The Múltipla is one of my favorite Italian cars. Too bad most of them were diesels. If they had fit a Múltipla with the 20V Turbo engine would be magical
I remember when Lancia launched this. Reading reviews of it, having my mind blown by how cool of a concept it is. I miss the days of crazy, or at least somewhat exciting, engines in regular cars. Even down to V6 versions of a Vectra, Xantia, and - for me especially - the type 43 and 44 Audis with their five cylinder engines. Because the 8.32 scores astonishingly high on the nuts engine in a regular car scale, it will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks for the reminder :)
Hello Jack. Thanks for a great review of my 8.32. As we discussed on the day, despite how the 8.32 compared to it's contemporaries in it's day it's a fanatstic car to own and drive today. If anyone out there is thinking about having Jack do a video of their car I can confirm Jack is a true and genuine enthusiast and will treat your car with care and respect.
In today's context, I think it's a more interesting classic car proposition than most if not all its contemporaries. In its day I'd probably have chosen a V12 Jag, but today probably one of these, and they're not too expensive to buy. And I'd imagine not that bad to run, either, unless something goes wrong with the engine, or you need interior trim.
I love the Thema (all versions) - one of the last great Lancias - wonderfully understated Giugiaro styling, classy interior, and then 2 mighty engines - the 2 litre turbo - and this wonderful example of Italian madness!!
i didn´t found yet a Lancia K coupé in good condition but last summer i bought a perfect, looking new ALFA ROMEU 164 2.0L twin cam boxer engine i only knew the turbo version with more horse power but this was looking and felt new ,it´s a hell of a car with a 2.0L inline engine
@@RUfromthe40s I don't know where you live, but here in the Netherlands there are still some quite nice ones available (in every enige set-up: the 5 cylinder 2.4, the Turbo (both the 4 and the 5 cylinder, (which is the fastest Lancia ever made) and the 3.0 V6
Given it was an executive sized car it would have been comparable to a 5 series and if it was made today you would assume it would compete with the M5 with whatever Ferrari engine they put it in it, the M5 today is 115k pounds so...
@@resnonverba137 You'd be amazed, though I can speak from experience when I say I have had lots of people somehow find videos that were not publicly listed. I seem to recall TH-cam would still show them in playlists! In any case, it's nothing sneaky on Jack's part I am sure
1:18 Maserati built by then the 430 (Biturbo) and the bombastic Quattroporte 4.9 so there was a certain alernative. Very nice sleeper though this 8.32😊
Been waiting for this one. The 8.32 was mostly about the Ferrari-powered bragging rights - in fact Enzo Ferrari himself owned one towards the end of his life. And the Saab 9000 which used the same Type 4 platform was tested with a prototype 4.0L V8.
It is true that Enzo Ferrari owned one. About this car there is a legend.....They say that Enzo Ferrari complained that 215 Hp were not enough! He called the chief engineer at Maranello plant and they tuned a V8 with an output of 250 Hp for his Thema. Gianni Agnelli, boss of Fiat Group, had a 8.32 Station Wagon (one only) especially built for him, painted in special grey tone and blue leather interior.
I can't help myself but l love those collabs between manufacturers, like this (which was unknown to me - so, thanks!), the Citroen SM and of course the Lotus Carlton/Omega.
In comparison to almost everything at the time, the car was clearly out classed … but in isolation, today, it’s a wonderful thing that deserves to be celebrated and enjoyed ❤
I was thinking this is a totally bonkers and pointless collab with a price tag to match! Until you did a pull and I heard that engine! Although it really can't contend with what other manufacturers were offering. But that engine is spectacular and makes it special in its own unique way! The Thema is remarkable in a very piculiar way Jack Sir👏👍👍
I'm hoping Stellantis relaunch a successor for this! The engine and Alcantara rosewood interior are outstanding! It would be interesting to see a review of the Lancia Kappa or Thesis (imported one) as they were never sold in the UK.
Ciao Giacomo!!!! My dad bought one of these,in 1987,and when he passed away in 1992 he still had it. He really fell in love with the 8:32 and at that time,I was a very lucky boy because I had the opportunity to drive it on Saturday nights,mostly to dine and go to the disco with a pretty girl.... And belive me,at that time in Italy,it was considered (also by the girls) better than a Porsche!!! The Thema Ferrari was a real icon,the roar of the engine was a real symphony,even better than that produced by the same engines on the 308s and the Mondials. You described this car perfectly. It was a car to be driven in the autostrada or on normal roads with great fun,but was not supposed to be driven on track. I remember a funny episode:one evening,I was waiting for the green of a traffic light,in my town. On my side stopped a Carabinieri blue and white Alfa 75. It was summer they had the windows open as me,and they told me: "Please,when the light turns to green,can you make a fast start so that we can hear the engine?" I answered:"Sure I can but only if you don't stop me for a fine at the next traffic light..." I did the start and then stopped the car before the next traffic light.They were happy to see the car and they loved the retractable wing....As you told, it was not the best car in the world,but was a special one,and for me unforgettable.
Back in the 70s and 80s the local pharmacist where I lived had two Fulvias, the more common coupe and the Zagato hatchback with the hexagonal headlight surrounds, both beautiful cars. My mother had a Beta HPE for some years, a very quirky car that I talked her into buying. The HPE really needed a regular Italian tune up for the engine to work properly.
Ah beautiful Lancias. I had a later one - a Delta HF Turbo - It had basically the same engine as your mum's car - I loved it, my first fuel injected, turbo, ECU car - a revelation to me. I loved it. For me the first considerations about a car are engine, transmission and brakes, other considerations are incidental so long as the car will do it's job.
Why do you consider it a quirky car? I find it sporty-elegant-practical-emotional. A girlfriend of mine had it second hand in the late 80s and we made fantastic trips around Europe. Everywhere he met attention
@@studiocalder818 It had everything you say but also issues like strange noises when driving it no mechanic could find the cause of, problem going around corners quickly when the oil would go to one end of the sump resulting in oil pressure dropping to 0 for a moment, the need to redline it several times after a week or two of normal driving to get the engine running like it should and not like there is something seriously wrong with it. The build quality was also third rate, when it was only a week old the spot welds holding one of the rear side windows let go and the dealer's mechanic fixed it using rivets and when it was one month old the main wiring loom which was rubbing against the steering column shorted because insulation wore through resulting in the whole dash catching on fire and needing to be replaced.
Thanks for finding such interesting and entertaining cars to review. Absolutely fantastic sounding V8 and I was always a fan of the Thema despite having numerous SAAB 9000's instead, imagine that engine in the 9000!
I remember when that came arrived and reading about it in Autocar. It was difficult not to be wowed by it given that engine and that spoiler and its action is just wonderful. Great that they're still around a real curio!
