The Lancia Thema, type 834, was an executive car produced from 1984 to 1994 and the flagship of the Lancia range. It was one of four cars to share the Tipo 4 platform, with the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000, and it was shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1984. It came as a saloon and as a station wagon designed and built by Pininfarina, and it was replaced by the Kappa in 1994.
Lancia Thema at a glance
| Maker | Lancia, Mirafiori and Borgo San Paolo |
|---|---|
| Production | 1984–1994 |
| Bodies | four-door saloon, station wagon |
| Platform | Tipo 4, shared with the Fiat Croma, Saab 9000 and Alfa Romeo 164 |
| Engines | 2.0 petrol and turbo, 2.8 and 3.0 V6, 2.4 and 2.5 turbodiesel, 2.9 V8 |
| Power | 100 to 215 PS |
| Layout | front engine, front-wheel drive |
| Gearbox | five-speed manual, automatic |
| Drag coefficient | 0.32 |
| Station wagons built | 21,074, by Pininfarina |
| Saloons built | over 336,000 |
| Replaced by | Lancia Kappa |
History of the Lancia Thema
The Tipo 4 project
The Thema was announced in May 1984, presented to the press in Vienna in October 1984 and shown to the public at the Turin Motor Show that November. Its origins went back to 1980 and the project cost more than 530 billion lire. The Tipo 4 programme produced four large cars on a shared floorpan, and the Thema shared much of its structure with the Fiat Croma, Saab 9000 and, later, Alfa Romeo 164, including door frames, doors and windscreen. New welding and pressing techniques allowed wrap-around doors and the elimination of rain gutters, giving a drag coefficient of 0.32. Inside there was high-grade velour and Alcantara, and the Thema was the first car to offer Poltrona Frau leather.
First series
The first series of 1984–1988 came with four engines: a 1,995 cc eight-valve fuel-injected four of 120 PS, the same engine turbocharged and intercooled with 165 PS, a 2,849 cc V6 of 150 PS tuned for smoothness, and on most European markets a 2,445 cc turbo diesel of 100 PS. The V6, known as the 6V, used the PRV unit built by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo and was rare in Italy because cars over two litres carried much heavier tax. The turbocharged 2.0 came from the Delta 4WD and had a Garrett T3 turbocharger with overboost, giving 0–100 km/h in 7.2 seconds and 218 km/h. The turbodiesel, capable of 185 km/h, was the fastest diesel car in the world when it appeared, and the Thema became the symbol of Italy’s official “blue car” culture for a decade.
Station wagon and 8.32
The Pininfarina-built station wagon was shown in prototype form at Frankfurt in September 1985 and in definitive form at Geneva in March 1986, with Zagato also showing an unbuilt proposal in 1985. Lancia assembled the shared body-in-white and sent incomplete bodies to Pininfarina in Grugliasco for completion, painting and final assembly; 21,074 wagons were built between 1986 and 1994. The Thema 8.32, first shown at Turin in 1986, took its name from eight cylinders and 32 valves: a 2,927 cc Ferrari Tipo F105L V8 based on the engine of the 308 GTB and Mondial Quattrovalvole, with some components assembled by Ducati from Maranello castings. To suit a luxury saloon it had a cross-plane crankshaft, smaller valves and a different firing order, and it was built at Borgo San Paolo.
Second and third series
The second series was presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 1988 with new 16-valve two-litre engines of 147 and 185 PS, a 2.5-litre turbodiesel of 118 PS, a more prominent grille with vertical bars, indicators moved under the headlamps and red-tinted rear lamps. The third and final series came at Paris in September 1992 with four trim levels and a 3.0-litre Alfa Romeo V6 of 175 PS replacing the 2.8. Production ended in 1994, when Lancia also withdrew entirely from right-hand-drive markets, and over 336,000 Thema saloons had been built. In 1987 the Thema served as a presidential car for Francesco Cossiga.
Design and features
- Tipo 4 platform: shared with the Fiat Croma, Saab 9000 and Alfa Romeo 164.
- Ferrari-engined 8.32: a 2.9-litre V8 with a cross-plane crankshaft.
- Fastest diesel of its day: the 2.4 turbodiesel reached 185 km/h.
- Elegant aerodynamics: a 0.32 drag coefficient with flush glass and no rain gutters.
Lancia Thema versions
- 2.0 i.e. and turbo: 120 and 165 PS, the turbo reaching 218 km/h.
- 2.8 V6 and 3.0 V6: 150 PS, then 175 PS from Alfa Romeo.
- Turbo diesel: 2.4 then 2.5 litres, 100 to 118 PS.
- Station wagon: Pininfarina-built, 21,074 made.
- 8.32: the Ferrari V8 version of 1986.
The Thema replaced the Lancia Gamma and was itself replaced by the Lancia Kappa; it shared its platform with the era’s Fiat group cars and sat above the Lancia Prisma. More cars are in the Lancia collection.
Sources
- Lancia Thema, English Wikipedia: series, engines, station wagon, 8.32
- Lancia Thema, Italian Wikipedia: project origins, market, engines, presidential use
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