Words Carlo Brema / Photos Archivio Storico Lancia

Founded in Turin by Vincenzo Lancia in 1906, the homonymous brand represents one of the most important automotive heritage on the planet, author of some of the noblest and most sought after cars when automobile was young and the world is still pictured in black and white. Lancia has given birth to an incalculable number of precious pieces, becoming an absolute reference point in motorsport too, with the unbeatable Stratos and Delta, without obviously forgetting those rockets on wheels lined up in the endurance series and creating a real symbol universally recognized in the ‘all-Italian combination made by Lancia and Martini.

More than a hundred years later we are left with memories, with a range limited to the production of an obsolete city car like the Y and which despite the numerous marketing ideas just represents an alternative to the much more popular FIAT 500. It seems impossible, yet the wonderful world of Lancia that fed generations of enthusiasts is now a memory that must be celebrated by looking at a past that is becoming more and more distant. And if we think of Lancia, without necessarily traveling too far back in time, the first images that come to mind are undoubtedly the squared silhouettes of the immortal Stratos, Delta or Fulvia, the sports cars for everyone, also capable of writing its name in the rally hall of fame.

 

 

 

The list could go on for pages and pages, but we are here to pay homage to five models that have not received the same luck as the three mentioned above. Although some of these are considered youngtimers, the fact remains that their prices have not soared upwards and that the difficulty in finding them in good condition and the delicacy of frames and mechanical components often reduce them to projects abandoned in some workshop. If you are thinking of adding a Lancia on a budget to your garage, one that once restored will be pleasant to drive but also practical and full of character, try picking among these five. Let us take a small step back in the avenue of forgotten memories of the Turin brand, rediscovering five models that would have deserved more luck.

 

 

BETA MONTECARLO (1975-1981)

Try to find a more unlucky and controversial Lancia than the Beta Montecarlo. Hard, isn’t it? Unveiled in 1974 at the 45th Geneva Motor Show, the Turin coupe was distinguished by the great work done by Pininfarina which was the protagonist of the entire development of the car as well as the job accomplished by the pencil of Paolo Martin, who defined its extremely square lines and the clean cuts of a body that transformed the image of the Beta as it was known up to that moment.

Two doors, two seats, traction now powering the rear axle and engine located in the mid-rear position combined with a 5-speed manual gearbox were the characteristics that made it a small super sports car, despite the idea of ​​equipping it with a 3-liter V6 was abandoned due to the oil crisis of the 1970s in favor of a smaller 2-liter 4-cylinder. The weight, which did not exceed 970 kg, made its 120 horsepower and 165 Nm of torque enough to guarantee really interesting performance figures, especially for the excellent balance offered by the layout and the small size of a car body ready to throw you into a winding road. Among the known defects there is the weak braking system and mechanical fragility, but if a Lancia deserves to be re-evaluated, that’s the Beta Montecarlo.

 

 

 

TREVI VOLUMEX (1982-1984)

The Trevi was produced for only four years, from 1980 to 1984, in 40,628 units. This is a midsize sedan that would serve as a transition model between the Beta and the following Prisma. Among the different engines available, the one that caught our attention is called Volumex and concerns the last period of production, when Lancia equipped it with a 2-liter FIAT twin-shaft engine flanked by a volumetric lobe compressor (hence Volumex) which brought the total power up to 135 horses, quite a lot especially for the time and which allowed it to accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in just under 10 seconds.

 

 

 

The use of this particular supercharging was unusual, since a more traditional turbocharger would have been preferable, but Lancia seemed to focus on instant delivery without the typical lag of the first turbos, even if this brought to pretty high fuel consumption values. Designed by Mario Bellini, the exterior is rather traditional, but reveals a certain aggressiveness, while in the passenger compartment we can appreciate a stark contrast with the squared lines of the bodywork that leave room for an instrumentation made up of countless circular elements.

 

 

 

THEMA FERRARI 8.32 (1984-1994)

The Thema, on the other hand, was one of the luckiest models in Lancia’s modern history, so much so that it sold over 370,000 units in its ten years of production. There were also various engines and specs that allowed it to be a perfect car preferred by institutional figures and desired by successful personalities, but the ultimate combination was that of the model called 8.32 and which housed a Ferrari engine under the hood.

 

 

 

Also known simply as Thema Ferrari, it borrowed the 3.2-liter 8-cylinder (hence 8.32) of the Ferrari Mondial, here weakened to 215 horsepower and modified in such a way as to be placed inside the front hood of the Turin sedan. Traction, however, remained on the front axle and this penalized the driving dynamics, yet engaging for the roar of the V8 and for a passenger compartment embellished with Frau leather or Alcantara with real wood panels on the dash, the same air vents used on various Ferraris, dedicated alloy wheels and a rear spoiler which can also be operated using a specific button. It may have many flaws – especially in terms of reliability – but it is pure Italian madness that deserves a special place in the hearts of fans.

 

 

 

K COUPÉ (1997-2000)

The K had the arduous task of replacing the Thema, made even more difficult by a European competition that was making a much more consistent progress. In addition to the traditional four-door sedan and wagon, the K was also made available with only two doors, aptly called Coupe. The latter, obviously based on the original model designed by Pininfarina, was however designed by Carrozzeria Maggiora, making it more exclusive but also more expensive.

 

 

 

Produced for just three years and in 3,620 units, the fact of showing off an unusual and undoubtedly avant-garde shape prevented it to achieve the desired goal, but the K Coupe remains a sinuous car with an exotic look to this day. The cockpit remains virtually unchanged compared to the sedan, featuring leather and wood and offering two not excessively sacrificed seats in the rear area. Looking at it, especially from the side, you can see that sense of experimentation that makes it almost seem like a concept car loaned to everyday’s streets. The K Coupe was made available with two engines: a 5-cylinder 2.4 cc with 175hp and the more powerful 204-hp 3-liter V6, both mated to a front-wheel drive transmission.

 

 

 

THESIS (2002-2009)

Officially launched in 2001, the Thesis declined the futuristic traits of the Dialogos concept on the body of a four-door sedan almost 5 meters long. Despite the delicate situation led by the need to replace the unfortunate K, the design was anything but predictable, with a soft rear end characterized by thin vertical LED headlights and a front in full contrast with the back not just because of the shape and positioning of the headlights, but above all for the grille, disproportionate compared to the main lines of the car. The choice of such a daring design did not resulted in good sale figures, stopping production without even reaching 16,000 units.

 

 

 

The cockpit is instead very elegant and there is space for five adults, lots of leather and a multimedia system that integrates well with a decidedly more refined atmosphere than the one you could find on similar German models. The Thesis was available with both diesel and petrol engines, in the first case all 2.4 Multijet with 150, 170 or 185 horsepower, while petrol units allowed you to choose between 2-liter Turbo with 185 horsepower, 2.4 with 170 hp, or a 215-hp 3.0-liter V6 and the more generous 230-hp 3.2-liter V6, all combined with front-wheel drive, which made the sumptuous and extremely unfortunate Italian sedan lose some exclusivity. In 2011 it was then replaced by the new Thema, which however represented nothing more than a rebadge of the Chrysler 300 of the time.