Thanks for having a proper go in an 8:32 Jack. Great to see a good drive/review vid of one of these filmed on UK roads. There are some interesting ones out there but mostly filmed in Italy and as you say very, very few cars reached the UK. I think I'm right in saying that those prized "Lancia by Ferrari" engines were actually built (in parts anyway) by Ducati. Always had a liking for the 9000/Croma/164/Thema and this is quite a "Q car" which I'm always going to love.
Owned a 2.8 V6 back in the day, and always had this in mind mainly for the alcantara everywhere, the engine of course and last but in all honestly the most important gadget; the pop up spoiler on the boot.
Great video. The 8.32s have always fascinated me. I don't remember their having Ferrari decals on the wing; the point of the car was that it underplayed the engine's roots. Maybe Lancia were getting desperate to shift them and sold out!
very true, there were no Ferrari insignias when they left the factory but many owners applied SF decals to the wings and prancing horse centre caps. The only nod to Ferrari was the yellow pinstripe and the yellow background to the 8.32 badge
@@slacko1971 it was indeed, they were such bespoke cars it's just a shame they weren't a touch faster to distance them from the 16V Turbo, if they'd used the 3.2 QV engine they would have been much closer to the E28 M5 in performance terms.
My dad had a Lancia Dedra in the early 90’s. His dealer had one in the shop that seemed to spend a lot of time there, I loved the way it sounded each time they started it. It should not work but it truly looks special, especially in that dark red color
I remember at that time I was reading Car, a journalist commented that the Lancia Thema model was a great build and road quality car and wondered why they only sold about 1.5 a day in the UK
In Brazil they made a saloon version of the Uno called the Fiat Premio. It looks so much like the Thema. It's hard to look at ithe Lancia now and see it for what it really is.
I have a 1988 issue of Autopista (a Spanish car magazine) where they matched up a Thema 8.32 against a Sierra Cosworth. They are very different despite having similar power. The Sierra is more brutal and more sporty whereas the Thema is more of a grand tourer.
I remember seeing this at the London Motor Show when it was brand new and thought that the engine looked amazing. Lancia had it displayed with the bonnet up to show the engine off and it wasn't roped off so you could walk right up to it. I've often looked these up over the years to see how much they go for and they held their values consistently well in comparison to other hot saloon cars of that era such as the Sierra Cosworth that became almost worthless at one point, although it may be lacking a bit behind lately!
I remember when that car was introduced, i went to see it at a car show, it was beautiful! At the time of was impressive, Lancia was definitely playing the Ferrari card
Great video as always! I love the Thema/Ferrari it was so exotic for it's time , it's something that Italy has lost over the years when they were regarded as one of the most creative pioneers in car manufacturers.The Ferrari/Lancia collaboration may have started in the 50s in F1 but the Lancia D50 you was referring to in the video, they had lost their best driver which was Alberto Ascari who was a double World Champion in F1 the last Italian World Champion in fact and was killed testing a prototype Ferrari at Monza a week after he binned his Lancia in the houber at Monaco for the Grand Prix. Fiat and Agnelli who owned Fiat and was a shareholder in Ferrari as well, in the 70s and 80s FIAT was heavily influenced with Italian brands collaborating together over the years and to be honest as much as on paper seemed like a beautiful marriage between Ferrari Fiat Lancia and Alfa Romeo it was slowly the beginning of the end for these companies.😢 We no longer see beautifully exotic cars from these companies which is a shame, thats why these cars like the Thema are so rare that since we sold our souls to the devil and we are now part of the Stellantis group and it will never be the same again. Unfortunately the passing of Sergio Marchionne in 2017 or 18 who was chairman of the FCA had intentions to bring life back to Alfa and Lancia but fate had other ideas.😢
I can remember when the Thema 8:32 came out the car magazines focused on one thing only, the engine, and regarded it as the cheapest way to experience a Ferrari. I have to say that I love the interior of the car, it still looks impressive today.
It's one car I would loved to have owned. They weren't particularly quick and I think it was more the uniqueness/quirkiness of them that was the appeal. I did end up buying it's little brother, the Fiat Croma Turbo and the less said about that heap the better
Thanks Jack, what an amazing and unique car! Hoping someone is able to offer you an Alfa 164 Cloverleaf to review at some stage for the Arese approach to this platform.
In today's context, I think they're more special than they were when new, and you can pick up a good one for 15-25K, depending on the country it's being sold in, and whether you're prepared to import. Of course, all were LHD, so it doesn't really matter where you buy one. I'd also say that most alternatives were bigger and automatic. So, for the person who wants to drive themself, drive a manual, and spends a lot of time driving on narrow roads and crowded city streets, I think the engine and the interior give the car a usp. And as you say it's pretty stealth and goes under the radar, which would appeal to many people. Yeah, you can probably gather, I'd quite like one of these. Back in the day I'd have probably chosen a V12 Jag, but today, as a classic car proposition, I think these are more interesting.
If you have driven a Lancia Gamma than you know why the Thema is not popular with Lancia enthusiasts, handling has always be the key thing about Lancia's, the Thema isn't bad but it hasn't Lancia's superior handling. The 8:32 was not the best but for sure the coolest at the time, people didn't know what to think when the spoiler came up, no phone to answer to questions in the good old 80's
Your grandchildren will have the same reaction to my grandfather's glorious tales about fantastic horses. My reaction was: Grandpa, they stink, and their flesh is not nice to eat. Your grandchildren will ask you how it is possible that noise and stench was good.
@@ronaldderooij1774 An interesting perspective. I can contribute that I also don't appreciate the smell of lead-acid or lithium-iron batteries and I certainly would not like to eat any part of the batteries. Notably, I am a fan of EVs and would own the 'fast Tesla' in a heart beat - even though the car isn't the best with regards styling.
@@georgebettiol8338 Haha, I am with you. And Tesla's build quality is not too good either, but maybe the ones made in Germany are better. I don't know.
I'm gonna tell my grandkids how I could travel across the continent non stop with my friends just changing drivers and stopping for 5 minute fill ups it's gonna blow their minds.
Hi Jack. Really enjoyed this road test & the history. Did you manage to track down a Fiat Dino Coupe for you to review - the other well known collaboration with a Ferrari engine?
Wonderful review on one of my favourite cars. Lovely engine , subtle styling, a wolf in sheep’s clothing , a car to devour the autostrada. Expensive ? Yes but I would have one in a heartbeat! Would love you to test more Lancias.
Always had great admiration for these cars , in fact all the Thema range. It was a similar idea to the Lotus Cortina , in a way , and I often wondered how a Mk 4/5 Lotus Cortina would have fared, but Lotus teamed up with the Chrysler group instead with the Lotus Sunbeam. Putting the Ferrari 308 in this was odd, particularly when Lancia had a quicker car in the Thema Turbo but the power delivery was a totally different experience. The unique character , with the extra detailing to the interior , however, really makes this a truly bespoke car
Back in the day I won a journey given out by the car magazine MOT of Motorpresse Stuttgart. We were picked up at our home near Frankfurt in a FIAT Croma Turbo, which was the sister of the Thema and drove down to Italy, all the way using the nicest roads , mountain passes and so on. A real joy ride. We stayed in a hotel in the Piemont and from there visited the production plants of FIAT and Lancia. The best part was the plant were they built the Thema 8.32, basically by hand, since the exquisite Interieur and the special drivetrain needed specialists to install. We were accompanied by FIAT's head of communications, and had the chance to see secret developments and drive secret projects. But the best part to me was the fact that i asked the man for a 8.32 original badge as a souvenir. He looked around for a shelf with parts, but they were evidently counted and rare, so he took one of a new car that was about to be rolling out. He smiled like a scholboy and gave it to me to smuggle it out.....
