We are all different!
September 4th 2008 13:29
Regular readers will know that AUTOLOUD prefers weird cars. Well maybe not weird, just a little off centre perhaps.
I must admit that years ago I did love Lancia’s. The Beta coupe and HPE were pretty cars in their day. The Lancia Delta Integrale was a weapon on the rally circuits of the world and was a good thing on the road too. Unfortunately like most Italian cars they used to suffer (amongst other things) from dodgy electrics. The interior trim really didn’t like the sun here in the South Pacific; it disappeared like a crushed weetbix! The major weak problem they had was rust, which arose from the fact that there was no factory rust proofing (as such) and the steel they used was of inferior quality, thanks to the two socialist governments of Italy and Russia doing a handshake deal! The corrosion was so bad, if you stood too close to a 1970’s vintage Lancia/Fiat you could hear a noise like a constipated man straining. That was the rust trying to break out!
It has been a long time since Lancia was sold in Australia. They still exist and are now owned wholly by the FIAT group. They have continued to market Lancia as an up-market alternative for European buyers. The range they sell is made up of mostly small cars (Musa & Ypsilon) a medium sized hatch (Delta) with a big luxury sedan (Thesis)and a people mover ( Phedra) thrown in for good luck. They work on the basis of offering a more luxurious level of trim at comparable prices to their main competition. With sales in 2007 reaching 121,000 Lancia are obviously a boutique brand but they are not a BMW or Mercedes competitor.
There is nothing wrong with a little exclusivity, is there?
I must admit that years ago I did love Lancia’s. The Beta coupe and HPE were pretty cars in their day. The Lancia Delta Integrale was a weapon on the rally circuits of the world and was a good thing on the road too. Unfortunately like most Italian cars they used to suffer (amongst other things) from dodgy electrics. The interior trim really didn’t like the sun here in the South Pacific; it disappeared like a crushed weetbix! The major weak problem they had was rust, which arose from the fact that there was no factory rust proofing (as such) and the steel they used was of inferior quality, thanks to the two socialist governments of Italy and Russia doing a handshake deal! The corrosion was so bad, if you stood too close to a 1970’s vintage Lancia/Fiat you could hear a noise like a constipated man straining. That was the rust trying to break out!
It has been a long time since Lancia was sold in Australia. They still exist and are now owned wholly by the FIAT group. They have continued to market Lancia as an up-market alternative for European buyers. The range they sell is made up of mostly small cars (Musa & Ypsilon) a medium sized hatch (Delta) with a big luxury sedan (Thesis)and a people mover ( Phedra) thrown in for good luck. They work on the basis of offering a more luxurious level of trim at comparable prices to their main competition. With sales in 2007 reaching 121,000 Lancia are obviously a boutique brand but they are not a BMW or Mercedes competitor.
There is nothing wrong with a little exclusivity, is there?
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