Curbside Classic: 1988 Lancia Thema 8.32 – Discretion, Subtlety, And A Ferrari V8

What exactly was a Lancia? A driver’s car like the Alfa Romeo? A luxury car that could still entertain its driver, like a Jaguar? An overly complex car like the Citroen? A symbol of engineering excellence like a Mercedes?

Was a Lancia something of all four?

Complexity, with front wheel drive and V4 engines; luxury with a dose of Italian style rather than a visual high impact wood and leather interior and plentiful chrome finishes; status – well, Popes used them as did numerous Italian presidents and Enzo Ferrari; and they were often good to drive too. Perhaps they were the thinking drivers’ choice, or the engineers’ choice. Innovative technical solutions, not cost and price driven solutions under the skin; quality fit and finish and a high dose of style, in a discreet Italian style. Something halfway between the adventure of a large Citroen and the stolidity of well executed and apparently austere Mercedes-Benz.

Am I selling something attractive here? I suspect I am, certainly to myself, but sadly people like me didn’t respond well enough for Lancia’s accountants and investors. In 1969, the inevitable happened and Fiat took control. But ownership was still in Italy, so the some of the actions that followed do not follow the familiar “adapt and cut costs” management school text books.

The Beta was launched in 1972, using significant elements of Fiat hardware, like engines. But Lancia were still permitted enough variation to be able to use the engine transversely to drive the front wheels rather than the rear as in comparably sized donor Fiats, and used a gearbox from Citroen to do so.

Ultimately, whilst relatively low volume, it came in four body styles – saloon, couple, Spyder and HPE, a Volvo 1800ES like shooting break. The Scorpion roadster was sold as the Beta Monte Carlo in Europe as well. Mine will be an HPE 2.0 litre.

The later, larger Gamma was even more individual or Lancia, with a flat four 2.5 litre engine driving the front wheels with a larger hatchback-esque styling – a sort of stylistic cross between a Citroen CX and Rover 3500 (SD1) – and sold in limited numbers from 1976 to 1984. When production ended is not clear, but it probably wasn’t 1984. Either the last hurrah for a famous brand and a white elephant and or a wonderful car of huge if limited appeal to those with a willingness to tolerate what we might call characteristics and foibles.

By the early 1980s, the compact Fiat Strada based Delta was doing good business, the rally cars were still lighting up the record books and the corrosion saga impacted Beta had died and not been directly replaced.

But, in 1984, Fiat seemed to finally call Lancia to order.

Fiat signed up Lancia to the Type Four platform project, alongside the Fiat Croma, and with stablemate Alfa Romeo for the 164 saloon.

SAAB joined up too, but with more variation, and came up with the 9000 range.

The Fiat Croma was a perfectly pleasant, if completely anodyne, front wheel drive transverse engine hatchback, with saloon like styling. It was designed Giugiaro, but it’s not one the cars that made his reputation. Lancia was given the Croma’s centre section, allowed revised front and rear ends, and used a saloon format. Think VW Passat to Audi 80 adaptation if you like.

The Croma was competing with cars like the Ford Granada, Audi 100 and A6, Rover 800 (Sterling 825), Opel Omega/Vauxhall Carlton and Renault 25 (Renault Medallion), not the Mercedes Benz C class or BMW 5 series. Looked at that way, the Croma was a perfectly acceptable if unremarkable product. But dressing it up as the Thema did not make a Lancia. It was clearly a better trimmed saloon version of the Croma; a Sable to the Fiat’s Taurus.

There was a more luxurious interior, with wood dash and door trim, plush fabrics and soft Italian leather, and a discreet presentation in a conservative way. Some showroom appeal maybe, but was it really going to catch any traditional Lancia enthusiasts?

The engine range was close to the Fiat. Four cylinder 2.0 litre petrol but not the Fiat’s 1.6 litre option; the only diesel was the 2.5 litre, missing out on the 2.0 litre Fiat option. The Fiat was available in limited markets with an Alfa Romeo V6 but the Lancia also offered the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo Douvrin V6 in 2.8 litre form. An interesting engine, found in more brands than most and with some odd engineering choices, like the 90 degree vee angle more usually associated with a V8, and it was by then not a new engine, having been in production since 1974.

This car, then, was a competently executed and nicely trimmed European executive class car, but arguably not carrying very much Italian passion, emotion, style or character. Doesn’t really sound like a real Lancia, does it?