Nice video, you're one of them people that pronounced that name right, which makes a random fellow happy Somewhere here in South Asia that saw the fourth most sales of the Thema, we still maintain a small driveable fleet, just to keep them under peoples' eyes Rescued a series 2 8.32 from it's grave a month ago. We had about 30 of them here, but as expected most of them had turned into parts
Hi Jack. Great video! I would love to see a comparison video on the italian luxury saloons. By that i mean the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Lancia Thema. I think it would be interesting. Thanks for the videos, keep up the good work!
Great review of a great obscure car, I remember turning down one of these some years ago with very, very light body damage for £1000...big mistake! Out of interest, do you know what gearbox it uses?
With regards tp your Bentley - I read that the 2007 onwards cars moved to metal vacuum pipes as opposed to the rubbed vacuum hoses. Did this remove the common vacuum issue on later cars or is it still an issue on later cars?
I lived in Germany in 1989-1993. My father was working at a Nato airbase while I was learning to shag- sort of. The italian neighbour across the street drove a 8.32. The sound was amazing. Down the road our other neighbour drove a SL600 convertible. Nice neighbourhood and wonderful memories😎
Thanks for this post Jack. Always loved the 8:32! I think £22,000 ish can get you a good example and I would love to own one but continued maintenance and parts supply would worry me?
I remember hailing a cab outside some roman villa-themed disco just south of Rimini and finding myself in one of those. Quite a spectacular ride back to the hotel... It's basically the same car as a SAAB 9000 but with a wonderful engine, right? I recognized the ACC panel, but why wasn't it operative? Is it dead in that car?
There was Fiat Croma in 1993 with Alfa Romeo Busso V6 2.5 that was also a sublime Italo Mafia car! Nobody expects a V6 in a Fiat Croma Roma Taxi cab car :-))))
Nice video Jack, I remember reading about these with intrigue when I owned my Integrale, but can see now from this review why they're so rare. Definitely seems a bit pointless to me, having a glorious sounding Ferrari engine, wrapped up in an uninspiring body & chassis, it would feel like it's asking you to play, then letting you down when you accepted. It's not luxurious enough to compete with the Jag, but not sporty enough to compete with the BMW, but comes with an expensive engine, making it definitely a tough pick, only it's oddball & rarity tag leaving some intrigue.
Hello Jack, this car has some kind of bad reputation here in Spain cause one of our basketball legends, Fernando Martín, died in a car accident while drivin this Lancia, back in 1985.
Loved my series 1 Thema V6 I had in the early nineties. It’s previous owner was the Earl of Romsey and had a lot of custom Hifi fitted by pioneer. 2.8 PRV engine from a Volvo iirc Great comfy cars with lovey comfy seats but electrics were very troublesome on mine
Fantastic! I love these. You’re content is getting better and better. I think you might have just been promoted to be my favourite car TH-camr (not that anyone cares) 👍🏼
@@pauldoree3967Harry’s reviews are ok if you can filter out “In the EVO days we went the house in Cannes every weekend” etc but he comes out with some toe curlers when talking (unscripted) to restorers or Ian Tyrell. Ian Tyrell is the king - “Oooh Harry, What’s that noise!? It has always done that. We need to return to the workshop right away!”
About 20 years ago the Italian sandwich guy who used to come around our office every day, drove one of these in mint condition on his deliveries and was always so proud of it's Ferrari engine. Interesting and cool car.
It's a car built around the engine. I remember in my 20s standing beside an open bonnet of that car with engine being revved up. The audio-orgasm is still ringing in my ears to this day.
Just a little dig here. You mentioned the W124 Mercedes-Benz early in the video, but showed a W126 car at that time. Merceds-Benz trivia expert here. Excellent video, Jack!
I like this only because it's interesting and very rare but, as you correctly stated, it wasn't that good compared to its competitors. A manual 3.6 XJ40 would have been a good shout in this era.
Another beautiful review of another beautiful car! If you had a show on regular telie, I'd absolutely watch it! Thanks Jack! If I wasn't across the pond at the moment, I would see if you wanted to review one of mine, cheers!
I own a 420 SE W126 which i love, but i like this car. espeacially the interior. and the engine sounds so good. 80' cars had so much individuality and character. not like the boring plastic smartphones on wheels of these days.
Great video! Thank you for sharing! Beeing mediterranean myself, i guess Lancia and Ferrari sat around drinking espresso and discussed like this: Lancia: "Lets do something crazy, incredibile, you understand...We put a 8 cyl Ferrari motor into a normal Lancia...and we put a wing at the rear!" Ferrari: "Si, Si..and the rear must be extendable..." Big laughs! (A few weeks later....)
Yet another great video for the conoissesseur Great Job, Jack !
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From 1988-1993 I worked in Hotel Astoria in Budapest as a concierge, where we had a regular guest, a businessman from Italy who had this car. We had the chance a few time to park it...
Good job as usual, you need now a Thesis 3.0 or 3.2 V6 or perhaps the 2.0 turbo (interesting). Another Lancia's forgotten masterpiece: retro-futurism at its best, on a totally new platform.
6:10 - there is very high chance this particular sample has worn out rubber joints on wishbones and worn shocks. I had Chroma 2.0 and 164 V6 busso, a co-worker had Saab with trubo engine and another one had Thema with regular 2.0 engine. They all had superb handling. Especially my two since I changed all the components. My service garage owner had Ferrari version and other Themas (was fan of Thema) and I asked him about handling, if it is changed. He said NO, it is strong and good enough. On regular car there is overdesigned (truth is wishbones on my 164 worked up to 160 kkm until I notice sloppiness - man what a change when new with new shocks and springs and all other rubber joints). You might feel more weight, like diesel vs petrol on many smaller nowadays cars. But 25 years ago, the owner of one 8.32 thought it is not much different. His Thema had light brown leather on dash and all around the car. Your's has cloth - interesting for 1st owner to pick that combination. Also your exhaust have some high pitch sound like something would be broken/blown inside muffler which I do not remember from that 8.32 I heard back than which was like 8 years old at the time; sound was richer and deeper. I remember the energy of exhaust that can be felt in guts if standing near.
My barber had one of these back in the day. He told me I was the only person that ever asked him about it, a sleeper in some ways. The sound is mega, even today. Fair play Dermo, wonder what he drives today?, prob a Kia or something!!!
