Lancia Thema 8.32 revisited

The engine is pretty much the same to work on as a 308's, parts aren't that bad to get hold of (lots of them have been broken), Its just unfortunate that the car its bolted to isnt Fiat/Lancias best work,from what I can remember its based on a joint project with Saab / GM / Fiat so its pretty much the same as the Saab 9000.
Gearbox synchros can be weak and the electrical side of things is pure 80's FIAT
In the Uk non 832 Thema's are a couple of hundred pounds so there's lots of spares for the non Ferrari bits and lots of cars at the breakers

 

I did a load of work on one years ago, and drove it for a whole weekend after doing a major service.

Doing the belts etc is tight for access, but quite do-able. They drive really well, and they make a nice noise.

I'd have one without hesitation... but I do fix cars for a living remember. If I had to pay to keep it going, I'd dig for oil.

 

Should he decide not to repair it, I would be interested in buying the intake setup out of it

 

Just for the record - we now do the camshaft pully tensioner bearings for the 8.32 - our Part no. PT832.

I know there's not a huge demand for these but it all helps on keeping another classic on the road

Paul

 

There's one on UK Ebay which is not selling at about £ 4000 - it hardly seems worth spending a little less for a non-runner

 

I would have liked to have an 8.32 when it was new, and under warranty, but I'm afraid the complexity of it could make a real challenge out of running an old one. To wit:

Marelli Microplex electronic ignition
Bosch KE-3 Jetronic mechanical injection system
Antilock Braking System
Fully Electronically Controlled Suspension
ZF Servotronic steering system
Fully electronic climate control system

Goodness knows how many of the bits and pieces for these things are unique to the 8.32. Is there a really good Workshop Manual? You could EASILY pay more for one repair than you paid for the entire car. Too scary for me.

 

The difference between the 8.32 engine and the 308 is only the ignition timing, and the sound from the 8.32 is a mix of ferrari and bmw v8. He should look for a COMPLETE service history (the car is worthless if the service history can not be presented in a proper way). He should also check if the belt is exchanged (if not, I wouldn´t buy it), if the engine breaks down....he need to buy a new engine (whom costs twice as much as the actual car). Otherwise the only real bad part is the FWD. But once again....if he doesn´t have proper service history papers, dont buy it.

 

Uhhmm.....who is the guy that has a alfa 90 with a 164 3.0 V6 in it? I have the same engine in my alfa 90....+ DTA fast ECU, separate velocity stacks, open throttle bodies, forged colombo & bariani rods and pistons, + tons of other stuff. I´d love to chat with another guy with a modded alfa 90.....I thought I was alone.

 

To PARKHAMK,
Although the engines are very close, the Therma uses a 90 degree crank compared to a 180 degree (flat plane) crank in the Ferrari. Thats what gives the lower "v-8" grumble. Does sound good though. Regards.
Darrell.

 

I was driving around in one for almost 2 weeks!! Great great little car. I love the sound..we put an aftermarket system on it..sounds really mean. its quite funny to watch people turn their heads looking for a big V8 machine to roll by when its just this 4door sedan. I got so many comment and questions about the thing it was unreal.

The car is up for sale and it has 107k on the clock at the momment..but I might rasie that a bit more!

 

I bought this car on a whim in July when I was in Germany; didn't even know they existed. I was at a guy's house looking at an old `67 Fiat 2300 S coupe and he pointed at it and asked if I was interested. My first reaction was no, not at all, but he popped the hood and got my attention. I started looking at it further and realized it was actually a really cool car; full stitched leather interior, REAL wood trim, power folding mirrors, electric retractable rear spoiler, remote power door and trunk locking, power windows, climate control, automatic raising rear headrests (they go up when you open the rear doors and go down if no one sits in the seat), rear sun shade... and it drives and sounds great! I love driving it around downtown; the sound of the motor turns heads every time and you know that everybody is thinking "What the hell is that?" - especially the cabs that try to pass me in the right hand lane and get blown away (this car has a different cam than the 308's so it's got a lot of low-end torque... stomp the accellerator when cruising at about 40 Kph and the front wheels break loose; yes it's front-wheel drive). Top speed is about 240 Kph (approx. 150 Mph).

It's a 1-owner car (not including me) from Italy (Rome, so it probably never saw snow until Tom drove it; it's put away now) in truly mint condition.

I'll sell it to anyone interested but you'd have to look into what it will cost to import into the USA (if you're in the USA), besides the 2.5% duty.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=249742&stc=1&d=1132706226

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=249744&stc=1&d=1132706226

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=249743&stc=1&d=1132706226

 

It's in Toronto, Canada.

The link to your Fiat isn't working! Here's a pic of the `67 2300;
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Jack, were is the car? If is is in the USA, does the owner have EPA/DOT releases in hand?

If not, walk away...