time it hit the Frankfurt Motor Show in October 1991, 2000 of the new Evoluzione's had already been completed and Lancia were confident of producing the mandatory 5000 units in time for the coming season.

This time round the Italian firm focused on achieving major improvements in stability, grip and handling as the 16-valve engine was still among the best of its type. To that end, extensive alterations were made to the suspension. The new front set up featured stronger struts, reinforced bushes, bigger diameter dampers with extended travel plus larger and stiffer spings. There was also an aluminium strut brace for increased rigidity. At the back were stronger struts and thicker transverse arms, dampers with extended travel and new geometry. Front and rear track was increased by 54 and 60mm respectively, Lancia installing enlarged brake discs (281 / 251mm diameter front / rear) with fixed four-pot aluminium calipers. New 7.5x15-inch alloy wheels featured a spoked design for better brake cooling plus five fixing bolts instead of four. Steering became more responsive thanks to a larger steering box and a supplementary radiator to cool the power steering fluid. By re-mapping the engine management and fitting a more efficient single outlet exhaust system, output rose by 5% to 210bhp at 5750rpm. Otherwise the engine remained unaltered from its previous application.

Lancia made a variety of key alterations that resulted in an even more aggressive look, the most obvious changes including flared wheelarches that were now formed in a single pressing (previously they had been fabricated) and smaller but brighter headlights. Deeper body-coloured side sills further updated what was by this time a 12-year old design. Particular attention was also paid to brake and engine cooling, the front bumper being subtly revised for the job while vents were also carved out from the back of each front wing. Other new features included a wider bonnet bulge, adjustable roof spoiler, Group A-style fuel filler, a new back bumper with cavity for the single outlet exhaust and HF badging on the front grille. By contrast, interior updates were few and far between, a three-spoke leather-covered Momo steering wheel becoming standard along with coloured instruments and a re-shaped gear shift.

Despite this long list of improvements, weight rose by a mere 8kg to 1300kg but because of the increased frontal area, official performance figures remained unchanged with a top speed of 137mph and 0-62 taking 5.7 seconds. However, this belied the true scale of progress for the Evoluzione was a big step forward in terms of driveability, roadholding and safety. Options included high-backed Recaro seats, leather trim, air conditioning, a body-coloured rear spoiler, ABS and sunroof. Unfortunately, Lancia had still not developed a catalysed version of the 16-valve engine forcing those cars destined for markets like Germany and Switzerland to run old 181bhp 8-valve units with cats. Evoluzione production continued until early 1993 by which time 5619 had been built, all of which were left-hand drive.