Well I'm more impressed with the Thema 8.32 than I thought I would be...though it is really all about the engine. I had an Alfa 164 with the 3 liter Busso V6, (part of the Saab, Fiat, Alfa, Lancia shared platform) and that car was a great driver, on the track and on the road. The exterior lines of the Thema do appear dowdy in my opinion. And as you point out, there were so many better cars that cost much less. Which brings us back to the engine...and what it might have become in a better looking Lancia. Thanks for the video.
In person, I thought the exterior lines were quite elegant and understated. The seats and interior seemed decent and comfortable enough. This was a really nice family car but nothing stood out as exceptional IME. Today, of course, the analogue experience and reasonable size are awesome.
@@jfv65 you can see it as an alternative for the Maserati Quattroporte III but they should have made it rear wheel drive. The Ferrari engine was assembled by Ducati btw.
A guy called Charles Millington ran a Lancia garage in Pershore and bought the press demo featured in Car magazine reg no E33 FAP, he used to drop his kids off at school in it, seemed very cool when I was 16.
Spent time working on one for as customer for years , drove it numerous times , it was a charmer , but us me and the owner we were both worried on the weak gearbox , you could not switch off protecting it with careful deliberate shifts .
Insane car, and nostalgic I had the Peugeot 605 on the same platform back in the day, very nice for long distances. Mine was a regular 2 liter so engine wise not even in the same universe LoL
Are you sure it’s the same platform, Per? I thought Thema was part of Fiat Group + Saab collaboration? Am happy to be corrected if I’m wrong about that…
@@PerJohansson-Xeizo The 605 did not have the shared type 4 platform used by Saab, Lancia, Fiat and Alfa. It is unconnected except that Pininfarina effectively 'sold' the same styling to Alfa Romeo and Peugeot which accounts for their similarity in looks. The 605 was nice, but dull and had numerous electrical problems caused by cheap loom connectors that corroded. They had to retrofit looms with gold plated contacts to get it to work. A friend was a Peugeot service manager. I had three Alfa Romeo 164s and really liked them.
Back in the 90s I worked on George Street in the West End and there was a car dealer on George Street who at any one time might have a couple of these in the showroom, possibly a couple of Delta Integrales. At the time I'd walk past the showroom and 'meh'. I certainly wouldn't nowadays!
I love the thema 8.32. Its so lancia! The spoiler, engine and overall looks depsite its price or weight. Its a good car in my opinion and only one of very few cars to have a ferrari engine thats not a ferrari.
I used to work on these cars, two of our customers cars caught fire and changing cambelts every 40k km [engine out, emptying and refill of a system] was really expensive for the customers, as well as broken thermostats deep in the V of the engine
It was obscene money in its day, but, it remained exclusive and I’ll always remember the talk, as a kid/teen, about the Ferrari engined Lancia Thema. Genuinely, many thought it was bull. I only seen (and luckily heard) one once, and it was glorious! The power from a 3ltr NA engine was respectable too. It sounds waaaaaay better than the Mercs, Jags & Beemers you mentioned. I was never a Thema fan in normal or turbo guise. Always preferred the Saab 9000 because it was SOLID, or even the Alfa 164 because it was the best looking of the three (I won’t mention the Fiat Chroma 🙈). But, money being no object and a tidy example of all models on offer, I’d have to take the 8.32 👌🏼
One of these is coming up for sale locally at a place that sells classic cars. The shop is rebuilding the engine. I was so disappointed when I learned it was front wheel drive. Very strange choice of chassis/engine.
How does it compare to the 9000 Aero you drove a while back? Of course the Saab 4-pot will never compete with the roar of the 8.32, but dynamics, etc - interested in your thoughts Jack!
They should have continued this... imagine a 355-powered Multipla, etc.
a panda sf90
@@zloychechen5150 Nissan actually put the GT-R R35 powertrain in the little SUV, I think called the Juke!
😂😂😂😂
How much that Multipla gonna cost? Multi££ I'm guessing
The Múltipla is one of my favorite Italian cars.
Too bad most of them were diesels.
If they had fit a Múltipla with the 20V Turbo engine would be magical
I remember when Lancia launched this. Reading reviews of it, having my mind blown by how cool of a concept it is. I miss the days of crazy, or at least somewhat exciting, engines in regular cars. Even down to V6 versions of a Vectra, Xantia, and - for me especially - the type 43 and 44 Audis with their five cylinder engines. Because the 8.32 scores astonishingly high on the nuts engine in a regular car scale, it will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks for the reminder :)
Xantia activa V6 was a hell of a car. The r21 turbo quadra and the mighty accord typeR as well.
Hello Jack. Thanks for a great review of my 8.32. As we discussed on the day, despite how the 8.32 compared to it's contemporaries in it's day it's a fanatstic car to own and drive today. If anyone out there is thinking about having Jack do a video of their car I can confirm Jack is a true and genuine enthusiast and will treat your car with care and respect.
Thank you for showing us your car.
The interior looks beautiful, and it's a head-turner from the outside too.
Lovely car m8. As a kid I remember regularly seeing a white one with Ferrari badges, being driven very fast all over town!
In today's context, I think it's a more interesting classic car proposition than most if not all its contemporaries. In its day I'd probably have chosen a V12 Jag, but today probably one of these, and they're not too expensive to buy. And I'd imagine not that bad to run, either, unless something goes wrong with the engine, or you need interior trim.
Really nice car and not something you see these days.
My dad used to have a Fiat Croma gen.1. This Lancia really reminds me of that car. Brings good memories.
I love the Thema (all versions) - one of the last great Lancias - wonderfully understated Giugiaro styling, classy interior, and then 2 mighty engines - the 2 litre turbo - and this wonderful example of Italian madness!!
Didn't it have the Busso V6 as well?
@@mehrzahl2219 it did indeed - I stand corrected! *3* mighty engines……oh, and the PRV……..
@@simonhodgetts6530 did not know about the PRV. Madness!!
i didn´t found yet a Lancia K coupé in good condition but last summer i bought a perfect, looking new ALFA ROMEU 164 2.0L twin cam boxer engine i only knew the turbo version with more horse power but this was looking and felt new ,it´s a hell of a car with a 2.0L inline engine
@@RUfromthe40s I don't know where you live, but here in the Netherlands there are still some quite nice ones available (in every enige set-up: the 5 cylinder 2.4, the Turbo (both the 4 and the 5 cylinder, (which is the fastest Lancia ever made) and the 3.0 V6
£37,500 in 1986 would be £104,494 in today's money according to the Bank of England inflation calculator.
And worth every penny.
@@philiptownsend4026 You think?
@@asensibleyoungman2978 They would sell like Hot cakes today
@@TheAsa1972 Tongue firmly in cheek 😂
Given it was an executive sized car it would have been comparable to a 5 series and if it was made today you would assume it would compete with the M5 with whatever Ferrari engine they put it in it, the M5 today is 115k pounds so...
