Lancia on Goodwood website

[ITSA]

An appreciation with a melancholic tone...

https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/road/news/2017/11/axons-automotive-anorak-lamenting-lancia-at-111/

[frankxhv773t]

That is very concise and well explained. I do however wonder a bit about attributing Lancia's demise to the Beta rust scandal. The Delta that followed on had a great reputation and I thought sold well in this country. Is it not rather the lack of innovation and flare of later models that contributed more to the demise? Much as I like my Dedra the build quality does not compare to marques like BMW, Audi or Mercedes, which is more the market in which Lancia traditionally belonged. Also, contrary to this piece I considered the last Ypsilon to be a fine and remarkable car in its' class when it was launched. If it had been available in the UK I think it could have done much to re-establish Lancia in this country. But where, oh where, was the Integrale, Fulvia Sport or Aurelia GT of the last twenty years? That, to me, is where Lancia was lost.

[neil-yaj396]

I've copied this clip from driventowrite via Betaboyz. I'm with Frank, it was Fiat taking it's eye off the Lancia ball after buying Alfa that caused things to go wrong.....

As it happens, I have a Beta HPE (what is it about this site that draws Lancia and Citroen pervs?), and have spent a fair spread of time thinking about the circumstances of Lancia’s decline. It is a real shame because I think the Beta was an excellent piece of product planning, especially considering what a mess Lancia’s range was in the late 1960s, and the right car at the right time. It sold well, and catered to the increasingly-affluent middle class that later helped launch the compact executive class into orbit. My own feeling is that the point of no return was not the rust scandal or the Gamma’s problems (although of course they hardly helped), but internal developments within the company throughout the 1980s. Lancia still had meaningful independence throughout the 1970s, with its own, clearly delineated, styling and engineering teams. In 1981, Lancia’s engineering activities were folded into Fiat’s own; by 1989, any remaining separation was abolished. You can see this in the differentiation exhibited by the cars of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Beta and Mk1 Delta are both clearly more sophisticated in engineering terms than their Fiat counterparts. To some extent this remained true throughout the 1980s (Thema vs Croma, some of the technology on various specialist models), but by the time you hit the Tipo-derived models, the differentiation is superficial.

[frankxhv773t]

The Y10 is another interesting step in the development of the FIAT Lancia relationship. New developments like the FIRE engine and the omega rear suspension were released first on the Y10 then added to the Panda for its' next series.