Lancia has
produced some legendary cars over the course of its history. Models like the
classic Aurelia, the rally-bred Delta Integrale, and of course the Stratos
supercar. The Thema might not rank very high among them, except for one
version.
A mid-size family sedan, the Thema was based on the
same underpinnings as the Fiat Croma, Alfa Romeo 164, and Saab 9000. It had
rather stylish bodywork penned by Italdesign, and there was a wagon version
styled by Pininfarina.
Most of those produced between 1984 and 1994 had
rather humble engines. Inline fours, V6s, and diesels. But the Thema 8.32 stood
out over and above its more common stablemates. It had the 2.9-liter V8 with
four-valve cylinders from the Ferrari 308 and Mondial, recalibrated for
family-sedan duty.
The 32-valve engine produced just 212 hp and 285 Nm of torque. That may not seem like much by
today’s standards. But then the 964-generation Porsche 911 (which came out a
couple of years after this model was produced) barely offered much more, with
247 hp and 310 Nm of torque.
That was enough to send the Thema 8.32 rocketing to 100 km/h from a standstill in just 6.8 seconds and on to a top speed
of 240 km/h. That may not have made it as quick as the original BMW
M5, but it was better than the M535i could muster. That model packed less power
at 215 hp, the same amount of torque as the Lancia, ran to 62 in 7.2
seconds, and topped pit at 230 km/h.
Only 2,370 of these Series I models were sold in
Italy between 1986 and ’88, of which this was one. Situated in Rome, it’s held
by only its second owner, who is now selling it. The asking price: € 24,001, or
just under US$ 30k at current exchange rates. These days you’d need a good US$ 7k
more to get into a base Alfa Romeo Giulia, with its 280 hp and 306 lb-ft of
torque. But the Ferrari-powered Thema is the rarer beast, and is sure to hold
its value better than a new Alfa.
