Friday 16th May 2014

Lancia Thema 8.32: Catch It While You Can

Right Keith, this is your last lump of Italian metal for a while - make it a good one!

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Hearing the news that the Lancia marque has effectively been put out to pasture has left me feeling a little bit numb. When Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne gave his much-anticipated press briefing about the the future of Fiat, Chrysler and Alfa Romeo last week, no mention was made of Lancia, nor were any logos displayed in any of the accompanying PR material. What conclusions are we to draw from that? And why does that have me thinking – yet again – about one of the company's more flamboyant past masters – the Thema 8.32?

Not a bad engine upgrade for a Eurobox

For a company with so many cars in its back catalogue, such as the Lambda, Aurelia, Stratos, Integrale, picking the Thema 8.32 as the representative of all that was right – and wrong – about Lancia might seem a little puzzling. But bear with  me on this – I've driven an 8.32, and have pored over them many times, and although some might consider this four-door front-wheel drive saloon to be a waste of a Ferrari V8, I'm one of the few who think it's wonderfully different, plain bonkers, and I want to own one with every fibre of my body.

As a true PHer you won't need me to tell you too much about the nuts and bolts of the Thema 8.32. It first went on sale in 1987, and had the potential to be a real hooligan's car thanks to that Ferrari engine up front. But Lancia played down the 8.32's sporting credentials, softly tuning the Ducati-assembled V8 and leaving off the flat-plane crank to give it much more rounded power delivery. With 215hp and 210lb ft, it was still pokey for a 3.0-litre four-door (0-60mph in 6.9 seconds, and a maximum speed of 149mph), but it was a long way from being a cutting edge top-end performance saloon – and it wouldn't have seen which way an E28 BMW M5 went.

Interior is lavish, in an 80s kind of way

But that wasn't what the 8.32 was about. Despite the fact the Integrale was about to start sweeping all aside in international rallying, with Alfa Romeo heading for Fiat, Lancia was now moving into the realms of a luxury car manufacturer. And the Thema 8.32 would be its ultimate plutocrat's flagship. Consequently the tidy ItalDesign-penned styling remained remarkably unchanged – aside from Ferrari-style alloys and a rather natty active rear spoiler that popped out of the boot lid at speed. Whether this was the right call in the era of conspicuous consumption was another matter entirely.

Being a luxury car, the 8.32 came equipped with the most joyous Rosewood and Poltrona Frau interior – the dash was remodelled over the standard Thema's and was completely stacked with instruments, and the leather was some of the finest ever to grace a car interior. It was offered in some spectacularly tasteful colour combinations, mainly centring on beige, tans and browns. Sounds very 80s period but, trust me, it's a lovely place to spend time in.

Pretty subtle given what's under the bonnet

On the road, the 8.32 is an interesting experience. The V8 sounds to all intents and purposes the same as it does in a Ferrari 308 or Mondial, and that makes it capable of producing easily one of the finest saloon car soundtracks ever; deep, resonant, and properly cultured. It was certainly case in the first one I drove – a 8,000km example, whose first owner was the Patrick Collection and graced with a blowing exhaust for additional drama.

As for performance, it's deceptively quick, thanks to excellent mid-range torque. And despite all those who will tell you the Integrale 16V-engined Thema Turbo is faster on overboost, I'd say that the 8.32 is much swifter in the real world, and far more pleasurable to drive quickly. Being a Thema, the build quality isn't quite where it should be – not such an issue for a seasoned classic car fan today who takes such things in their stride, but not such good news for the company directors who splashed out £40,000 to buy one back in the day. And remember, that V8 engine is as tough as old boots, assuming it's been serviced properly. And that's certainly not the case with the 2.0-litre 16V Turbo.

Square cut 80s cool with exotic appeal

Like the Integrale, the 8.32 was offered only in left-hand drive, which seriously stunted its appeal in Blighty. Perhaps that's why there were so few sold new back then, and why a mere 23 remain in the UK at the last count – and that, of those, a mere nine were actually taxed and on the road. Perhaps that might explain why finding one for sale is so tough at the moment – the PH classifieds is generally a great place to start when looking for a Thema 8.32, and I'd suggest popping in and looking regularly, but currently, it draws a blank.  As do the other usual sources. Shame because UK prices start at £8,000, and the best one in the world won't break the bank.

But if you really want one, you can cast your net further, and look towards Italy for one – and remember that whatever you buy over there will be worth more over here once you get it home. So not only will you end up with an interesting, possibly challenging, fast saloon in your garage, you'll also be able to do something that Marchionne was never able to – make money out of exporting Lancias.

