1980 Lancia Gamma Coupe – Project Profile

While every car manufacturer can have a mad five minutes, very few can make a career out of it. For many brands, the medium of the concept car is a way for designers to run riot with their crayons. Seats on the roof, microwaves in the glovebox, nine wheels, buttons that fire balloons into the air – nothing is impossible in the word of the concept car. But, when the motor show crowds go home, it’s normally time to pack the concept cars away and go back to drawing sensible machinery. Tow the automotive line. Maintain the status quo. This has long been the way the automotive world has worked. Unless, of course, you bring Lancia into the conversation. While everyone else was packing the concept cars away, Lancia was taking hallucinogens and painting ideas on the wall with whatever part of its body it had dipped in paint. Lancia, as the details of this Gamma go to show, did not conform to the norm.

Ultimately, this killed Lancia. In the end we, as a buying public, tired of their shenanigans and stopped inviting them to our house. Lancia had given us greatness and it had created and pioneered some significant automotive advancements (the first monocoque, the first five-speed transmission, the first full production V6, so on and so forth) but it was also a bit too mad, which in the real world made for cars that could be described as less than reliable. Though most of them dissolved before they had a chance to break. But, as objectively rubbish as they may have been, they were also cars with soul and with passion behind them. They were motorsport titans. They were often utterly beautiful. They were just, well, by comparison to the cars we have today, they were magnificent.

What is it? 

What we have here is a 1980 Lancia Gamma 2500 coupe. The advert doesn’t go into specifics, and there is no picture of the engine, but going off the wheels and grille it seems to be a series 1. This means it should be fitted with the 2.5 litre longitudinally-mounted flat-four engine. If that isn’t weird enough for you, that longitudinal engine drives the front wheels. A bit like a Saab, or a Renault 21, but less reliable. Finished in a delightfully period hue of metallic bronze, this coupe model would have originally been styled by Aldo Brovarone of Pininfarina. It’s a very pretty car, within the context of being an ’80s coupe. Being a series one, it does mean carb rather than fuel injection, though there is no difference in power – both had around 140bhp. This car has the preferred five-speed manual transmission (later cars had the option of a four-speed automatic, but you really need the manual to get the most out of the engine).

Why is it a project? 

From what the advert tells us, this particular Lancia Gamma has led an unusual life. It was first sold new by Bristol Street Motors of Leeds in 1980. It was then sold in 1985 by a Lotus and Maserati dealer to the person who has owned it ever since. However, while the Gamma has indeed had just two owners, it’s not been driven all that much. It was parked up and put away in 1987, and that’s the last time it was used. It’s been hidden away ever since, and has covered a mere 38,000 miles over the course of its life. The Gamma comes with all the original paperwork, handbook, service book and MOTs. It also comes with the plate. The vendor describes it as being solid, though there are some areas that need love. It is a Lancia after all. The nearside sill needs work, the leading edge of the bonnet looks to be failing, and from what we can see in the pictures, there are some other cursory imperfections that you’ll want to sort. Ultimately though, this is an incredibly rare car in enviable condition. The engine apparently turns, though hasn’t fired. It needs love, but it could be well worth saving. You won’t find another.

Five things to looks for:

1) Rust

Har-de-har, let’s all have a joke about rust because it’s a Lancia. Well, yes. But running jokes become running jokes because they’re based on something that keeps happening. Lancias were made from steel so thin you could use it for origami. They weren’t protected, either. They rot for fun. So check that sill, check the arches, the floors, the bulkhead, the gutters, the… you get the idea.

2) Rust

No, really. Check it properly. Get under it. Bring a torch. Bring a magnet. Have a damn good look and prod. Replacement panels simply don’t exist, so any repairs are going to require bespoke fabrication, and that’s going to be costly. The good thing is, Lancias don’t hide rust; they show it quite keenly. This Gamma looks pretty good, which is refreshing.

3) Paperwork

Given the history we already know about this Gamma, there is no reason to suggest the 38k on the clock is anything but genuine. However, as the seller advises, it would be good to have a look for yourself so you can be sure. Let’s be honest, one of this car’s big selling points is that low mileage, so it would be a shame to later discover it to be incorrect.

4) Trim

The Gamma is a frighteningly rare car, meaning trim and glass and other specific bits are going to be very hard indeed to find. If you’re going to go down the road of a full restoration, which you should, you’re going to need to save every bit of trim and every fixing and fitting. So make sure it’s good to start with.

5) Engine

Some more investigation is required here. As we mentioned above, we would imagine this is the carb-fed version of the 2500 flat four, which is good, as it makes things simple. No complicated injection system to get in the way. We know it cranks, but before pouring any combustion juice in it, it might be worth having a look down the bores, check the compression, check for leaks and so on.

What should you do with it? 

It’s a frankly fabulous machine and as such, we would want to restore it back its former glory. If that mileage is genuine – and there is no reason why it shouldn’t be – full restoration is the right way to go. Strip it right down, get the shell dipped and coated so as to protect it against rust. Cavity wax the life out of it, new paint, then build it back up. At the end of it, you should have a car that turns heads at every given opportunity. Plus, you’ll have a classic car from one of motoring’s most exciting, most creative, wild, inventive brands. And who doesn’t fancy a bit of that?