Here’s a car we didn’t get in the U.S. but I desperately wish we did: the Lancia Thema, which could be optioned with a Ferrari-built eight-cylinder mill in a model called the 8.32. However, just because this example doesn’t have the Ferrari mill doesn’t mean it’s a snooze-box: this Thema comes equipped with a 2.0L, 16-valve turbocharged twin cam, that shares numerous qualities with the drivetrain found in the rally icon, the Lancia Delta Integrale. This one has bounced back nicely after a wash, and it’s listed here on eBay at no reserve.
Looking much better with the dust blown off of it, the Thema is said to turn over but have no spark, so it’s being sold as a non-runner. The body looks quite tidy with just some storage-related damage to the hood and driver’s door noted. The driver’s door damage seems superficial and could be remedied with a new rub strip. The rest of the body looks quite sound and the seller says there’s no rot underneath.
Now, I may have been a tad overzealous in describing this as a Delta Integrale in sedan clothing – but the 16V head found on the Thema twin cam is fairly similar to the one found on the Integrale motor. The valves are largely the same so flow potential should be similar; however, anything stamped with the Integrale name will cost three times as much. While it’s a stretch, there’s some truth to thinking you’ve got the blood of a motorsports icon running through your sleeper sedan.
The interior looks quite nice, and the the manual transmission is absolutely the way to spec one of these. The 8.32 would be the ultimate barn find, but it’d also be a nightmare to sort if it stood for the same number of years. The powertrain here was shared with numerous other models, so parts hunting shouldn’t be too difficult, and this is the individual’s choice if a 5-Series or W124 sedan from the same era doesn’t float your boat. Have any of our overseas readers ever hustled one of these Themas around some quality B roads?
Never drove a Thema, Jeff, but having driven both Alfa 164s and Saab 9000s in both Euro- and U.S.-specification trim, I have a general idea of what the Lancia was about. All three were, of course, related at birth….
I’m pretty sure the Thema powerplants all came from the Fiat-Alfa-Lancia parts bins, so that might work out well for anyone wanting to bring this to the U.S. Or not, since it still means searching out Fiat-Alfa-Lancia parts!
Rarity factor aside, these never quite grabbed me. An Alfa 75 Turbo — roughly the same engine in a lighter, rear-wheel drive car — would get my attention, though!
The Alfa 75,( Tipo 161) was powered by Alfa’s own four cylinder engine, first introduced in the 1950 1900. It’s last use was in the 164 and 155 in ‘TwinSpark’ configuration. The Thema is fitted, like the Delta and Beta with Lancia’s version of the Fiat TwinCam designed originally by the great Aurelio Lampredi, as fitted to the 124 and 125 and 132. Both of these engines with their separate, competing marque histories,and developments, were replaced by the Fiat ‘Pratola Serra’ modular engines, the ‘B’ four cylinders and ‘C’ five cylinders in 1994, both petrol and diesel, debuting in the Lancia Kappa, the Thema’s replacement , and then appearing all over the Fiat brands including now some Jeep models.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Pratola_Serra_modular_engines
Had a regular 16V in Germany back in the mid 90s. Big, roomy, comfortable and competent car. Was looking for the 8.32 at that time…not too hard to find but the ads always indicated that they needed work. Fiat also had a version called the Croma.
The only Thema I’ve driven was an 8.32, so not a real comparison. I have driven a Fiat Croma which was basically the same car, though; not a bad beast at all. I had a work placement in a Fiat/Lancia garage and was given all the odd faults (find the bad earth, for example) that consumed time so that the mechanics could gain time and efficiency on servicing.
Alfa 75s have a transaxle and handle very differently. Lovely…
On the 8.32 version, all the unreliability of a Lancia combined with the high cost of maintenance of a Ferrari (I know about that as I owned a 1980 Ferrari 308GTSi that I drove 75,000 miles in five and a half years). Still I’d love one, even this four-cylinder version. Having driven the Alfa 164 and the Saab 9000 which shares its platform, if the price is right, and given its more than 20 years old, it might be worth a flyer. I’ve put it on my watch list, God, help me. Would cost more to ship it to LA than what I’d be willing to pay for it.
If you showed up at your local Cars and Coffee in this, you’d be a class of one, an Italian iconoclast.
