My W210

[E200K]

Lancia. Lancia's obsession with the Greek alphabet is a bit strange but somehow the Lancia Delta sounds rather more evocative than the Vauxhall D.

 

[Styria]

Lancia. Lancia's obsession with the Greek alphabet is a bit strange but somehow the Lancia Delta sounds rather more evocative than the Vauxhall D.

Hi E200K, I only know of the one in 'F' Minor, opus Debussy - sorry guys, what has this discussion board generated DOWN to you ? I accept all responsibility for starting it. Big sorry, BUT.......we need more funnily strange and meaningless names. Regards Styria

 

[Styria]

Now, Lancia is a brand that, to small degree, I can talk about - not to the same level as Benz Boy (and I hope he'll come in whenever Olga (now there's a name) will allow him the time to do so.

Lancia HF Fulvia - tiny 1.3 litre engine V4 - am I correct with capacity - or was it 1.6 liters ? Anyway, whatever. An ex work collegue he used to have one - in the usual white and so very pretty - Surfers Paradise to Sydney in something like about eight hours. That was the time before the men in Blue had radar (again I think) and no speed cameras.

Or how about the Lancia Zagato Flavia that was for sale at Booths of Mosman - if I remember correctly - they're probably long gone - I think it was some silly figure, perhaps $2800.00 ? How much will you find one today for ? Or, now hang onto your hats - a Lancia Flaminia Saloon (noways worth more than the 2 Door Coupe ) in Dark Blue (Dunkel Blau) that would have been mine at $3000.00. Do you know what stopped me ? A slipping clutch, plus for some unaccountable reason, I could not bring myself to trust the car. V6 2.8 litre engine, DeDion rear suspension (again, I think), gearbox and diff as one transaxle unit...a lot of complex engineering, but beautifully done. Ah, those were the times !

Also had a lengthy drive of a Flavia HF Saloon - 4 cylinder Boxer engine (a la VW and Subaru - 5 speed box, what a delightful car to drive ! All you young 'kicks', yud'd not be able to buy all of that "driving experience". Yep, in a way, they were the good times and you won't get them back in a hurry.

Some more strange names, PLEASE as I have gone off-topic again !...or should I tell you how close I came to buying a Nissan Infiniti some five years ago ? A very, very delectable and advanced motor car. Regards Styria

 

[BenzBoy]

Lancia. Lancia's obsession with the Greek alphabet is a bit strange but somehow the Lancia Delta sounds rather more evocative than the Vauxhall D.

The naming protocol began with Signor Lancia himself. It gave way to a protocol based on famous Italian roads and then reverted back to the Greek alphabet when Lancia amalgamated with Fiat. I owned a series of Flavias and Betas. Very different but each was exciting.
I believe I can still rebuild a Beta from scratch while blindfolded....
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[E200K]

The naming protocol began with Signor Lancia himself. It gave way to a protocol based on famous Italian roads and then reverted back to the Greek alphabet when Lancia amalgamated with Fiat. I owned a series of Flavias and Betas. Very different but each was exciting.
I believe I can still rebuild a Beta from scratch while blindfolded....
Regards,
Benz-Boy

A friend of mine in the UK had a Fiat Uno which I believe was most likely built by someone wearing a blindfold.

 

[Styria]

The naming protocol began with Signor Lancia himself. It gave way to a protocol based on famous Italian roads and then reverted back to the Greek alphabet when Lancia amalgamated with Fiat. I owned a series of Flavias and Betas. Very different but each was exciting.
I believe I can still rebuild a Beta from scratch while blindfolded....
Regards,
Benz-Boy

What, even the rust so prevalent of most Italian products of that period - plus, is that ALL you've got to say about ownership of Lancias ? Surely, there has to be more and, why oh why, are there no more Lancias as part of the BenzBoy folklore ? Regards Styria

 

[BenzBoy]

What, even the rust so prevalent of most Italian products of that period - plus, is that ALL you've got to say about ownership of Lancias ? Surely, there has to be more and, why oh why, are there no more Lancias as part of the BenzBoy folklore ? Regards Styria

I am currently a person of few words... I will say though, that the handling of every Lancia I have owned or driven keft the Benz for dead. Many Lancia owners refer to a Benz as a LumpenWagen for obvious reasons...
What do you want to know? The last Lancia was sold in January last year. Currently 3 Benzs and 2 Royces are sufficient for my needs...
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[Styria]

I am currently a person of few words...
What do you want to know? The last Lancia was sold in January last year. Currently 3 Benzs and 2 Royces are sufficient for my needs...
Regards,
Benz-Boy

Hi BenzBoy, we're not talking about your needs - we need to know more about the cars themselves, be it Lancia Beta, Gamma, Delta, Integrale, Aurelia and there's a couple more whose names I cannot recall readily at the moment.

You've mainly been involved with the Lancia Beta, or was it the Gamma - that should have been a great car, on paper at least, but it just about broke Lancia. Am I correct ? Regards Styria

 

[BenzBoy]

Hi BenzBoy, we're not talking about your needs - we need to know more about the cars themselves, be it Lancia Beta, Gamma, Delta, Integrale, Aurelia and there's a couple more whose names I cannot recall readily at the moment.

You've mainly been involved with the Lancia Beta, or was it the Gamma - that should have been a great car, on paper at least, but it just about broke Lancia. Am I correct ? Regards Styria

My main involvement was with Flavia. I also used a Beta as an everyday car for many years. I bought it for $500 with a blown head gasket; picked up a second hand motor by swapping a photocopy of the workshop manual - and then found it was a genuine HF engine that had been used for racing. That engine gave me over 100,000 ks before I bottomed the sump in Parramatta Rd and lost the oil. New big end bearings and away she went. I sold it to a boy-racer in Rose Bay who wrote it off on the first day he had it and the motor lives on still onthe South Coast in a rally special.
The Flavia was a most delicate machine with beautiful balance and handling. We once blew a front tyre at high speed going across the Hay Plains and the car stated rock solid without any twitching until I brought it to a halt. We rebuilt the motor after it ran a main bearing and sold it on some time later through the Lnacia Sport. The interesting thing about the boxer engine was that you timed it at one degree before TDC - get it wrong and the motor would run backwards with devestating results...
Regards,
Benz-Boy
PS: I need a drink after such a long post.