Rust and The Media

[Kevin MacBride]

Grumpy Old Man time here. I have to say I'm sick to death at this stage 30 YEARS after the event of media/journalist types re-hashing the subject of Lancia and Rust. Is Lancia the only car company ever in the history of the Planet to suffer from rust, to read the same articles over and over year in year out you would think so.
I gave up buying classic car magazines years ago, apart from the fact they are full of ads, most of the articles are re hashed versions of earlier editions. Even the  cover of these magazines usually feature the same models, E Type, MGB, Jag Mk2 etc etc, the only major difference being the couour, red one month, yellow the mext, the maybe BRG, back to red and on it goes.
Lancias, or any make of car these days are so far removed from cars of 30 years ago as to compare a slide rule to a modern PC.

[YKR 567J]

Hear, hear on both the rust and covers of some classic car magazines, and I say that as a journalist.

John Simister

[Neil]

Well said, I totally agree, many of the magazines are churning out the same type of articles month after month, on the same types of cars, yawn......

[peterbaker]

It is a problem, magazines repetitively feature well known classics (?) on the cover because research tells them that's what non-subscribers and casual buyers look for. Regarding rust. The fact is, it happened and it was true. The cars were awful and an embarrassment to own. Full stop. Waste of time trying to deny it. However, there is no such thing as bad publicity, sure as hell the general press will home in on the subject and as with all controversy, in the end, truth will out. If the new Lancia Delta is a good car, the newspapers and even Clarkson will, first reiterate the past, and then take delight in telling us what a good product it has now become. But it does have to be good. Over to Fiat.     

[toby2449]

yeah i agree, both with the whole "rust" issue was overblown greatly at the time & some media just won't drop it.

i have to say i'm becoming tired of certain magazines constanly having biased opinions for certain marques & then being so biased against others (normally Italian). Its getting to the stage that buying magazines isn't a great experience anymore!

[toby2449]

just coming back to something Peter said,i think the Delta will have to be great if its to stand any chance of being accepted by the motoring press, good probably won't cut it, to be honest i think the new Bravo is brilliant & the motoring press only give it 3 out of 5!

[fensaddler]

Hang on Peter - Betas were no worse than many contemporaries on rust, and were otherwise fine cars - the first Lancia I really clocked was the Beta Coupe, which is becoming prettier by the year.  It is unfair that Lancia is tarred with this brush, and I am sick of it.  The first comment I got from my brother in law when I bought my Delta was to be careful I didn't leave the body behind when I pulled away...  Betas, Deltas etc were not awful, either in terms of rust (by the standards of the day) nor were they bad cars in other ways - and today we are beginning to appreciate them.

[Kevin MacBride]

I'm not denying the cars rusted, I owned a Beta in 1980 and while the tops of the front wings rusted, the car was generally ok. But now in 2008 I really dont care. I've often read in classic car magazines that the Model T was a great car. I would bet money on the fact that your average driver of 2008 would be unable to drive one. (Anyone who has ever tried will know what I mean).
But when you read an article on the next new Ford you dont get endless articles on how idiosyncratic the contriols were on a Model T, and as a result of that you should be wary of buying a Mondeo.
Just simply let it die, if the new Lancias are any good, say so, if they are rubbish (in thier opinion) by all means report it and let people make up thier own minds.
Nuff Said (as a certain Marvel Comic editor would state)
But leave the past in the past.

[sparehead3]

Yeah Chris, my brother's father-in-law asked if mine was a rot box Others always look all over it and say "where's the rust then?"

I think Peter is quite right : rust will be the first thing mentioned.

[toby2449]

i await with interest the first drive article, or preview article by the motoring press, don't mention the past, just concentrate on the car!

but i bet the first paragraph will read something like... After an absence of 14 years  when Lancia pulled out due to woeful sales after the marque never recovered from the rust scandel......

[peterbaker]

However, next sentence will read. At last Lancia has produced a car Fiat can be proud of. I recommend you go out now and buy one before they all get snapped up. 

[toby2449]

i have to say peter if i had the money at the moment for a deposit, without even driving the car, or seeing the final production version, i'd have one down right away!