Lancia Motor Club

No doubt a few of you have read the Driving section of the ST today.

A certain JC slated the latest "Lancia" car to land on these shores. I have no personal experience of the Ypsilon, but he gave it 1* out of five.

A few of his lines.....

"I firmly believe that in the last 100 years Lancia has made more truly great cars than any other brand"

He then lists the greats...... then he goes onto denigrate those who have kept the pre war cars on the go....and I suppose by association members of this club.

"The Gamma was a case in point . We all knew on full lock, a design fault meant the pistons would meet the valves in a head on collision, causing the engine to explode"

Finally, he wheels out the hackneyed and damning rust issue......

"Some say that Lancias were unreliable and while this is almost certainly true, its hard to be sure because they had usually rusted away long before the mechanicals had a chance to malfunction"

He then rambles away foul mouthing all an sundry associated with the car and Lancia.

Hoping a letter finds its way into the intray of said oaf and indeed the LMC issues a challenge of sorts to the troika of presenters on the TG programme shortly to begin a new series.

Not a very happy member!


P

What score did he give the Fiat 500 I wonder?  It's basically the same car except the Ypsilon has a slightly longer wheelbase and so should ride a bit better.  It's not a Lancia, of course, but it is amusing that if you stick a "Fiat" badge on it's ok while if you stick a "Lancia" badge on it suddenly becomes rubbish!  As for Lancia reliability, hasn't he heard of the Appia's legendary reliability?  But perhaps he's thinking of the more modern Lancias. I drove Betas as my daily car for more than 10 years and I never had a problem, very tough cars. I've still got one and it hasn't rusted away yet!   My Gammas are still going well too after 30 years.

I read this and it is typically Clarkson

but interestingly he still loves the cars we love.

I don't think there is much to be gained to turn him round re the current Lancia (aka Chrysler) offering because as we all know these cars are not the Lancias we/he loves.

Tim

It's a complete waste of time writing to them - we'd only end up facing more ridicule a la Morris Marina Owners Club. We know the truth. Leave it at that as far as I'm concerned!

Guy

Not sure Guy......at least we protested and stood up for our wonderful marque....I too would ridicule Morris Marinas ........:)...;)


P

From what I can see the more you try to fight them the more radical they become in their condemnation of the product

They only say and write these things to get a reaction and further their own careers

In the good old days they used to say 'Yesterdays newspaper is tomorrow's chip paper' (when you used to buy your chips in old newspapers ... tasted better then?)

So I would leave it be ... responding and reacting will only add fuel to their fire .... in my opinion     

...don't see how they can damage Lancia any more than they have been already............

Seems they are just slagging off those who are fans of the marque.......sure they'd turn it into a laugh on the programme.........but it would just be a form of media bullying.......in reality it belittles them more than the marque and its enthusiasts.

My 5 pence worth..........ok....shillings worth.....:)


P

At least we are not the Audi Car club!!!

Fact is-the Ypsilon is an awful car

I like the Ypsilon! During a recent trip to Italy, I paid extra to specifically hire a new Ypsilon and found it a great car. It was roomy, comfortable, quiet, handled well, returned over 60mpg and most importantly had superb air conditioning  :D

I fail to understand why anyone bothers to watch this egomaniac pontificating his views, mostly of which he knows nothing, but which have made him very rich, so I can understand why he does it.
Had enough of him last time when Lancia pulled out of the RHD market in 1994, in good faith many LMC Members loaned their cars for what we thought was going to be a review of the Marques History, instead we got Clarkson rubbishing the cars using 'wooden Magnets' to prove how rusty Lancias were on some of the nicest condition Lancias around.

Don't get annoyed with him and his idiot dummies.
STOP WATCHING


Brian
8227 8)

Whether or not the Ypsilon is a good car I am not qualified to say. However, it is offered in some rather dubious colour combinations, this was spotted at a local David LLoyd Centre (no, I am not a member, it's embarrassing enough trying to get out from under the B20 with Jim laughing his head off!!!). It is at times like this that I am glad the cars carry a Chrysler badge and not the Lancia one !!!!

Your comments are welcomed, as are contributions of other 'interesting' colours on Lancias, or indeed any other car.

