Italy
The recent revival at Lancia has been completed with the addition of two new very different cars. The marque's new entry-level model is the Y10 - a three-door compact hatchback which can be seen as an Autobianchi on the continent. Power (though not a great deal of it) comes from a 1.0 FIRE engine which is very economical, and also from a long-running 1.1 unit which was seen more than a decade ago in the Autobianchi A112 Abarth. This larger unit comes with a turbocharger and pumps out an impressive 76 bhp, making it the far more impressive of the car's two engines.
Also new on the Lancia price list is the Thema, a large four-door saloon which is designed to compete with the upmarket likes of the BMW 5 Series. It is designed by Pininfarina and few of its competitors can match it for interior space and comfort. Equipment levels, refinement, ride and handling are good too. It is the first of four cars to be spawned from a new platform which is to be shared between Fiat and General Motors. The second of these cars goes on sale this year - the Saab 9000. The third and fourth cars - from Fiat and Alfa Romeo respectively - are expected to be on sale within two years. The base engine is a 2.0 unit, which is also available with a turbocharger. The range-topper is a 2.8 V6, and there will soon be an exciting Ferrari-engined version which is set to sell in limited numbers.
Read more about this topic: 1985 In Motoring
Famous quotes containing the word italy:
“For us to go to Italy and to penetrate into Italy is like a most fascinating act of self-discovery—back, back down the old ways of time. Strange and wonderful chords awake in us, and vibrate again after many hundreds of years of complete forgetfulness.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“Everything in Italy that is particularly elegant and grand ... borders upon insanity and absurdity—or at least is reminiscent of childhood.”
—Alexander Herzen (1812–1870)
“I think sometimes that it is almost a pity to enjoy Italy as much as I do, because the acuteness of my sensations makes them rather exhausting; but when I see the stupid Italians I have met here, completely insensitive to their surroundings, and ignorant of the treasures of art and history among which they have grown up, I begin to think it is better to be an American, and bring to it all a mind and eye unblunted by custom.”
—Edith Wharton (1862–1937)