Man Maths: Lancia Thema 8.32

As ever with bad news, though, there was an upside to be found. Which was that the residual values of Lancias in the UK dropped even further. So when I moved upstairs to a more grown-up car magazine, where I was the last name on the masthead and also the least likely to be thrown the keys to a test car at the end of the day, I bought a six-year-old Lancia Thema LX Turbo to keep me mobile. (One doesn’t rely on a Beta or Gamma to do that.) It served me well. But what I really wanted was a Thema 8.32.

The stock Thema shared its doors and a lot more with the Saab 9000 and Fiat Croma. The 8.32 had even higher familial aspirations, inheriting an engine derived from that found in Ferrari’s 308 GTB QV and Mondial Quattrovalvole with a little rejigging to suit a front-wheel drive luxury saloon (including Ferrari’s only ever crossplane road car crankshaft). The 8 stood for the number of cylinders, 32 the number of valves, adding up to a power output of 212bhp which was enough to stress the front wheels into delivering a 0-62mph time of under seven seconds. I recall it wasn’t hard to make the wheels spin on my 162bhp LX Turbo, so I guess the 8.32 was somewhat gluttonous when it came to front tyres.

It was only offered in five colours, two unique to the 8.32, and only with left-hand drive. The dignified body was picked out in a hand-painted double pinstripe, the upper being matched to the body colour, the lower always yellow. It had a unique grille, five-spoke 15in wheels, twin exhausts and what I think was the world’s first retractable rear spoiler that disappeared into the bootlid unless summoned by a knob turn. But it was inside where the 8.32 was most special.

My Thema had Alcantara. Which was less hardy in those days and could wear thin if the driver was not sartorially correct. I was told by the UK PR Manager that Lancia drivers wore expensive trousers. I was more of a jeans man. Which is why I always drove mine seated on a bin bag. Not an issue with the 8.32 which was offered with Poltrona Frau leather covering absolutely everything – including the sun visors. It was a choice of black or brown, which with the latter included colour-coordinated air vents. The dash had more instruments and the doors were capped with open-pore, hand-cut wood. Not surprisingly, then, the 8.32 cost in 2026 money what you’d pay for a BMW M5. Twice a humble LX Turbo.

Right now there is a green over brown – which would get anyone excited, even if I was describing a Vauxhall Mokka – Lancia 8.32 for sale in the UK.  It’s done 67,000 miles, looks immaculate, and the price? Just under £35,000, which is a lot for a Lancia but not much for a Ferrari. I’ve no idea how much it would cost to run. Or how it runs. But I want it.

Now, about the Infiniti FX50S…

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