I vaguely recall reading the fact the engine was assembled at the Ducati factory in Bologna.
Thank you, Jack! You and JayEmm are my favorite youtube presenters. A new video is always a cheer.
5/6/23 @ 1917. How is this comment shown as being from 9 days ago when this video was uploaded 2 hours ago?
@@resnonverba137 Something fishy going on.
@@dmode2793 My guess - this is the owner and got a sneak preview of the video
@@JayEmmOnCars This doesn't feel like the sort of comment an owner would write after seeing his car being tested.
@@resnonverba137 You'd be amazed, though I can speak from experience when I say I have had lots of people somehow find videos that were not publicly listed. I seem to recall TH-cam would still show them in playlists! In any case, it's nothing sneaky on Jack's part I am sure
1:18 Maserati built by then the 430 (Biturbo) and the bombastic Quattroporte 4.9 so there was a certain alernative. Very nice sleeper though this 8.32😊
Been waiting for this one. The 8.32 was mostly about the Ferrari-powered bragging rights - in fact Enzo Ferrari himself owned one towards the end of his life. And the Saab 9000 which used the same Type 4 platform was tested with a prototype 4.0L V8.
It is true that Enzo Ferrari owned one. About this car there is a legend.....They say that Enzo Ferrari complained that 215 Hp were not enough! He called the chief engineer at Maranello plant and they tuned a V8 with an output of 250 Hp for his Thema. Gianni Agnelli, boss of Fiat Group, had a 8.32 Station Wagon (one only) especially built for him, painted in special grey tone and blue leather interior.
I can't help myself but l love those collabs between manufacturers, like this (which was unknown to me - so, thanks!), the Citroen SM and of course the Lotus Carlton/Omega.
In comparison to almost everything at the time, the car was clearly out classed … but in isolation, today, it’s a wonderful thing that deserves to be celebrated and enjoyed ❤
I was thinking this is a totally bonkers and pointless collab with a price tag to match! Until you did a pull and I heard that engine! Although it really can't contend with what other manufacturers were offering. But that engine is spectacular and makes it special in its own unique way!
The Thema is remarkable in a very piculiar way Jack Sir👏👍👍
I spent 15 months working in Belgium in the late 1990s. One was for sale locally from a dealer. I was very tempted!
Im so pleased you've put so much time and effort into Number 27 Jack!
Its an excellent channel and i always enjoy watching buddy 👏👍
Thank you old chap!!
I'm hoping Stellantis relaunch a successor for this! The engine and Alcantara rosewood interior are outstanding! It would be interesting to see a review of the Lancia Kappa or Thesis (imported one) as they were never sold in the UK.
I wouldn't hedge my bets on that too much. If they redo the Thema, it will be another rebadge of C300 or some bullcrap like that.
Ciao Giacomo!!!! My dad bought one of these,in 1987,and when he passed away in 1992 he still had it. He really fell in love with the 8:32 and at that time,I was a very lucky boy because I had the opportunity to drive it on Saturday nights,mostly to dine and go to the disco with a pretty girl.... And belive me,at that time in Italy,it was considered (also by the girls) better than a Porsche!!! The Thema Ferrari was a real icon,the roar of the engine was a real symphony,even better than that produced by the same engines on the 308s and the Mondials. You described this car perfectly. It was a car to be driven in the autostrada or on normal roads with great fun,but was not supposed to be driven on track. I remember a funny episode:one evening,I was waiting for the green of a traffic light,in my town. On my side stopped a Carabinieri blue and white Alfa 75. It was summer they had the windows open as me,and they told me: "Please,when the light turns to green,can you make a fast start so that we can hear the engine?" I answered:"Sure I can but only if you don't stop me for a fine at the next traffic light..." I did the start and then stopped the car before the next traffic light.They were happy to see the car and they loved the retractable wing....As you told, it was not the best car in the world,but was a special one,and for me unforgettable.
Back in the 70s and 80s the local pharmacist where I lived had two Fulvias, the more common coupe and the Zagato hatchback with the hexagonal headlight surrounds, both beautiful cars. My mother had a Beta HPE for some years, a very quirky car that I talked her into buying. The HPE really needed a regular Italian tune up for the engine to work properly.
Ah beautiful Lancias. I had a later one - a Delta HF Turbo - It had basically the same engine as your mum's car - I loved it, my first fuel injected, turbo, ECU car - a revelation to me. I loved it.
For me the first considerations about a car are engine, transmission and brakes, other considerations are incidental so long as the car will do it's job.
Why do you consider it a quirky car? I find it sporty-elegant-practical-emotional. A girlfriend of mine had it second hand in the late 80s and we made fantastic trips around Europe. Everywhere he met attention
@@studiocalder818 It had everything you say but also issues like strange noises when driving it no mechanic could find the cause of, problem going around corners quickly when the oil would go to one end of the sump resulting in oil pressure dropping to 0 for a moment, the need to redline it several times after a week or two of normal driving to get the engine running like it should and not like there is something seriously wrong with it. The build quality was also third rate, when it was only a week old the spot welds holding one of the rear side windows let go and the dealer's mechanic fixed it using rivets and when it was one month old the main wiring loom which was rubbing against the steering column shorted because insulation wore through resulting in the whole dash catching on fire and needing to be replaced.
A me piace molto! Turns fuel into noise and drama but soooo entertaining, like the Alfas I've driven. Hard not to fall in love...
Thanks for finding such interesting and entertaining cars to review. Absolutely fantastic sounding V8 and I was always a fan of the Thema despite having numerous SAAB 9000's instead, imagine that engine in the 9000!
You'll know of the Saab 9000 V8, then.
Just the one, mind.
I remember when that came arrived and reading about it in Autocar. It was difficult not to be wowed by it given that engine and that spoiler and its action is just wonderful. Great that they're still around a real curio!
I drove a Thema for a weekend. It was a pretty good car overall. Not incredible. Totally understated. The owner said it was expensive to maintain.
Thanks for having a proper go in an 8:32 Jack. Great to see a good drive/review vid of one of these filmed on UK roads. There are some interesting ones out there but mostly filmed in Italy and as you say very, very few cars reached the UK. I think I'm right in saying that those prized "Lancia by Ferrari" engines were actually built (in parts anyway) by Ducati. Always had a liking for the 9000/Croma/164/Thema and this is quite a "Q car" which I'm always going to love.
Owned a 2.8 V6 back in the day, and always had this in mind mainly for the alcantara everywhere, the engine of course and last but in all honestly the most important gadget; the pop up spoiler on the boot.
Great video. The 8.32s have always fascinated me. I don't remember their having Ferrari decals on the wing; the point of the car was that it underplayed the engine's roots. Maybe Lancia were getting desperate to shift them and sold out!
very true, there were no Ferrari insignias when they left the factory but many owners applied SF decals to the wings and prancing horse centre caps. The only nod to Ferrari was the yellow pinstripe and the yellow background to the 8.32 badge
@@benzinapaul7416 That pin stripe was hand painted as well not a sticker, I always thought that was a cool touch.
