Lancia Thema (Y9)

Lancia
Lancia Thema (1984–1988)
theme
Production period:	1984-1994
Class :	upper middle class
Body versions :	Limousine , station wagon
Engines:	Otto engines : 2.0–3.0 liters (83–158 kW) Diesel engines : 2.5 liters (74–85 kW)
Length:	4590 mm
Width:	1755 mm
Height:	1440 mm
Wheelbase :	2660 mm
Empty weight :	1150-1300 kg
Previous model	Lancia Beta Lancia Gamma
successor	Lancia Kappa

The Lancia Thema is an automobile model from the Italian manufacturer Lancia . The first generation was produced from autumn 1984 to summer 1994. This vehicle was intended to replace the aging Lancia Beta and at the same time cover the upper middle class segment that was previously reserved for the Lancia Gamma . At the end of 1986 another station wagon followed under the name Thema Station Wagon. An extended limousine (with inserted center piece) was produced in small series. A two-door version, which Carrozzeria Boneschi had also realized as a prototype in 1986 under the name Gazella , did not find its way into series production.

history

The Lancia Thema (internal designation Y9), introduced in October 1984, was initially equipped with an engine with two overhead camshafts and two liters of displacement, which developed 88 kW (120 hp). This engine had proven itself in the Beta series for many years. Its base was developed for the Fiat 124 by the former Ferrari designer Aurelio Lampredi in the 1960s . The smoothness of this four-cylinder engine was improved from 1986 onwards with two balance shafts, which rotated in opposite directions in the engine block at twice the crankshaft speed and thus reduced engine vibrations ( Lanchester compensation ).

The then still independent small manufacturers Saab and Lancia had agreed to work together on the development of a vehicle in the upper middle class, as each of them could hardly have borne the development costs. The result was so promising that Fiat and Alfa Romeo also took part in the project. The resulting concept was used for the Saab 9000 , Fiat Croma , Alfa Romeo 164 and of course the new Lancia Thema. The shape of the body was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and his company Italdesign .

A short time later, the two-liter engine with turbocharger and 124 kW (169 hp) ensured extraordinary performance . For this purpose, a V6 engine was introduced for the Lancia Thema, which was mainly intended for the export markets, since additional taxes had to be paid in Italy for cars with more than two liters of displacement. This was initially the so-called PRV engine , which was also referred to as the "Europe V6", since this V6 unit was a joint development of Peugeot , Renault and Volvo . The engine had a displacement of 2.8 liters and a cylinder angle of 90 degrees.

At the end of 1986, the subject, which had previously only been available as a limousine, was accompanied by a station wagon variant with the additional name Station Wagon .

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  Rear view

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  Lancia Thema Station Wagon
  (1986–1988)

Facelift

1988

Lancia Thema i. e. 16V (1988-1992)

In September 1988 the topic was refreshed visually and technically.

Externally, the indicators that had previously been attached to the side were now located under the headlights and the radiator grille was more clearly integrated into the front.

Innovations such as four-valve technology found their way under the bonnet. In February 1989, a 104 kW (141 PS) 2-liter engine (2000 ie 16V) appeared, with which the theme station wagon accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 11.4 seconds and had a top speed of 200 km / h reached. In addition to ABS and a regulated three-way catalytic converter with lambda probe and active carbon filter, the standard equipment also included a height-adjustable steering wheel, power steering, power windows at the front, electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, tinted glass, central locking and an asymmetrically split rear seat.

1992

Lancia Thema 3.0 V6 (1992-1994)

The third and last series was again given optical and technical innovations in September 1992. A 2.0 liter engine with VIS (Variable Induction System) was introduced to improve the torque curve in the lower speed range. Intake ducts with variable length made this advantage possible.

With the revision, the PRV-V6 was replaced by the company's own 3.0-liter V6 from Alfa Romeo with 128 kW (174 hp). For use in the Lancia Thema, this engine has been made smoother due to lower manufacturing tolerances. The interior was better equipped with inlays made of African rosewood in the center console and the doors as well as seat covers made of leather or microfiber Alcantara .

