WTF is a Lancia

[crayzayjay]

So Alfa pulled out just before releasing the new spider? Tough break! That car is beautiful.

Do any car freaks import these kind of Italian cars? (i.e. have you seen any new ones around in the States?)

cheers
jay

[Chris]

Nope, we get all live F1 races for free (except one, i think). Is that the only way you can watch F1 in the States? You pay that much????

Over here, we have speedvision, so we can get all of the races for free. THis Bernievision is only available in Europe, and you can choose what camera angles and all kinds of other stuff you want to watch.

[crayzayjay]

Camera angles eh?? sounds cool.. Shame it's so darn expensive

cheers
jay

[Hudson]

Originally posted by crayzayjay
So Alfa pulled out just before releasing the new spider? Tough break! That car is beautiful.

Do any car freaks import these kind of Italian cars? (i.e. have you seen any new ones around in the States?)

cheers
jay

Importing individual vehicles into the US is very difficult, but somewhat easier than it was. Bringing a Spider into the States would be quite expensive. I'm sure that Fiat (and/or GM) has brought in one or two for short time frames, but I don't think there are many (if any) privately owned late-model Spiders in the US.

[Cbass]

How much is a nice used Delta or RAGT worth anyways?

I think that a driver who doesn't get enough respect is Carlos Sainz, backup driver for McRae on the Ford team. He's a very good driver, but all too often he's ordered to ease off the pace when he's fastest, because McRae is their star pilot. Sneer.

Speedvision rules!

[crayzayjay]

a nice used integrale evo is approx £10k over here i would say but you have to be real careful as there are a lot of dogs about.. the market for cars is really depressed now so prices are pretty low.. i should expect them to bounce back sometime in the future. if you buy a good evo you will not lose money if you choose to resell... the car has almost reached icon status already and the good ones will continue to swap hands at good prices. some people buy them and dont run them so as to sell in many years time at huge profit. supposedly unregistered models (0 mileage) are advertised for £20k+. limited editions fetch around £15k.... there are so many on sale in italy but theyve all been clocked (apparently). buying an integrale is not easy. theres little choice and you can really lose a lot of $$$$ if you buy the wrong one.

hope this hasnt put you off, as if you find a good one, which is possible, you will be in possession of one the most bewitching cars in motoring nirvana (quoting top gear journo!)

cheers
jay

[seancornelis]

For any other confused Americans wandering onto this board....

Lancia was not always about insane rally cars, at one point they were the number one luxury manufacturer in the world. Pre-1970 the objective of the company was to build a flawless automobile, a car that was beautiful, luxurious, enjoyable to drive and would never break down.....they failed however, and went bankrupt. In 1969 the company was bought out by Fiat, and from there the quality went out the window. Fiat still tried to maintain a luxury image for Lancia, with more of an emphasis on performance....a good enough concept but horrible execution. I'm not sure how these cars did overseas, but in the United States, they were some of the worst automobiles to hit the shores. They were plagued by mechanical problems, and were expensive to fix....as if that wasn't enough they also rusted like most Italian cars of this period. The last models sold here were the Beta, Scorpion and Zagato. Beta came in coupe (nice), sedan and 2 door station wagon. These models are almost impossible to find in the United States these days....I've personally never seen the wagon.



The Scorpion was a mid-engined car and probably the worst of the bunch, it was called the Monte Carlo in other parts of the world....these are a very rare sighting on American roads as well.



The most common Lancia you'll see in the US is the Beta Zagato, which is basically a Beta with a strange but cool half-targa, half-convertible top. For some reason these things have stuck around with enthusiasts, if you hang out with Italian car people enough you're likely to see them.



In 1982 Lancia pulled out of the US market for good, never to return. They are still around, owned by Fiat. I don't believe they sell cars outside of Italy anymore, I read recently that they have stopped importing to the UK. They have more or less gone back to their 'luxury' role, although I don't know about the quality of the new cars. It's doubtful we'll ever see these cars sold in the US again, but you never know....time heals all wounds! Alfa-Romeo will also be back in the states (in one form or another...possibly as Chevrolets) soon.