[monthefish]

I read this whole article thinking it was SOTW, and was ready to get out my chequebook....

[164Cloverleaf]

Glad I'm not the only one who has a deep and burning desire to own one of these oddities!

[Troon]

There's one in East Wittering that hasn't moved in a long time. Looks like it needs some work.

Edited by Justayellowbadge on Friday 16th May 12:37

[anonymous-user]

The engine's the best bit, let down by the rest of the package.

The original Thema was a total POS.

[SprintSpeciale]

I say keep the articles on old Italian metal coming.

I really enjoyed reading this. Makes me want to get on the alitalia website, dig out my Italian phrase book
and head to Italy to find a good one.

[crostonian]

OpulentBob said:

The engine's the best bit, let down by the rest of the package.

The original Thema was a total POS.

So st that CAR Magazine voted it in their Top 10 for 2 years running?

[DeltonaS]

crostonian said:

So st that CAR Magazine voted it in their Top 10 for 2 years running?

Top 10 of what ??

[monthefish]

crostonian said:

OpulentBob said:

The engine's the best bit, let down by the rest of the package.

The original Thema was a total POS.

So st that CAR Magazine voted it in their Top 10 for 2 years running?

Be careful of top 10 lists:

The Peugot 308 is at the top of the list of the best cars in Europe currently.
The bearded lady's song is the best in Europe. Apparently.

[smash]

If they left off the flat plane crank (assuming you mean it was cross plane) how the hell is it gonna sound like a Mondial or 308?! That's a bit like saying a Cerbera sounds to all intents and purposes like a Rover v8

[anonymous-user]

crostonian said:

OpulentBob said:

The engine's the best bit, let down by the rest of the package.

The original Thema was a total POS.

So st that CAR Magazine voted it in their Top 10 for 2 years running?

Maybe. Still a st, ugly car, just with a peach of an engine. It's like saying Metro's are uber-cool, because there was a limited run of 6R4s.

No, someone just successfully polished a turd once.

[andyps]

I'm another person who has a burning desire to own one of these, always have done since they were new. As Keith says, the interior is a wonderful place.

[andyps]

Troon said:

There's one in East Wittering that hasn't moved in a long time. Looks like it needs some work.

Doesn't show on that road in Street View.

Edited by Justayellowbadge on Friday 16th May 12:38

[Richard-G]

i long for the day when Fiat wake up and realise the potential they have in lanica and Alfa. Id love a lancia on my drive that isn't a Chrysler

[DeltonaS]

andyps said:

Doesn't show on that road in Street View.

Have you installed the Garage View add-on ??

[Ali_T]

Bizarre that I was looking up videos of these earlier in the week. Auto Italia have a goo article on them this month too. Here's the original Lancia promo fpm...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QH_3ftHmbk

[TORQ]

Spotted in my station car park (of all places) last year. Stopped me dead in my tracks. So good, so rare. Also the appreciated the kudos of a small minority knowing how unusual it was to see one. Hats off to the owner whoever you might be!

[myhandle]

Interesting article, interesting car. Someone showed me round theirs a few years back. It has another unusual feature, besides the electric spoiler. Before setting off, the car detects whether there are rear seat occupants, and if there are none, the rear headrests retract to give the driver better rear visibility.

In terms of the criticism of the styling, it's a pretty crisp 80s design that has surely aged well; it's of its time and certainly not ugly, nor dramatic - perfect for a Q car. The facelift car looks better however, with the slimmer headlights.

[MrB.]

One of my (many) curiosities is my love for the unknown automotive gems, and this has got to be one of them. Passed a very nice example on the M25 a couple of weekends ago and gave an appreciative nod to the driver who welcomed it. Of all the Type 4 cars, the Thema was the one that I coveted, and the 8.32 was the pinnacle of that. Lovely.

(Although I must add that, as the '80's was "my era", I still miss the Porsche 944 I had, and secretly desire a Jaguar XJS, so what do I know?)

[Lowtimer]

Another retractable feature was the rear spoiler, which can just be seen in the pics above - it disappears into the boot lid (and therefore eats into the boot space quite significantly, but who cares?).

The two-plane crank engine really doesn't sound like the flat-plane 308 GTBi engine. It's much, much creamier and more mellifluous.

[Justayellowbadge]

Troon said:

There's one in East Wittering that hasn't moved in a long time. Looks like it needs some work.

I know, I know.

It's finding the time...

Edited by Justayellowbadge on Friday 16th May 12:38