Last year, I penned a few words on the Lancia Thesis. To save you a click, I told the world it was wrong about Lancia’s misunderstood gem and it was time to appreciate its beauty.
Six months on, the want is even stronger, and my condition isn’t helped by the knowledge that this Lancia Thesis is for sale in London. It’s beautiful – and I won’t listen to anyone who says otherwise. I’ve spent many hours looking at the images and I can’t find an angle I don’t like.
Damn the lockdown (and my lack of funds).
It’s keeping good company at DD Classics, sharing showroom space with a Le Mans entrant, a Bugatti Veyron and a pair of Ferrari Daytonas. On the company’s website, the Lancia Thesis is nestled between a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder and a £31,000 Land Rover Defender.
Here’s the thing. The Lancia Thesis doesn’t look out of place. In fact, it’s one of the most elegant and timeless cars available. It’s also one of the most affordable, with a price tag of £6,999. That’s just £4 more than the price of a Dacia Sandero Access.
Thanks to the excellent photography, you can really appreciate the genius of its design. This was something I was doing in the early hours of Monday morning. What else do you do when you’re lying awake at 1am?
Note the complete absence of exterior clutter and the way the body flows from front to back. I’m probably going to regret putting this out there, but I really, really want to spend a morning washing and waxing a Lancia Thesis to fully appreciate its body. There, I’ve said it.
Also note the signature-like rear badge, the shape of the side repeaters, the elegance of the dials, the thin strip of wood running across the dashboard, and the head restraints.
Thinking about how far Lancia has fallen, even since the turn of the millennium, is enough to give you even more sleepless nights.
A few weeks ago, somebody commented on PetrolBlog’s YouTube channel asking me what car I would buy if I raised funds by selling the entire PetrolBlog fleet. It’s taken me a while to think of the answer, but I think this is it.
DD Classic’s majestic 2002 Lancia Thesis 3.0 V6 is my forever car. Does anybody want to buy a barn full of tat?
In case you missed the link above, here’s the Lancia Thesis on the DD Classics website.
8 Comments
I nearly love the Thesis, but the front end is just too challenged for my liking
Now what would my forever car be? I do not know, but I will open my Excel Spreadsheet of Bucket list cars to have a look
Obviously, the quattro and 480 will be staying, the former means too much to me, and the latter is something I feel I can rely on
So If I had one space to fill, with all the money in the world…
Bear with me…
Ok its probably going to be a Mazda 626 4WS:
https://cdn.mazda626.net/uploads/monthly_2017_01/014.JPG.ce775a963f2e01f46122ca28b9fa2168.JPG
Although an Isuzu Piazza Turbo or Sunbeam Rapier H120 do come in to challenge
but of course, as every car nut knows, you can never only have 1!
Three great choices. Loving the 626. It has reminded me that I really fancy a retro RAC sticker!
I think the Volvo was with the RAC at the time, but the Rover has its Green Flag Sticker, coming from an ex-navy chap its to be expected I think
“Dear DD Classics do I have the part ex deal of the century for you…”
Yeah I love the rear, however the front has a face only a mother could love.
Haha. I’m not sure PetrolBlog would be permitted to enter the DD Classics showroom.
“Do you fancy a £100 Laguna?”
Cue a couple of security guards and a meeting with the pavement!
A TRULY BEAUTIFUL AND ELEGANT SEDAN. I WAS FORTUNATE TO OBTAIN ONE A FEW MONTHS AGO FROM ITALY. IT IS A 2004 2.4 TDI AUTO. PURE SUBLIME. LIKE PETROBLOG LOVE THE LINES. ENJOY WASHING AND POLISHING TO AN EXTREME SHINE. FEEL SO PRESEDENTIAL WHEN DRIVING. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND ANYONES DISTATE OF THIS AMAZING LUXURIOUS EMBLEM OF ITALIAN STYLE.
Fantastic purchase, sir. Great to know that there’s some love for the Thesis. How many are there in the UK?