My cousin inherited his 8.32 from his father. It’s a cream puff
If you blink your eyes it looks like a Chrysler K car.
I have had a few 8.32´s. I know they have a bad name in terms of reliability, but I don´t agree. As long as you use and maintain them regularly they don´t break. It is a very nice Q-car, especially the sound is great. The engine is a lot of weight over the front wheels. Sold my last one a few months ago.
The Thema was designed at Pininfarina, not Bertone. I have driven most of the versions, including some 8.32 examples and wagons. Their build quality or underlying technical specifications for most of the body structure etc. is not at all on par with the Saab 9000 (which, by the way, is no premium build either whatever people say). That’s is one of the reasons the cooperation didn’t bear fruit at all, the four different brands chose their own ways in lots of areas. However, the Thema has an air of opulence that is lacking in the other three (Fiat Croma, Alfa 164, Saab 9000). But as a whole the 8.32 is really not a great drive apart from the sound and (at the time) straight speed acceleration.
Sorry, I can’t let this one go.
Pininfarina designed, (and assembled), the coupe version of the Thema’s predecessor, the Gamma. Which is why Gamma Coupes like mine come with a little Pininfarina badge on the front guards.
Pininfarina had nothing to do with any of the first three ‘Type Four’ projects, the Fiat Croma, Saab 9000 and Lancia Thema, but they did style the last, the Alfa 164,( which might be why it looks so similar to the contemporary Peugeot 605 and 405, also by Pininfarina). The Alfa was last, later than the others, because at the start of the ‘T4’ negotiations, Alfa Romeo wasn’t part of Fiat and was still independently churning out iterations of Alfetta, like the Guilietta, 75 and 90. Alfa was taken over by Fiat in November ’86, two years after the Thema’s release in ’84, so work started on the 164 much later. Ford attempted a purchase of Alfa but wasn’t Italian enough so Fiat prevailed.
The only sedans designed by rival Bertone, (headed by Gandini then), over this time were the Citroens BX and XM, the sister cars to the 405 and 605 Peugeots. (And busy Gandini,also designed the Renault 25 interior.)
The Thema, and all the first three ‘Type Four’ cars were 100% the work of Ital Design headed by Guigiaro as the article title states. This explains the similarity in appearance and actual panel sharing between these three, (Though with less commonality than it might seem, Saab in particular made numerous changes, eg: the doors and door handles were completely redesigned to be able to take the load of the whole car being applied through the handle if ,say, the car had to be winched out of a ditch after an accident, and the front crash structures are more robust.)
BUT, after the Thema was in production there was a limited competition to design a wagon/estate version, with Zagato and Pininfarina submitting. Pininfarina won and it’s design was put into production at Lancia’s own Borgo San Paolo factory. This is the last Pininfarina badged Lancia (based on rival Guigiaro’s basic design from C pillar forward). And the only T4 estate, (surely someone will make a Saab 9000 one using Thema Estate panels?)
At least one 8.32 Estate was made for the Agnelli family and recently came up for sale, and at least one other was made from a crashed 8.32 and an unsuspecting Thema Estate recombined.
The Thema does have the nicest of the T4 interiors with, the at the time, Lancia exclusive, Alcantara synthetic suede,and real teak door cappings, opulent is a very good description. The interior is a marked improvement on the preceding Gamma.And of course the Thema suffered much less rust with it’s galvanised steel bodywork.
Of course after the takeover Fiat got the use of Alfa’s ‘Busso’ V6 in quad cam 3.0 litre form to replace the PRV V6,( which Lancia had extensively re-engineered to 2.8 L and smoother running oddfire, like other 90degree V6s) The Alfa V6 appeared in the facelifted S2 Themas in ’92, the four cylinder cars getting the 16 valve heads at this time.
This engine could have replaced the Ducati built Ferrari designed V8 but didn’t.
The presence of Alfa in Fiat’s stable, of course left no room in the end for Lancia and the marque is now almost dead.
It’s very unlikely that there will be any more Pininfarina Lancias.
The Thema 8.32 had a Ferrari-sourced engine, but it was actually built by Ducati!
http://m.ducati.com/history/editorials/a_ducati_with_four_wheels/index.do