by Ukrainian auto blogger and retro tech researcher Roma Urraco told about a unique sedan for our country, the Lancia Thema 8.32. This car is considered the only known example of the model in Ukraine and stands out because it was factory-equipped with an eight-cylinder Ferrari engine.
In the mid-1980s, the Lancia Thema 8.32 was the flagship of the Italian brand and the result of a collaboration between two famous brands – Lancia and Ferrari. It was this very model that Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari used as his company car in the last years of his life.
Lancia Thema 8.32 received a Ferrari engine and front-wheel drive
Under the hood, the sedan had a 3.0-liter gasoline engine, the Ferrari Tipo F105L. The power unit was based on the V8 used in the sports models Ferrari 308 and Mondial, but it was adapted for a comfortable sedan.
The name 8.32 indicates the car’s technical features: the number “8” means the number of cylinders, and “32” means the number of valves.
Engine power was 215 hp. All traction was transmitted to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.
The sedan accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, and the top speed reached 240 km/h. To improve handling and safety, the model received larger diameter ventilated front brakes, an adaptive power steering system, and a power-operated retractable rear spoiler.
The Ferrari V8 in the Lancia Thema was produced in a limited edition
The public premiere of the Lancia Thema 8.32 took place at the Turin Motor Show in 1986. Two years later, the model was modernized, with updates to its exterior and a number of technical components.
The photographs show precisely the facelifted car from the 1989 model year. In total, from 1986 to 1988, 2,370 examples of the first series Thema 8.32 were produced, and from 1989 to 1992, another 1,601 cars of the second series were manufactured.
According to Roman Urraco, this sedan arrived in Ukraine back in the 1990s. Initially, the car was used in Kyiv, and later moved to Dnipro.
The model’s interior was trimmed with expensive materials, including natural wood, Poltrona Frau leather, and Alcantara. The car recently changed ownership. Currently, the car requires an engine rebuild after a long-standing technical failure, due to which the power unit was removed.
