Lancia Thema had a mission: to catapult the Italian brand to the top of luxury brands. The Thema 8.32 version made speed enthusiasts sigh.
A little over three decades ago, a model appeared at the Turin Motor Show that combined the performance of a sports car with the comfort of a family saloon, the “wet dream” of any car enthusiast. The success was such that the Lancia Thema it went into production shortly thereafter, in 1984, sharing the Tipo Quattro platform with the Saab 9000 and “right cousins” Alfa Romeo 164 and Fiat Croma.
In fact, a strategy entirely the same as the one Alfa Romeo is trying to replicate with the recently launched Giulia. Apparently with more success… but we're off.
Thema's body design was in charge of the Pininfarina atelier (who else?), which, in addition to the four-door saloon version, developed a station wagon variant, which arrived on the market two years later. The main characteristics of the Lancia Thema were the comfort and space inside, in addition to the (apparently) good build quality – chassis in galvanized steel – which served to place Lancia in the championship of German brands.
GLORIES OF THE PAST: Because Italians also know how to make saloons…
The list of engines included a set of 2.0l 8 and 16 valve engines, with powers ranging from 120 to 205 hp, a 2.8 V6 block with 150 hp and 225 Nm and a 2.4 liter turbo-diesel engine with 100 hp and 217 Nm. But the icing on the cake was in fact the Thema spice version 8.32 (below), released in 1986.
This “Italian bad boy” shared a 2927cc V8 engine with the Ferrari 308 and the Ferrari Quattrovalvole. Developed by the Maranello brand (with the help of Ducati in the assembly) this V8 block had 215 hp of maximum power, which allowed sprints from 0-100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 240 km/h.
The Lancia Thema 8.32 was also the first model to be equipped with an electronic rear wing, which automatically raised and retracted. Later, the special edition “8.32 Limited Edition” (limited to 32 numbered units) brought the exclusive color “Rosso Monza”.
RELATED: All the details of Lancia Thema 8.32
Although it wasn't exactly a sales success – the high prices weren't forgiving and some reliability issues weren't either… – the Lancia Thema became quite popular in the classics market after a few years.
More recently, the Italian brand reborn this model through the Chrysler 300C, sold between 2011 and 2014 in some European markets under the name Lancia Thema. The end we all know what it was… Goodbye Lancia.
Today, Alfa Romeo is trying to recover that mystique of Italian models. Until you see, a strategy that seems to be bearing fruit. We are rooting for you Alfa Romeo!