Best wishes,

                   Andy

....eeemmmmm...Peter are you JC in disguise on this forum.....;)

Thotos....we all know you are au fait with the modern range.....very positive

Who do I believe??!!


P

The fact is.......its a very entertaining show.......I quite like the old git.....and have a soft spot for May.......pity they let show-off manship....get in the way of a few decent or relevant facts.

P

Well, I just thought that on this ocassion JC was right about the Ypsilon.

I too am relieved that the Ypsilon is here as a Chrysler, from experience (we had a 1.2 Looker's loan car for a period)they do not like UK roads with too much rattle & roll even in town and the centre console is angled towards the left. Whilst different they look odd and have none of the charisma of the first two series and also are priced a little too high, although I understand dealers have been given green light to slash prices on the whole Chrysler range (see latest What Car?) between £2k cheapest Ypsilon & £6k 300C.

If people have purchased the Ypsilon and like it that's great- You pays your money & takes your choice- however unless you get a 100 year warranty with free servicing and a realistic resale value (ala Kia & Hyundai), it will never appeal to the masses in the way a Fiesta, Punto, Clio, Corsa, 500, Polo etc do.

Lancia would have fallen flat on their faces with this car in the UK and done irrepairable damage, especially teamed up with the Delta which is a great car but would have been 3.5years old at UK launch, so for those reasons I am happy they arrived as Chrysler.

Sadly Lancia no longer make fantasic or even intriging cars anymore, under Marchionne's control they are neglected and with Fiat trying to push "executive" brands like Alfa, Jeep & Maserati if they persist with Lancia continuing with products such as the latest Ypsilon (especially with the ultra bland non descript horizontal slatted front ends), they will become an embaressment and it does not need JC to tell us that.

Just seen that my earlier post has appeared without a photograph, yet another cock up.

Hope fully I'll do better this time !!!

                              Andy

Yes........Andy....is that for the Australian market??!!....;)


P

In today's economic climate even Lady Penelope and the Pink Panther have to downsize!

Yes, I understand you do get some horrible things running across the ceiling in Australia !

MD

 
Very good grip from those tyres though.

MD

Its on for the girlies.... Saw a Fiat 500 in same colour and it is certainly eye catching!! ;D

There is a pink Fiat near us which has eyelashes!

Diana

Peter,
Difference of opinion here.
Ypsilon voted car of the year 2012 in Greece
http://www.autoedizione.com/lancia-ypsilon-car-of-the-year-2012-in-greece/
And 3rd best selling car in Italy.


Brian
8227 8)

Hi Brian. Greece have made quite a few serious mistakes recently. And would you trust any figures issued from Italy? In Italy you can have any car you want as a best seller, allegedly. Seriously though, it is only my opinion. 

That's OK, us Greeks invented mistakes (just like we invented most other things  ;D) so we make good use of our invention  ;)

Seriously though, I told you the Ypsilon was a great car, so the Greeks' choice has been confirmed by a Greek  ;D ;D

I see we have drifted on this thread......

Having just read Geoff Owens book....."Turning back the clock"....55 yrs in the motor trade. You do get an insight as to how things developed and changed over the post war period to almost the present day.

The number of people he worked for who only saw selling cars as a way to make a large amount of money and didn't know a thing about cars, how to really sell them or look after the customer is breathtaking. The 60s was a period of truly dreadful quality British made cars, but their dreadful defects ( as bad or worse as the series 1 Beta problem ) were in effect glossed over or hushed up.....only a few years later a xenophobic media leapt on an issue arising with the Beta and effectively delivered a coupe de grace to the marque ..almost as if they'd repelled "invaders"!

Geoffs book clearly states his own personal experiences of both owning and selling said cars....extremely reliable and great to drive. He was even granted a meeting with HQ in London, such was his success and passion for the cars. So much so he was the ONLY beacon of hope in a network of MDs who'd lost faith in the product and in relaity had given up on the marque.

Geoff Owen stood alone.

I don't know if Geoff is still alive, but I'd like the LMC to recognise his efforts during these years and send him a letter of acknowledgement or even make him an honorary member of the LMC.


