In a booming post-warItaly, La Dolce Vita found form in these three distinctive coupes from Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo. But which of our six-cylinder trio is the best to drive?
The battle is on between three cars that exemplify the pinnacle of Italian competition breeding in the 1990s. Which one – Alfa Romeo SZ, Lancia Delta HF integrale or Maserati Ghibli Cup – wins our hearts?
Lancia and rallying were once synonymous, the Delta Integrale being among the greatest homologation specials ever to scorch a special stage. It hasn’t lost the power to thrill, either, as we discover after braving one with more than 300bhp.
The collection of Milan-based Architect Corrado Lopresto ranks among the best in the world. The Key — an annual which ranks individuals based on the value and provenance of their collections — placed Lopresto at 22nd: more significant than Andreas Mohringer, but not quite so important as Ralph Lauren. Though, if you are like me and think a list is just another divisive tactic to get people arguing over something they might normally bond over, you can appreciate the life’s work of Corrado Lopresto for what it is: an immense and valuable tribute to Italian automotive design.
Boxing Match These two charismatic children of the 1970s arguably reached full maturity in the 1980s. But does Alfa V6 sportiness trump Lancia boxer-four elegance?
It seems improbable but Worthing once briefly threatened to unseat Turin and Milan as a key hub of international car design. That may sound a mite fanciful, but the appearance of the IAD Lancia Magia at the 1992 Turin motor show triggered palpable ripples because a British styling house had chosen to showcase its brave new world on hallowed turf. The cheek of it all. Here was a Lancia-badged – and supported – coupé that took all the best bits from the Dedra Integrale and added a much-needed dose of style into the mix.
Paul Davies is lucky enough to own two Italian rally legends: a Lancia Delta integrale Group A and a genuine Fiat Stilo Abarth Trofeo. We’re lucky enough to drive both in his homeland of Wales.
These two boxy-edged, superior-specced saloons were close rivals in the 1960s. Does Lancia Fulvia GTE or Alfa Giulia Super pull our heartstrings more today?
What if Lancia still made its world championship-winning Rally 037 today? Now we know what it would feel like: the new Kimera EVO37 completely modernises Lancia’s icon with superb results, as we discover on a first drive
My first encounter with the Lancia B20 GT Outlaw came out of nowhere. It was the Tuesday morning of Monterey Car Week, just before my favourite event takes place: the Carmel Concours on the Avenue. I was driving a bit of an outlaw myself, a GTO Engineering Ferrari 250 SWB Revival car.
It was one of the most technologically advanced cars of its era, and this one has an extraordinary back-story to tell: John Simister fulfils a long-held ambition and drives a Lancia Lambda.