[crayzayjay]

Lancia sell all over Europe with the exception of the UK.
The thought of an Alfa with a Chevrolet badge makes me sick, really really sick


cheers, jay

[seancornelis]

jay - If you lived in America and had to deal with all our boring cars, you would be pleased to see Alfa-Romeo return in any form, even if it's a Daewoo. We're only starting to get kind of interesting cars nowadays...imagine that it was hard to find a car without an automatic transmission!! We have no Alfa-Romeo, no Fiat, no Peugeot, no Renault, no Opel/Vauxhall, no Citroen, etc.....the only Lotus car legally sold is the Esprit and they're very uncommon. Even the 'cool' cars we do get like the Subaru WRX and Honda Civic Si are watered down versions of their european counterparts.

[Hudson]

I don't recall Lancia EVER being the "number one luxury manufacturer in the world."

As for Alfa Romeo coming to the US: it was never considered for any badge other than Alfa Romeo. Alfa Romeo's coming in 2005...or so, depending on when they get the cars in production.

Lancia is offered in all of Europe except for the UK, because they no longer make right-hand drive models.

[CIN]

Alfa Romeo will launch in the US when the new Spider/GTV will be ready. There are rumors stating that the car will be 4WD or RWD with an option for a 4liter 400BHP V8.

[Hudson]

I don't where these rumors come from, but the mainstream Alfa Romeo products (the GTV/Spider, 167, 157, etc) will most likely be front-wheel drive (or all-wheel drive) and V6 powered. Alfa Romeo is showing a concept car at Geneva this week that uses the new Maserati's chassis (RWD and 4.2L V8 power), but that would only be used on a high-end Alfa Romeo model, separate from the GTV/Spider, et al.

[CIN]

Thats what I read anyway and AFAIK the GTV has always been Alfas Top car. Currently it has an old 3liter V6. Not a small engine by European standards. The Ferrari F360 has a 3.6liter V8 so in terms of CC they are not that far off.



"The paint is barely dry and company bosses have yet to come up with a name for it, but this sensational four-seater Alfa Romeo will be the talk of next week's Geneva Motor Show.
Finished in stunning red, it's the work of Italian styling house Giugiaro and is roughly the same size as Alfa's GTV. Styling cues have been taken from the car maker's range past and present, with elements of the 156, 147 and even the 166 easy to see.

The innovations include the doors, which open upwards once you have pushed and turned a handle that fits flush to the bodywork. Courtesy of some clever hinges, the doors swing up and away from the car. There's also a light-sensitive sunroof which darkens to regulate brightness in the interior.

Built entirely from carbon fibre and aluminium, race car technology will ensure this Alfa provides an outstanding driving experience – if it ever goes into production. Powered by a mid-mounted 4.0-litre V8 engine producing at least 400bhp, the concept is expected to be capable of sprinting from 0-60mph in less than five seconds. Its top speed could be in excess of 165mph. Power is fed to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox positioned on the rear axle to improve weight distribution. Michelin run-flat tyres also feature as part of a comprehensive safety package.

As with many of Giugiaro's prototypes, this machine is no flight of fancy. Following on from the Maserati Buran and Volkswagen W12 concepts, the car is built to be completely road legal."

[crayzayjay]

Im not a huge fan of that Alfa concept's looks personally and if it has 400bhp the 165mph top speed is not that impressive. still, i love alfa and the car market in the states will be all the better with their entry


Hudson>
Lancia may not have been THE number one luxury car maker but it was certainly at the head of the pack, Lancia made some great cars over its history and hopefully will reproduce some of its old scintillating form


cheers,
jay

[Hudson]

I've always liked Lancia...almost bought a few of them. But they were not in the same class with real luxury cars at any time in their history. Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Packard, Rolls-Royce, and even some of the smaller American brands were in much higher regard when it came to luxury cars.

Lancia had some impressive technology for its day introducing, among other things, the unibody concept to production cars. But to say they were "at the head of the pack" would be stretching things a bit.