This Lancia Thema Barn Find Needs To Be Saved Immediately!
There are two types of people in this world: those who think this Lancia Thema is worth saving right-this-second and those who are wrong.
There aren’t many Lancias on the road any more. Despite the racing pedigree and gorgeous looks, they’re probably best known for mechanical problems and chronic rust issues. And that’s why this Lancia Thema needs to be saved immediately.
Wash off the dust and the grime and you’ll find an Italian sports saloon that kicks out a healthy 165bhp from a 2.0 litre turbo (check out the cool-as grille badge), with a respectable 0-60 time of 7.0 seconds and a top speed of 140mph. But unlike many other Lancias of the period, it’s not just an engine surrounded by rusty bits.
According to the seller it’s in remarkably good condition with no rust or rot. And, despite a reputation for unreliability, this car starts and drives far better than its long hibernation might suggest.
The brakes need looking at - they’ve stuck together slightly in the 10 or 12 years it’s been stationary - and the cam belt needs changing, but all the electrics seem to work, and there aren’t any problems mentioned for the engine and gearbox. Seems too good to be true, if we’re honest.
The interior also looks to be in good shape, and once it’s been cared for and given a proper clean, it’ll say 1980s better than trying to solve a Rubik’s cube while bouncing on a space hopper.
It’s even got heated seats and a sunroof. It’s apparently had one owner for the last 17 years, has a claimed 117,000 miles on it, and comes with an asking price of £3,500.
Would you be tempted to save it?
Comments
Definitely worth saving - I had a 1989 Station Wagon version and had no issues or breakdowns in 10 years and 235,000 Kms. No rust either
I guess that’s true if you just count the door in this particular case…
If I lived in the U.K., totally wouldn’t mind scratching off £3.5K and even more to save this beauty. Do you know what? Heated seats and sunroof on a car from the 80s??!! Screw what I just said….I’m in!
I drive a Thema as my daily car. It is used all year round, does about 6000 miles a years and gets no special treatment. It is 23 years old and just passed its MoT with no advisories. Stories of rust and unreliability are Bull sh*t and may have been true about the cars in the mid 70’s - early 80’s, but certainly don’t apply to any Lancia I’ve ever owned (I’ve been driving this marque since 1983). So yeah, this car deserves to be saved and it won’t cost much. Timing belt / balancer belt / tensioner bearings / water pump / new discs and pads can all be sourced on ebay for around £300 - £400 and the cars are easy to work on. You’ll find more rust on a SAAB 9000 or Merc of the same age.
Where is this car?