Maybe this was done back in those distant days, but perhaps someone who knows could post on here or put this proposal forward,


P

Doing a trawl through the media section of 2008 I find this post up by eyore.....................



 Sunday Times Clarkson 15th June
« on: 15 June, 2008, 12:37:36 PM » Quote 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How about this from Clarksons article in todays Sunday Times   

" If I were to walk round a modern-day motor show featuring all the latest cars with all their clever electronic gizmos,there might be one, or maybe two, that I'd think seriously of buying.
While walking round a field in Leicestershire recently, I found about 200 cars that I'd gladle swapped one of my kidneys for. There were a few I'd have swapped my heart for.
It was the Auto Italia festival, an event at which thousands of car enthusiasts spend the day demonstrating who is best with a vacuum cleaner. They even have a competition to see who has the cleanest car. It is ridiculous.
If you delve behind the preposterously laquered paint and Mr Sheened dashboards, however you are left with acre after acre of machinery that will leave you breathless with desire,I wanted everything.
And i'm not talking here about fields full of Ferraris. Mostly they were crummy 348's ,which had wooden tyres and suspension made from old pianos. Nor was I overly bothered by the Lambos either. Owning a Countach or a Diablo is just another way of saying that you are deformed.
No, the stuff that blew my trousers off was the humdrum 1970s cars from Fiat,Alfa Romeo and most of all ,suprisingly Lancia.
Let us begin our romp down the autostrada of yesteryear with the Lancia Montecarlo. Early models were plagued with a tendancy to lock up their front brakes and so Lancia took the unusual step of removing it from production while the problem was addressed. A year passed and everyone assumed the little sports car had gone for good. But no. Lancia then re released it, saying it had cured the problem by removing the servo. In other words, it has simply made the back crakes perform as badly as those at the front.. Brilliant.
Providing you never want to stop, you can buy a Montecarlo these days in the UK ,in good condition for about €6,500. And for that you get a 2 litre twin cam mid engined sports car with if you want it , a canvas folding roof,tweed seats and looks that could melt a girls face. I decided after 10 minutes that I didn't want one at all. I needed one. It was even more pressing than my next breath. I even started offering one owner some money and then when that didn't work, some quiet threats. Look, I whispered,This car will be no good to you if you have lost your legs. And you will sunshine, if you don't sell it to me.
His dignity was saved because,while threatening to burn his house down, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a selection of Fulvias. By modern standards, the Lancia Fulvia is not much to write home about. It has carthorse suspension at the back, a setup thats weirdly complicated at the front and a 1.6 litre V4 engine thta,in the HF develops just 115hp. Fast? Well yes, but only if you are a visiting Victorian or used to driving a Motability shopping scooter.
However ,they are balls achingly pretty and one of the show cars belonged to an old mate . hello John ,I said cheerily but with a hint of Stanislavski menace, Would you like to sell me your car or would you like me to stab you in the throat and get the crowd to cheer as you gout arterial blood everywhere?. because those are your only choices.
Happily,from his point of view, I realised that I was actually leaning on the bonnett of a Delta Integrale at the time. And I decided that  what Ireally  wanted , more than anything in the world,was this ludicrous , left hand drive superstar from the original Sega Rally machine.
Of course people with blazers will explain that Lancias are old rot boxes and fellto pieces long before anyone had a chance to drive them to the shops. But having driven across Botswana in a Beta last year I can assure you this is bunkum.
A classic Lancia will have no more problems than a classic Mercedes. Automotive time is a great leveller."



I can't highlight properly at work the last three lines......am getting them tattooed on my chest!


P

An excellent find Frank !!!

It really does prove that Clarkson, most of the time, will come out with anything to get a reaction and rarely means a quarter of what he says. That of course could be said to apply to this article, but for once, there does not seem to be nothing outrageous concerning the cars themselves. He reserved the stupid stuff for the threats to the various present owners of the cars over which he lusted.

So, maybe we should suggest a Top Gear special based around these Lancias from Auto Italia with perhaps a follow up devoted to earlier classics such as the Lambda, Aprilia and the Aurelia.

Or ......... do we want to keep mum, keep these special cars our own selfish little secret ???

                                                                Andy