@@slacko1971 it was indeed, they were such bespoke cars it's just a shame they weren't a touch faster to distance them from the 16V Turbo, if they'd used the 3.2 QV engine they would have been much closer to the E28 M5 in performance terms.
My dad had a Lancia Dedra in the early 90’s. His dealer had one in the shop that seemed to spend a lot of time there, I loved the way it sounded each time they started it. It should not work but it truly looks special, especially in that dark red color
Another great video Jack, the soundtrack from that engine would be enough alone to justify adopting that!
Great stuff, keep it up.
I remember at that time I was reading Car, a journalist commented that the Lancia Thema model was a great build and road quality car and wondered why they only sold about 1.5 a day in the UK
In Brazil they made a saloon version of the Uno called the Fiat Premio. It looks so much like the Thema. It's hard to look at ithe Lancia now and see it for what it really is.
I have a 1988 issue of Autopista (a Spanish car magazine) where they matched up a Thema 8.32 against a Sierra Cosworth.
They are very different despite having similar power. The Sierra is more brutal and more sporty whereas the Thema is more of a grand tourer.
I remember seeing this at the London Motor Show when it was brand new and thought that the engine looked amazing. Lancia had it displayed with the bonnet up to show the engine off and it wasn't roped off so you could walk right up to it. I've often looked these up over the years to see how much they go for and they held their values consistently well in comparison to other hot saloon cars of that era such as the Sierra Cosworth that became almost worthless at one point, although it may be lacking a bit behind lately!
I remember when that car was introduced, i went to see it at a car show, it was beautiful! At the time of was impressive, Lancia was definitely playing the Ferrari card
Great video as always! I love the Thema/Ferrari it was so exotic for it's time , it's something that Italy has lost over the years when they were regarded as one of the most creative pioneers in car manufacturers.The Ferrari/Lancia collaboration may have started in the 50s in F1 but the Lancia D50 you was referring to in the video, they had lost their best driver which was Alberto Ascari who was a double World Champion in F1 the last Italian World Champion in fact and was killed testing a prototype Ferrari at Monza a week after he binned his Lancia in the houber at Monaco for the Grand Prix. Fiat and Agnelli who owned Fiat and was a shareholder in Ferrari as well, in the 70s and 80s FIAT was heavily influenced with Italian brands collaborating together over the years and to be honest as much as on paper seemed like a beautiful marriage between Ferrari Fiat Lancia and Alfa Romeo it was slowly the beginning of the end for these companies.😢 We no longer see beautifully exotic cars from these companies which is a shame, thats why these cars like the Thema are so rare that since we sold our souls to the devil and we are now part of the Stellantis group and it will never be the same again. Unfortunately the passing of Sergio Marchionne in 2017 or 18 who was chairman of the FCA had intentions to bring life back to Alfa and Lancia but fate had other ideas.😢
I can remember when the Thema 8:32 came out the car magazines focused on one thing only, the engine, and regarded it as the cheapest way to experience a Ferrari.
I have to say that I love the interior of the car, it still looks impressive today.
Please Video of Alfa 6 Berlina 2,5 iE or carbs (6 Dellortos) with hand shifted gearbox!
Had the 8.32 been available down under, the Aussies would probably have worked out a way to convert it to right-hand-drive.
It's one car I would loved to have owned. They weren't particularly quick and I think it was more the uniqueness/quirkiness of them that was the appeal. I did end up buying it's little brother, the Fiat Croma Turbo and the less said about that heap the better
Thanks Jack, what an amazing and unique car!
Hoping someone is able to offer you an Alfa 164 Cloverleaf to review at some stage for the Arese approach to this platform.
In today's context, I think they're more special than they were when new, and you can pick up a good one for 15-25K, depending on the country it's being sold in, and whether you're prepared to import. Of course, all were LHD, so it doesn't really matter where you buy one. I'd also say that most alternatives were bigger and automatic. So, for the person who wants to drive themself, drive a manual, and spends a lot of time driving on narrow roads and crowded city streets, I think the engine and the interior give the car a usp. And as you say it's pretty stealth and goes under the radar, which would appeal to many people. Yeah, you can probably gather, I'd quite like one of these. Back in the day I'd have probably chosen a V12 Jag, but today, as a classic car proposition, I think these are more interesting.
If you have driven a Lancia Gamma than you know why the Thema is not popular with Lancia enthusiasts, handling has always be the key thing about Lancia's, the Thema isn't bad but it hasn't Lancia's superior handling. The 8:32 was not the best but for sure the coolest at the time, people didn't know what to think when the spoiler came up, no phone to answer to questions in the good old 80's
What an absolutely glorious exhaust sound. Revel in it, the electric car will make that fantastic sound a thing to tell your grandkids sbout
Yessss Sir. So true (and so sad)
Your grandchildren will have the same reaction to my grandfather's glorious tales about fantastic horses. My reaction was: Grandpa, they stink, and their flesh is not nice to eat. Your grandchildren will ask you how it is possible that noise and stench was good.
@@ronaldderooij1774 An interesting perspective. I can contribute that I also don't appreciate the smell of lead-acid or lithium-iron batteries and I certainly would not like to eat any part of the batteries.
Notably, I am a fan of EVs and would own the 'fast Tesla' in a heart beat - even though the car isn't the best with regards styling.
@@georgebettiol8338 Haha, I am with you. And Tesla's build quality is not too good either, but maybe the ones made in Germany are better. I don't know.
I'm gonna tell my grandkids how I could travel across the continent non stop with my friends just changing drivers and stopping for 5 minute fill ups it's gonna blow their minds.
Hi Jack. Really enjoyed this road test & the history. Did you manage to track down a Fiat Dino Coupe for you to review - the other well known collaboration with a Ferrari engine?
Wonderful review on one of my favourite cars. Lovely engine , subtle styling, a wolf in sheep’s clothing , a car to devour the autostrada.
Expensive ? Yes but I would have one in a heartbeat! Would love you to test more Lancias.
Always had great admiration for these cars , in fact all the Thema range. It was a similar idea to the Lotus Cortina , in a way , and I often wondered how a Mk 4/5 Lotus Cortina would have fared, but Lotus teamed up with the Chrysler group instead with the Lotus Sunbeam. Putting the Ferrari 308 in this was odd, particularly when Lancia had a quicker car in the Thema Turbo but the power delivery was a totally different experience. The unique character , with the extra detailing to the interior , however, really makes this a truly bespoke car
thanks for bringing us another quirky classic...
