VARIATIONS ON A LANCIA THEMA
Ultra-rare Lancia in UK gifted to a Scottish enthusiast
An extremely rare first series Lancia Thema 6V has surfaced in Glenrothes, Scotland – having lain undisturbed for 25 years.
Classic car enthusiast Andrew Battles took the car on after its owner passed away last year. Andrew, a friend of the family, was entrusted with the Thema with a view to ultimately getting it back on the road. With fond childhood memories of the car, he believed its owner had traded the Thema for a Mazda 626 during the early Nineties, unaware it was actually in a council lock-up. Andrew’s 6V, powered by a 2.8-litre variant of the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo (PRV) V6, spent seven years on the road before going into storage with 74,000 miles on the clock.
Although no-one knows the reason for the Thema’s internment, the car appears to be in fine fettle and ripe for restoration. Andrew said: ‘There are some period body repairs to the wheel arches. The interior is complete and in good condition. I have dry storage which I think is important for Lancia ownership!’
Lancia Motor Club’s press and publicity officer Tim Heath told
CCW that it knew of two other first series Thema 6Vs in the UK, with another in Switzerland. That the club looks after more Ferrari enginederived Thema 8.32s – 15 in all – is a measure of the 6V’s rarity.
The Thema shared its platform with the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. James McConnachie lanciamc.co.uk