Topic 8.32

The close connection between Ferrari and Lancia runs through the entire Italian automotive history and led in 1986 to the Lancia Thema 8.32 with an eight-cylinder engine from Ferrari.

The engine came from the 308 GTB Quattrovalvole with 32 valves. This engine has been revised for use in the Lancia Thema (90-degree offset of the crankshaft journals, thus better mass balancing and smoother engine running). It should be suitable for use in a limousine. Enzo Ferrari did not agree, however, to market this Lancia under the name "Lancia-Ferrari". Externally, this Lancia Thema distinguished itself through a radiator grille made of stainless steel and aluminum and through wheels with five spokes in Ferrari design with five mounting holes. A red and a yellow hand-painted decorative stripe at the height of the belt line and the special feature of being able to extend a rear wing electrically from the trunk lid made this Lancia the top model of the series.

The interior was lined with leather or Alcantara from Poltrona Frau and root wood . There was also an electrically adjustable chassis and, if desired, adjustable individual seats at the rear.

From the summer of 1987 to the end of 1988, the first series of the 8.32 without a catalytic converter with 158 kW (215 hp) was sold, followed by the second series with a catalytic converter and 151 kW (205 hp) by mid-1992. The first series without a catalytic converter did not exist in Switzerland. Right from the start, it was offered with exhaust gas cleaning. The new price of a Lancia Thema 8.32 was 86,000 DM (first series) and 110,000 DM (second series).

A total of only 3284 vehicles were built, 32 of which are a special edition in the original Rosso Corsa ("racing red").

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  Lancia Thema 8.32 (1987–1988)

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  Retractable rear spoiler

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  Engine compartment

Engines

The engines of the theme come from the Fiat engine series by Aurelio Lampredi. The 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder petrol engines were available with or without a turbocharger. Earlier Thema models were also offered with a 2.9 liter V6 engine developed in collaboration with Peugeot, Renault and Volvo. This engine was replaced by a 3.0 liter V6 engine from Alfa Romeo in autumn 1992.

Model	Displacement	power	Torque	V max	0-100 km / h	construction time
Gasoline engine
2000 i. e. 8V	1995 cc	88 kW (120 PS) at 5250 rpm	170 Nm at 3300 rpm	195 km / h	9.7 s	10 / 1984-09 / 1988
2000 i. e. 8V	1995 cc	83 kW (113 PS) at 5600 rpm	162 Nm at 4000 rpm	191 km / h	10.4 s	03 / 1987-09 / 1988
2000 i. e. 8V	1995 cc	85 kW (115 PS) at 5600 rpm	162 Nm at 4000 rpm	195 km / h	11.4 s	09 / 1988-05 / 1992
2000 i. e. 16V	1995 cc	108 kW (147 PS) at 6000 rpm	173 Nm at 4000 rpm	205 km / h	10.4 s	05 / 1988-09 / 1992
2000 i. e. 16V	1995 cc	104 kW (141 hp) at 6000 rpm	173 Nm at 4000 rpm	202 km / h	10.4 s	02 / 1989-05 / 1992
2000 i. e. 16V	1995 cc	112 kW (152 PS) at 6500 rpm	178 Nm at 3500 rpm	205 km / h	10.1 s	09 / 1992-07 / 1994
2000 i. e. Turbo 8V	1995 cc	122 kW (165 hp) at 5500 rpm	290 Nm at 2750 rpm	218 km / h	7.2 s	10 / 1984-12 / 1987
2000 i. e. Turbo 8V	1995 cc	110 kW (150 PS) at 5500 rpm	245 Nm at 2700 rpm	210 km / h	7.9 s	07 / 1986-05 / 1990
2000 i. e. Turbo 16V	1995 cc	132 kW (180 PS) at 5500 rpm	270 Nm at 2500 rpm	222 km / h	8.0 s	12 / 1988-06 / 1990
2000 i. e. Turbo 16V	1995 cc	148 kW (201 hp) at 5750 rpm	298 Nm at 3750 rpm	230 km / h	7.2 s	09 / 1992-07 / 1994
2850 V6 ie (12V)	2849 cc	110 kW (150 PS) at 5250 rpm	245 Nm at 2700 rpm	208 km / h	8.2 s	10 / 1984-09 / 1988
2850 V6 i. e. (12V)	2849 cc	110 kW (150 PS) at 5000 rpm	225 Nm at 3500 rpm	205 km / h	8.4 s	09 / 1988-05 / 1992
3000 V6 12V	2959 cc	128 kW (171 hp) at 5500 rpm	245 Nm at 4500 rpm	220 km / h	8.1 s	09 / 1992-07 / 1994
V8 32V (8.32)	2927 cc	158 kW (215 PS) at 6750 rpm	285 Nm at 4500 rpm	240 km / h	6.8 s	09 / 1987-05 / 1989
V8 32V (8.32)	2927 cc	151 kW (205 PS) at 6750 rpm	263 Nm at 5000 rpm	235 km / h	7.2 s	09 / 1988-05 / 1992
diesel
2500 Turbo D	2445 cc	74 kW (101 hp) at 4100 rpm	217 Nm at 2300 rpm	185 km / h	11.9 s	10 / 1984-09 / 1988
2500 Turbo DS	2499 cc	85 kW (115 PS) at 3900 rpm	245 Nm at 2200 rpm	195 km / h	11.0 s	09 / 1988-05 / 1992
2500 Turbo DS	2499 cc	85 kW (115 PS) at 4100 rpm	245 Nm at 2400 rpm	195 km / h	11.5 s	05 / 1992-07 / 1994