Back in the day I won a journey given out by the car magazine MOT of Motorpresse Stuttgart. We were picked up at our home near Frankfurt in a FIAT Croma Turbo, which was the sister of the Thema and drove down to Italy, all the way using the nicest roads , mountain passes and so on. A real joy ride. We stayed in a hotel in the Piemont and from there visited the production plants of FIAT and Lancia. The best part was the plant were they built the Thema 8.32, basically by hand, since the exquisite Interieur and the special drivetrain needed specialists to install. We were accompanied by FIAT's head of communications, and had the chance to see secret developments and drive secret projects. But the best part to me was the fact that i asked the man for a 8.32 original badge as a souvenir. He looked around for a shelf with parts, but they were evidently counted and rare, so he took one of a new car that was about to be rolling out. He smiled like a scholboy and gave it to me to smuggle it out.....
Nice video, you're one of them people that pronounced that name right, which makes a random fellow happy
Somewhere here in South Asia that saw the fourth most sales of the Thema, we still maintain a small driveable fleet, just to keep them under peoples' eyes
Rescued a series 2 8.32 from it's grave a month ago. We had about 30 of them here, but as expected most of them had turned into parts
You are good at what you do. Your assessments are clear and well balanced. Thank you.
Hi Jack. Great video! I would love to see a comparison video on the italian luxury saloons. By that i mean the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Lancia Thema. I think it would be interesting. Thanks for the videos, keep up the good work!
Ah yes bit not easy to get them all in one place now!! Or even get a normal Thema or Croma. I’ve been trying
That’s if he can find a Fiat Croma 😂
Great review of a great obscure car, I remember turning down one of these some years ago with very, very light body damage for £1000...big mistake! Out of interest, do you know what gearbox it uses?
Thanks!
Thank you so much and sorry for the late reply.. only just seen this!!
With regards tp your Bentley - I read that the 2007 onwards cars moved to metal vacuum pipes as opposed to the rubbed vacuum hoses. Did this remove the common vacuum issue on later cars or is it still an issue on later cars?
They didn’t change to metal, they just rerouted the pipes so when they break they are easier to get to.. I think without engine removal
Wonderful stuff No27. This magnificent beast strikes me as a vanity project that was green lighted over some very good wine.
I lived in Germany in 1989-1993. My father was working at a Nato airbase while I was learning to shag- sort of. The italian neighbour across the street drove a 8.32. The sound was amazing. Down the road our other neighbour drove a SL600 convertible. Nice neighbourhood and wonderful memories😎
That sounds absolutely badass. If only it was a rear drive.
Thanks for this post Jack. Always loved the 8:32! I think £22,000 ish can get you a good example and I would love to own one but continued maintenance and parts supply would worry me?
For sure it would throw up a few headaches!! Thanks for watching Mark
I remember hailing a cab outside some roman villa-themed disco just south of Rimini and finding myself in one of those. Quite a spectacular ride back to the hotel... It's basically the same car as a SAAB 9000 but with a wonderful engine, right? I recognized the ACC panel, but why wasn't it operative? Is it dead in that car?
There was Fiat Croma in 1993 with Alfa Romeo Busso V6 2.5 that was also a sublime Italo Mafia car! Nobody expects a V6 in a Fiat Croma Roma Taxi cab car :-))))
It sounds so much better with the cross plane crank , absolutely superb 👍🏻
Nice video Jack, I remember reading about these with intrigue when I owned my Integrale, but can see now from this review why they're so rare. Definitely seems a bit pointless to me, having a glorious sounding Ferrari engine, wrapped up in an uninspiring body & chassis, it would feel like it's asking you to play, then letting you down when you accepted. It's not luxurious enough to compete with the Jag, but not sporty enough to compete with the BMW, but comes with an expensive engine, making it definitely a tough pick, only it's oddball & rarity tag leaving some intrigue.
Hello Jack, this car has some kind of bad reputation here in Spain cause one of our basketball legends, Fernando Martín, died in a car accident while drivin this Lancia, back in 1985.
Loved my series 1 Thema V6 I had in the early nineties. It’s previous owner was the Earl of Romsey and had a lot of custom Hifi fitted by pioneer. 2.8 PRV engine from a Volvo iirc Great comfy cars with lovey comfy seats but electrics were very troublesome on mine
Jack, did you know you toward the end of Thema production in some LHD markets your could have a Thema with a Busso 3.0 V6 12V with the 8.32 interior
Fantastic! I love these. You’re content is getting better and better. I think you might have just been promoted to be my favourite car TH-camr (not that anyone cares) 👍🏼
Love Jacks videos, but Harry’s Garage and Tyrrell’s Classic workshop are also superb
Somebody cars.
What’s up with your 308 Jack? Did you ever do a proper ‘sorted 308’ vid?
That’s very kind Oliver thanks.. but it’s say to make an interesting video when you have such a special car to film!
@@pauldoree3967Harry’s reviews are ok if you can filter out “In the EVO days we went the house in Cannes every weekend” etc but he comes out with some toe curlers when talking (unscripted) to restorers or Ian Tyrell. Ian Tyrell is the king - “Oooh Harry, What’s that noise!? It has always done that. We need to return to the workshop right away!”
About 20 years ago the Italian sandwich guy who used to come around our office every day, drove one of these in mint condition on his deliveries and was always so proud of it's Ferrari engine. Interesting and cool car.
Ohhhhh myyyy! That sound!!!!
Great video!
Greetings from the Netherlands
It's a car built around the engine. I remember in my 20s standing beside an open bonnet of that car with engine being revved up. The audio-orgasm is still ringing in my ears to this day.
Just thinking about the thema ealier today! My friends dad had the turbo when it first came out..beautiful and fast!
Just a little dig here. You mentioned the W124 Mercedes-Benz early in the video, but showed a W126 car at that time. Merceds-Benz trivia expert here. Excellent video, Jack!
Impossible!!! 🙅 I never ever make mistakes 😋😆😆😆
@@Number27 I made a spelling error while I was pointing out this error. My error.
I like this only because it's interesting and very rare but, as you correctly stated, it wasn't that good compared to its competitors.
A manual 3.6 XJ40 would have been a good shout in this era.
Another beautiful review of another beautiful car! If you had a show on regular telie, I'd absolutely watch it! Thanks Jack! If I wasn't across the pond at the moment, I would see if you wanted to review one of mine, cheers!
My pleasure! Thanks you buddy and enjoy summer!
Nice Video !
Greetings from a old guy from Berlin.
I own a 420 SE W126 which i love, but i like this car. espeacially the interior. and the engine sounds so good.
80' cars had so much individuality and character. not like the boring plastic smartphones on wheels of these days.
These 8:32s weren’t sold in UK though, were they Jack? LHD “special import only” would explain the minimal number imported here…
Great video! Thank you for sharing! Beeing mediterranean myself, i guess Lancia and Ferrari sat around drinking espresso and discussed like this: Lancia: "Lets do something crazy, incredibile, you understand...We put a 8 cyl Ferrari motor into a normal Lancia...and we put a wing at the rear!" Ferrari: "Si, Si..and the rear must be extendable..." Big laughs! (A few weeks later....)
Yet another great video for the conoissesseur Great Job, Jack !
