Dedra Turbo

[Harvey]

I'm on a quest to broaden my Lancia ownership and the only way I can afford it is to sell my beloved Dedra. So, here goes:

1993 L-reg Dedra Turbo (non-cat) in metallic burgundy. Grey alcantara interior with light green carpets and carpeted mats. FSH - at least three trees have sacrificed themselves to produce the sheaf of receipts I have!

71,000 miles on the odo - 14,000 in my ownership in 3 years, and 2,000 of which were to Turin and back!

> Central locking
> Electric windows all round
> Electric sunroof
> Heated electric mirrors
> Heated front seats
> Digital temperature controls
> Electric fuel-flap and boot release
> Rear window blinds
> Split-folding 60:40 rear seats

All belts changed at 57,000 by Evolution Engineering in November 2004
New clutch in summer 2005 at Auto Integrale with new stainless steel exhaust.
New wishbone bushes at the front in spring 2007, and new front brakes after Goodwood (oops!) – also at Auto Integrale.
New battery this month.
Serviced every year.

Whole host of new goodies for the trip to Turin:
> New radio/CD player with USB port for playing MP3 from memory stick
> New alloy wheels
> New tyres at the front

The rear seats are immaculate, the front passenger is in excellent condition, and the driver’s seat is very good, with some bobbling at the front.

The bodywork is in excellent condition apart from a bubble of rust forming over the nearside rear wheel arch. There are a number of small dinks and scratches commensurate with her age, mostly from the fact that no matter how far you park from other cars, someone always feels the need to park next to you  . Also, the top paint layer has debonded from the spoiler in a couple of places. The wheel arch and spoiler would be next on my list of things to do, but both are gilding the lily, really.

She’s running reeeeally well, so will bring a lot of motoring pleasure to a new owner. 

A snip at £1,200 to LMC members. Taxed to the end of Feb, and I’ll get a new MOT.

I’m in no rush to sell, so you’re welcome to come and kick the tyres and admire her. 

(I've still not sifted through all my receipts.)

[Harvey]

Hup!

Is there no-one itching to own a great example of this model?

E-mail me: harvey (at) lancia.me.uk

[DavidLaver]

Brilliant cars - can hustle one down a B-road with the passengers reading the Sunday papers.   Really decent sized boot.  A proper mile eater in the sense that a passenger will look up and be dissorientated as to how far up the country you are since they last looked out the window.   

Nice and narrow round town, bit tricky parking given the lack of rear visibility with the high tail.  Very quiet on the motorway and will track arrow straight even in really nasty winds, have never had or been in a car that tracks as well.  Strange sort of feature to comment on but most Lancias are excellent at going in a straight line whatever the road surface or weather conditions. 

Gorgeous dashboard and perfect ergonomics, a pet hate of mine are cars that offset the peddles or where you can't see the instruments.  Perfect view out the front. 

Steering has loads of feel but not at all heavy, a friend commented that it was "powerful steering" after having a go up a mountain somewhere, quick steering but not over senstive either.   

Its just a really nicely ballanced package of refinement and performance...  I have an itch for another one - seeing the Dedras was an unexpected treat at Covent Garden - but am resisting scratching it. 

Good luck selling it - and whoever gets it well done!!

David

[DavidLaver]

...and don't think they're slow with "only" 165bhp.  Alas don't have the figures to hand but the one to look up is maximum torque in over-boost mode.  It has a function to permit more boost for something like thirty seconds as you might need to overtake a truck.  Being so clean aerodynamically it doesn't need the "extra" power at speed - foot down at 100 and it just pulls and pulls and pulls (where regulations permit!!). 

Lighter than an Integrale as well as more aerodynamic. 

While it has the power to break traction in first and on a wet road in second I never found myself saying "if only I had four wheel drive" - it really is only at low speeds it would make a differance, such as out of a hairpin uphill in the snow which is not the sort of driving I did a lot of and even when I did it wasn't that I was thinking "if only I had 4wd".   Traction was excellent with some clever viscous diff.

Replaced it with an Audi A4 which I hated - the Lancia left it completely in the shade in every regard.

If you love the Integrale sound track leave an exhaust box out the next time it needs doing.  If you want more power get it chipped.  If you love an engine to really rev fit normally aspirated cams and get it remapped.

Something else to note is unlike the "super saloon" version in most ranges Lancia had bits in the parts bin up to the power - great brakes, suspension parts up to the task - a car properly engineered to take that power and torque.  Lovely fast gear change as well.  The only things to fault were that rear three quarter vision and a bit underdamped at the back with a full load.  I think there was an electronic damper option which would have cured that as a new car and now could fit uprated or adjustable dampers.  I wouldn't bother stiffening or lowering even as a track day car.

A fabulous machine.  Mine is much missed but life moves on...

David

[Scarpia]

If you carry on like this, I'll start wanting one soon.....your description brings back memories of our old 8v thema turbo which provided similar satisfaction. We really enjoyed owning that car.

[Harvey]

Keep it up, David. 

[Mark Webb]

If only you had advertised it earlier I may not have been so inclined to repair my Alfa 75 T/spark. Having done the work (which took a month and seemed to increase everytime I looked at it and they found more on the mot retest!) maybe not this time.
Sure that it is money well spent and someone will be pleased with it, tempted but have spent too much time and money to recover on the 75.

Mark

[DavidLaver]

While a Thema does have the "shrink round you" attribute so does the Dedra so it shrinks all the smaller on a narrow road, its something you can chase the motorbikes with.  The Audi A4 seemed to grow, and an A6 felt like a bus.  Suspension is supple so doesn't get thrown off line or tramline or anything nasty like a messed about with Evo might.

A Dedra Turbo also makes a fantastic tow car, you'll still be able to outdrag others off the rounderbouts.

Can't think it would give much away to any modern car.

David

[Harvey]

The car is having her MOT today. There were some minor repairs / adjustments needed (looks like new rear brake caliper, handbrake adjustment, headlight adjustment). She's as good as she gets...

[frankxhv773t]

Oh dear! you've got me missing my old Dedra too. The dash display at night with all the dash lights working , including the little green ones in the air vent controlls, was quite superb.

[Harvey]

My first Lancia was a Delta HF Turbo which was a real hoot. The dashboard display was almost completely obscured by the steering wheel so you had to drive mostly by feel. The only gauge that was clearly visible whatever angle you were steering at was the boost gauge ("the happy meter") which is surely the most important one...? Anyway, I loved the 1.6 turbo and knew I wanted to try the 2 litre turbo engine. I've not been disappointed, and the Dedra is a more civilised Q car - civilised in handling, and also in the fact the designers didn't put a boost gauge on the dash... Obviously targeted at a more "mature" owner. (The HF also had a stopwatch on the digital clock by the rear view mirror. Great for getting your friend to time your favourite road trips...)

As is a common tale, I decided I was going to return to Lancia ownership when I got divorced and decided to look for a Dedra Turbo. About a week later I was off on a stag do. Trundling along the Somerset back roads in a mini-bus, the first guy we picked up had a Dedra Turbo for sale... How could I resist? He parted company with it quite reluctantly, mostly because his wife wanted a new kitchen.

I'm happy to say that my kitchen remains old and tired and I'm selling only to fund a wider Lancia ownership. I'll consider swaps, too.

[DavidLaver]

What "wider Lancia" are you after?   Can't you just get the passengers to squeeze up a bit?

[Harvey]

 

More specifically, a Monte, or possibly a Gamma.

[sparehead3]

Gammas are wide to accommodate large moustaches ....

[inthedark]

Oi ! I heard that :-)

'the colonel'