Maybe Lancia sensed this; perhaps Lancia’s managers thought a reward was deserved for the rally success (World Rally Champion 10 times from 1974 to 1992); maybe Fiat did too. Whichever, a proposal was made which fitted so well with Italy that many outside the country would not understand it. A simple idea, a variant of many similar attempts in history. Place a special engine into a run of the mill car and trim it up nicely. Only in Italy could that mean putting a Ferrari engine into something like the Thema.

The engine chosen was the smallest contemporary Ferrari engine, not surprisingly, and also the only one fitted transversely in a Ferrari, albeit in a mid engine installation. The engine, known as the F105L, was related to the V6 used in the rally dominating Stratos and the family of engines used in the 1960s Dino 206GT and 246GT. Concurrent and recent uses included the Mondial Quattrovalvole and the Ferrari 308GTB – still my favourite Ferrari. For this application, it was fitted with a cross plane rather a flat plane crankshaft for smoothness. To add to the Italian motor industry family involvement, the engines were assembled by Ducati.

In this configuration, the engine offered 215bhp at 6750 rpm and the car could do 149mph, with 0-60 in around 6.8 seconds. 215bhp may not sound that much now a 2.9 litre V8 and in some ways it was lower than you might have expected. It was lees powerful than a contemporary BMW M5 but close to a 5.3 litre Jaguar V12, but well ahead of anything else in the class. It also sounded terrific and, under the bonnet, looked – well you can imagine. Lancia by Ferrari on the cam covers? Who’s not going to react to that? Yours for £37,500, say £100,000 adjusted, and then and now comparable to a BMW M5.

This was backed up with a five speed manual transmission, larger all round anti lock brakes (not a given in 1986) and adjustable dampers. There was latest generation Servotronic steering and Lancia’s driver controlled retractable rear spoiler.

Inside, there was a more elaborately trimmed edition of the regular Thema cabin, with additional wood trim and better leather, mostly specified by the Poltrana Frau premium furniture company and genuinely hand made and finished. The wood trim was wood, also hand finished, and not wood effect for the avoidance of doubt. If you’d never sat in a Thema, this was a welcoming and special feeling interior; even if you’d already sat in a Thema there was little risk of it feeling like a dressed up regular car.

Size wise this car was close to a 1981-88 BMW 5 series (E28) rather than say a European Ford Granada or Opel/Vauxhall Senator, or even a Rover 800/Sterling 825. It was smaller than a Volvo 740/760 or Audi 100/5000. In reality, it was sized and configured for four, not five, but had a special environment for all.

To drive, the car was a bit of a mixed bag. The weight of a 2.9 litre V8 over the front wheels gave a weight distribution more normally seen in a big Citroen. Sweeping curves, not tight hairpins, were to be preferred as the understeer, as Autocar’s entry picture showed, was measurable on those. Best for majestic cruising through the Alps? Milan to Rome or Naples for dinner? To Florence on the autostrada? Though a tunnel or tight gorge could be fun – open the windows!

And not being a large as you might have expected from the initial description, perhaps reasonably handy in town, with either good street recognition or a nice dose of discretion if you resisted the urge of the throttle. Over light steering, giving little feel or torque steer, was in there too.

Externally, it was not an easy spot. A slightly adjusted grille, some small 8.32 (8 cylinders, 32 valves) badges, special wheels and a hand painted coachline. And the finishing touch – that retractable rear spoiler, emerging from the bootlid when the driver judged it necessary.

Was it everybody’s choice? Did it match the appeal of an BMW M5 or a Jaguar XJ12? Did the ability come over as too subtle and complex to draw customers from an S Class? Looking at the Autocar test, the obvious alternatives are not very numerous – did any one really cross shop this with a Ford Sierra at half the price?  Inevitably, the 8.32 was always rare – fewer than 4000 were built, all left hand drive, and fewer than 10 officially sold new in the UK. There are still 7 registered on the UK roads and a quantity in storage, many obviously imported more recently. This 1988 car was UK registered in 1999.

But what’s not to like really? A special and powerful engine, some discretion, a lot of ability, a glorious interior and that special something that comes only with doing or choosing something a different? If people have to ask, is it because the car is too subtle and discreet, or because they are they lacking some auto awareness?

A Ferrari engine and a rear spoiler controlled by twisting the wiper stalk? Is that the definition of temptation?