From 1988-1993 I worked in Hotel Astoria in Budapest as a concierge, where we had a regular guest, a businessman from Italy who had this car. We had the chance a few time to park it...
The only time I saw one of these, it was parked outside a smart restaurant in Bologna. Cheers for the great reviews you do Jack.
Good job as usual, you need now a Thesis 3.0 or 3.2 V6 or perhaps the 2.0 turbo (interesting). Another Lancia's forgotten masterpiece: retro-futurism at its best, on a totally new platform.
I used to do a post round occasionally I was on the round that had an Italian repair specialist They had one of these parked up once.
6:10 - there is very high chance this particular sample has worn out rubber joints on wishbones and worn shocks. I had Chroma 2.0 and 164 V6 busso, a co-worker had Saab with trubo engine and another one had Thema with regular 2.0 engine. They all had superb handling. Especially my two since I changed all the components. My service garage owner had Ferrari version and other Themas (was fan of Thema) and I asked him about handling, if it is changed. He said NO, it is strong and good enough. On regular car there is overdesigned (truth is wishbones on my 164 worked up to 160 kkm until I notice sloppiness - man what a change when new with new shocks and springs and all other rubber joints). You might feel more weight, like diesel vs petrol on many smaller nowadays cars. But 25 years ago, the owner of one 8.32 thought it is not much different. His Thema had light brown leather on dash and all around the car. Your's has cloth - interesting for 1st owner to pick that combination. Also your exhaust have some high pitch sound like something would be broken/blown inside muffler which I do not remember from that 8.32 I heard back than which was like 8 years old at the time; sound was richer and deeper. I remember the energy of exhaust that can be felt in guts if standing near.
My barber had one of these back in the day. He told me I was the only person that ever asked him about it, a sleeper in some ways. The sound is mega, even today. Fair play Dermo, wonder what he drives today?, prob a Kia or something!!!
Superb car. Great channel- always the rare groove Italiano 👌
Loved the shape of these especially the prefacelift version
, am happy to have owned a none ferrrari engined one.
@@justinbennitt835 yep possibly the rear ones had different lines on some of them, long time ago
Well I'm more impressed with the Thema 8.32 than I thought I would be...though it is really all about the engine. I had an Alfa 164 with the 3 liter Busso V6, (part of the Saab, Fiat, Alfa, Lancia shared platform) and that car was a great driver, on the track and on the road. The exterior lines of the Thema do appear dowdy in my opinion. And as you point out, there were so many better cars that cost much less. Which brings us back to the engine...and what it might have become in a better looking Lancia. Thanks for the video.
Or in a proper rear wheel drive Lancia!!
@@Number27 So, basically a Maserati without the bi-turbo's but with this V8? Maserati and Lancia could have done that and profit both!
In person, I thought the exterior lines were quite elegant and understated. The seats and interior seemed decent and comfortable enough. This was a really nice family car but nothing stood out as exceptional IME. Today, of course, the analogue experience and reasonable size are awesome.
@@jfv65 you can see it as an alternative for the Maserati Quattroporte III but they should have made it rear wheel drive. The Ferrari engine was assembled by Ducati btw.
The Thema is a beautiful example of understated elegance.
I agree about the Busso engine though and very much regret never owning one. Too late now.
A guy called Charles Millington ran a Lancia garage in Pershore and bought the press demo featured in Car magazine reg no E33 FAP, he used to drop his kids off at school in it, seemed very cool when I was 16.
Spent time working on one for as customer for years , drove it numerous times , it was a charmer , but us me and the owner we were both worried on the weak gearbox , you could not switch off protecting it with careful deliberate shifts .
Love the character of the car. Spotted one at the weekend with great leather trim at a breakfast meet.
Insane car, and nostalgic I had the Peugeot 605 on the same platform back in the day, very nice for long distances. Mine was a regular 2 liter so engine wise not even in the same universe LoL
Are you sure it’s the same platform, Per? I thought Thema was part of Fiat Group + Saab collaboration? Am happy to be corrected if I’m wrong about that…
@@neilturner6749 I suppose he is confused with the fact that the top model before the Ferrari Thema had a PRV engine
@@neilturner6749 Yes I'm pretty sure Alfa164, SAAB 9000, Peugeot 605, Fiat Chroma and Lancia Thema was all born from the same project
@@PerJohansson-Xeizo The 605 did not have the shared type 4 platform used by Saab, Lancia, Fiat and Alfa. It is unconnected except that Pininfarina effectively 'sold' the same styling to Alfa Romeo and Peugeot which accounts for their similarity in looks. The 605 was nice, but dull and had numerous electrical problems caused by cheap loom connectors that corroded. They had to retrofit looms with gold plated contacts to get it to work. A friend was a Peugeot service manager. I had three Alfa Romeo 164s and really liked them.
I love your shows Jack! Thanks
I dream of one day having a Lancia. Not this one. A Zagato, or Delta Integrale. But thoroughly enjoyed your superb video.
Back in the 90s I worked on George Street in the West End and there was a car dealer on George Street who at any one time might have a couple of these in the showroom, possibly a couple of Delta Integrales. At the time I'd walk past the showroom and 'meh'. I certainly wouldn't nowadays!
I love the thema 8.32. Its so lancia! The spoiler, engine and overall looks depsite its price or weight. Its a good car in my opinion and only one of very few cars to have a ferrari engine thats not a ferrari.
It’s very rare and special for sure!!
I used to work on these cars, two of our customers cars caught fire and changing cambelts every 40k km [engine out, emptying and refill of a system] was really expensive for the customers, as well as broken thermostats deep in the V of the engine
It was obscene money in its day, but, it remained exclusive and I’ll always remember the talk, as a kid/teen, about the Ferrari engined Lancia Thema. Genuinely, many thought it was bull. I only seen (and luckily heard) one once, and it was glorious! The power from a 3ltr NA engine was respectable too. It sounds waaaaaay better than the Mercs, Jags & Beemers you mentioned. I was never a Thema fan in normal or turbo guise. Always preferred the Saab 9000 because it was SOLID, or even the Alfa 164 because it was the best looking of the three (I won’t mention the Fiat Chroma 🙈). But, money being no object and a tidy example of all models on offer, I’d have to take the 8.32 👌🏼
That exhaust note... Music to my ears
When Lancia had the i.e. Turbo, why did they both with the 2.8i V6 Auto let alone the 8.32?
One of these is coming up for sale locally at a place that sells classic cars. The shop is rebuilding the engine. I was so disappointed when I learned it was front wheel drive. Very strange choice of chassis/engine.
How does it compare to the 9000 Aero you drove a while back? Of course the Saab 4-pot will never compete with the roar of the 8.32, but dynamics, etc - interested in your thoughts Jack!
Th Aero drove better… wasn’t as soft but I’d have this over it in a heartbeat. Feels so much more special..
Perfect timing Jack. I have my eye on one of these since a couple of weeks. Your video might just force a decision!
Wow hope it’s a good one if you get it Alex !! Good luck