Thema

Research started at the end of 1979 and was to continue for two years with the development and refinement of three three-dimensional models, the first in polystyrene and the other two in painted plaster. The brief given left no room for misunderstanding: the car was to be elegant, classic, "important" but not revolutionary. Giugiaro proposed three guiding principles: a three-box bodywork with a two- and three-window side, and a two-box concept with three windows. The choice of Lancia's management (which was also Giugiaro's preference) fell on the three-box two-window concept. Giugiaro's result was extremely balanced, the creation of a car with a striking personality that, as in many of his creations, was not understood right away but appreciated with the passing of time. The Thema was to meet with enormous commercial success and, thanks to its first-class mechanical assembly and excellent aerodynamics, took Lancia to the top of the list of manufacturers of best quality cars, soon becoming a status symbol.