1988 Lancia Thema 8.32 – Classified of the Week

You can’t tell an Italian what to do. Italy is a nation with many glorious, wonderful things, but a submissive nature is not one of those things. They are a passionate people, and if they get an idea in their heads, they’re going to run with it. This is why Italy has given the world some of its most incredible food, world-leading fashion and architecture that is envied and emulated the world over. Italy’s passion can also be seen via its four wheeled offerings. Some miss the mark, granted, but for the most part, an Italian car is an incredible thing to behold. This is the country that gave us Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Fiat and of course, Lancia. Which brings us to the subject of this week’s classified of choice – a 1988 Lancia Thema 8.32. Yes, the one with the Ferrari engine.

Let’s address one thing first. And some of you aren’t going to like this, so sorry in advance. Lancia cars were not very good. They were clever, innovative, soulful, exciting, often beautiful and always laden with charm and character, but as machines, they were not great. This became even more apparent when applied to an Italian car with generic aspirations. Not every Italian car was built to stir souls, some were just built to get to the shops. Nobody has had a creative thought in a Dedra. Nobody has jotted down world-shatteringly prolific prose in a Punto. And similarly, nobody has has ever thumbed through the pages of a Lancia Brochure with giddy lust. That is, until they got to the page detailing the 8.32.

The Italians have always had a go at saloons, but with the exception of Maserati, nobody has every really nailed it. The Thema 8.32 however, is proof that when Lancia’s people were allowed to go off-script – which was, thankfully, often – they could do something astonishing. Doubly so in the case of the Thema, as the saloon on which it was based was about as exciting as a milky coffee. It was incredible that it managed to be so dull. It was based on a shared platform – with the Alfa Romeo 164, the Saab 9000 and, oh, um, the Fiat Croma. Still, 50% of the cars using it were exciting, so why couldn’t the Lancia play? Lancia’s solution? Drop the V8 from a Ferrari 308 in it. Right’o.

As soon as the 2,927cc Tipo F105L Ferrari V8 landed between the front struts of the Thema, everything changed. Eight cylinders, 32 valves (hence the 8.32 name), over 210bhp, it was a stunning bit of engineering. Normally found at home in a 308 or Mondial, changes were made to the engine so it would better suit a super saloon. The flat-plane crank was binned in favour of cross-plane type, and the firing order was revised. It has smaller valves, too. It didn’t need to be a shrieking screamer in the Thema, it needed to be reliable. Plus, even if it made 6bhp, it was still a Ferrari engine in a saloon. Fun.

And it was fun, and it became a bit of an instant legend. This mad, powerful, soulful Italian saloon that nobody had ever heard of. Full of rich leather, wood and other automotive opulence, it even had a stereo. Not that they were ever used, what with there being a Ferrari V8 soundtrack available. One that you were the conductor of care of a five-speed manual transmission. Just glorious. For the first ten minutes until the Thema started to dissolve. There’s a reason the Thema is rare, and that reason is rust. So to find one today, here in 2022, that’s still Thema-shaped, running, driving and on UK soil, is something to get very excited over.

And that’s what we have here with this 1988 Lancia Thema 8.32. This one has covered a mere 107,000 miles, it’s been repainted at some point (though some of the body trims look like they need re-bonding), the fuel system has been overhauled (Bosch KE3 Jetronic) and other works – over £18,000 in the last two years according to the seller. It’s been here in the UK since 2003 and has clearly been looked after. In the most desirable black metallic over brown leather colour combination, this is the only one we can find in the UK, and at a mere £19,000 for something so legendary, it’s also a bit of a bargain. Sure, you could buy something more sensible or more traditional, but where’s the fun in that? Live a little. Be more Italian.