Pirelli presents P7 Corsa™ classic, the tyre designed for the most prestigious Historic Rally Cars

The new Pirelli tyre is the latest evolution of the “competition kings” P7 and P7 Corsa Pirelli has chosen the San Marino Rallylegend as the venue for announcing its P7 CORSA^TM Classic, the new tyre designed for historic rally cars, in particular the winning models from the Seventies and Eighties. Pirelli confirms its rallying tradition with P7 CORSA^TM Classic, an updated version of the renowned P7 and P7 CORSA rally tyres that introduces innovative changes to structure, compound and tread. Developed by Pirelli R & D to match the characteristics of classic vehicles, P7 CORSA^TM Classic is specially designed for historic models such as Lancia Rally 037, Lancia Stratos, Lancia Delta S4, Fiat 131 Abarth, Porsche 911, Opel Ascona and Opel Manta. A piece of rally history. In the Seventies Pirelli developed the first P7 for sports and rally cars, a tubeless, ultra-low-profile radial tyre having nylon belt with 0° belt angle. Compared to other tyres of the time, the P7 had a greater contact patch and improved structural stability at higher speeds, allowing it to be paired with rims of larger diameter. The P7 changed the method of tyre development that from then on was to go hand-in-hand with the design of top-performing vehicles .Following the success of the P7, Pirelli launched the P7 CORSA, the national and international “competition king”, chosen by the biggest car manufacturers in the rally sector such as Lancia, Fiat-Abarth and Ford. Technical specifications of the new tyre. The style of the Pirelli tyres of yesteryear enjoys a facelift with the P7 CORSA^TM Classic that whilst maintaining the appearance of the sidewall of its predecessors, now features double size marking. The additional indication of the road size corresponds to the original one and is due to approval for road use: a necessary requirement in order to be able to take part in championship races.P7 CORSA^TM Classic features an asymmetrical tread pattern for specific dry, damp/dry and wet conditions. P7 CORSA^TM Classic achieves high performance on a surfaced road in all weather conditions without compromising safety, ensuring excellent handling that facilitate the use of powerful historic rally cars. Strong grip on all surfaces is guaranteed by both the choice of the most suitable compound, comprising dry (D3), damp/dry (D5) and wet (W5), and the tread pattern .In particular, the outer semi-slick pattern provides maximum lateral grip in the dry, the centre rib ensures precise trajectories at high speed, whilst the inner grooves help to channel water away from the contact patch .In addition, P7 CORSA^TM Classic utilises highly aromatic oil free (HAOF) compounds and guarantees low noise levels, in line with Pirelli’s environmentally sustainable philosophy and in compliance with the relevant European directives. The new Pirelli tyre is offered in the same sizes used on the most prestigious models of the Seventies and Eighties and is also available with a 16” rim diameter as originally adopted by the Lancia Rally 037 and Delta S4. The new tyre will be coming onto the market in March 2012. Size range 2012