meaning

The theme was one of the more successful Lancia models and was used as a state car by both Italian politicians and foreign governments. It also gave Lancia an important position in the production of large sedans again. This success also had technical reasons, so the Lancia Thema i accelerated. e. from 0 to 60 mph in 9.7 seconds, one less than the BMW 520i and consumed less than an Audi 100CD at any speed.

The successor model Kappa , presented in August 1994, was given a name after the Greek alphabet and was offered again as a coupé for the first time since the Gamma was discontinued. This was followed by the rather unsuccessful thesis in March 2002 after a short break . In autumn 2011, as part of the cooperation between the Lancia and Chrysler brands, the Chrysler 300 was introduced as the new Lancia Thema , which was still offered in the USA as the Chrysler 300.

Technical specifications

Web links

Commons : Lancia Thema  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Detailed information on the Lancia theme ( Memento from July 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
• Interesting site about the Lancia Thema 8.32 with Ferrari engine

Timeline of Lancia and Autobianchi models since 1945
Type	Lancia, independent until 1969																								Purchased by Fiat in 1969, Fiat number range since then
											Autobianchi, JV between Bianchi, Fiat and Pirelli												from 1967 100% part of the Fiat group															abroad as Lancia, in Italy as Autobianchi
	1940s					1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s										2020s
	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0
Microcar													Bianchina													Giardiniera
Small car																									A112																Y10 (156)											Y (840)							Ypsilon (843)								Ypsilon (846)
Compact class																									A111										Delta I [2] (831)														Delta II (836)															Delta III (844)
Middle class																				Primula																		Prism (831)								Dedra (835)										Lybra (839)
	... Ardea								Appia										Fulvia									Beta / Trevi (828)																																								Flavia
upper middle class																Flavia										2000						Gamma (830)								Theme (834 / Y9)										Kappa (838)							Thesis (841)											theme
Coupé / convertible																				Stellina
																					Fulvia Coupé / Sport								Beta Coupé [1] / Spider / Montecarlo (828)
						Aurelia								Flaminia																			Gamma Coupé / GT (830)																		Kappa Coupé (838)
Sports car																												Stratos
Minivan																																																												Musa (350)
Van																																																		Zeta (220)								Phedra (179)										Voyager
[1] also built by Seat in Spain [2] also sold as Saab Lancia 600 in Scandinavia Distributed under the “Autobianchi” brand In Italy under the “Autobianchi” brand, abroad as “Lancia” Lancia models, developed together with PSA and also built by SEVEL as Peugeot, Citroën and Fiat Lancia models, from the cooperation with Chrysler , sold as Lancia in Europe

Individual evidence

1. ^ Punch, No. 292, issue 7627-7635, p. 49, 1987