| Lancia - you’re welcome |
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It was way back in 2002 when we began our campaign to get Lancia back into the UK after what was already a lengthy absence of some 8 or 9 years. Our campaign took the form of a website quite simply titled Bring Back Lancia, and it celebrated the illustrious history of the great Italian marque that had brought us a series of automotive masterpieces over the years such as the Lambda, the Stratos and, of course, the Delta Integrale. The website was a labour of love for our design team and included some excellent and engaging content including a Lancia Trumps game featuring historical models and a fun Quiz which sorts out the true cognoscenti from the boys. Graham Whyte wrote a history of the marque while I put my energy into researching the brand’s then current line-up and key concept cars to try to tap into where its future lay. A return to right-hand drive markets seemed a logical decision, given that Lancia bosses were forecasting massive increases in volumes over the next 5-10 years, but many poo-pooed our suggestion as folly. In May 2004, Richard Gadeselli, Chairman and CEO of Fiat UK, very politely told me by email “I can confirm that there are no plans whatsoever to manufacture Lancia vehicles in right hand drive format.” Was he towing the corporate line? Probably. But no matter - what’s important is that Lancia is coming back to the UK with their new Delta and hopefully it will be good enough to convince buyers so that the marque can lay solid foundations for a prosperous future. Take a look at the BBL website if you have 5 minutes. It’s a bit of a time capsule as it’s never been updated but a few positive comments could push it up the agenda…
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Love that Bring Back Lancia site. Tried the quiz a few times but can’t score better than 8 out of 10. Let’s hope the cars are as good.
Steve
Steve Haskins | 20 Mar 08 - 13:21My most recent car prior to my current Alfa 147 GTA was a Lancia Delta HPE 2.0 Turbo 1999 Model. It was an aggressive and (relatively) hardcore road car out of the box, and a very entertaining drive. However I just could not resist adding a few mod’s…. ( Lowering springs / Boost adjusting Kit / Gas flowed head / up-rated inter-cooler etc) in order to make it just a bit more entertaining.
Sadly by mid-2005 I had to virtually scrap it because it was impossible to acquire even the most basic spare parts. However I really would love to see Lancia re-establish a solid global marketing presence.
AlfaMartini | 25 Mar 08 - 17:08Would it be unreasonable to expect the forthcoming Alfa Mi.To to be used as a basis for a nuovo Fulvia?
As Lancia would still be a niche make in the UK, and taken with the increasingly punitive tax regimes, surely there would be a good market for a smaller engined, entertaining sportscar.
just a thought…
f2 | 31 Mar 08 - 22:08An intriguing idea. I think however, that Lancia would probably play safe and target an existing market sector rather than risk creating a new one. Thus the Mi.To chassis may be a little small to challenge the Audi TT; more likely they will adapt a Delta/Bravo floorpan.
Massimo Pini | 01 Apr 08 - 2:55