Yugo…Grale Replicates Lancia’s Iconic Delta HF Integrale [with Video]

If you grew up in the late 1980s or early 1990s and were an avid automotive enthusiast, chances are you fondly remember the great Delta HF Integrale, arguably the last super exciting (from a driver's perspective) Lancia model.

And while Lancia has turned a new page in its history, tending to the needs of customers enamored with fashion catwalks instead of rally courses, there are plenty of drivers out there who cherish the original spirit of the Italian brand. Some, however, have taken their love of Lancia to the extreme turning mundane Yugos, itself a by-product of the Fiat 127, into Integrale replicas.

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Chrysler CEO Says Lancia Ypsilon Not Coming to the U.S. After All, while Compact Model is “Under Review”

Back in 2009, the Fiat and Chrysler alliance had revealed plans for the U.S. launch of a compact model based on the Lancia Delta in 2012 and a Chrysler-badged version of the Lancia Ypsilon in 2013.

Now it seems that the automaker has changed its strategy. At the New York Auto Show, Chrysler and Lancia brand president Olivier Francois told Car&Driver that the Ypsilon-based Chrysler model is dead for the U.S. as the company believes it is too similar with the Fiat 500, upon which the Lancia subcompact is based on, and could hurt its sales.

For the record, during a recent press event in Turin, Italy, a Lancia official told Carscoop that the Ypsilon U.S. launch would largely depend on the market's response to the Fiat 500.

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Lancia Opens Order Book for Ypsilon, Prices Start at €12,400 ($17,890) in Italy

Starting from today, the all-new Lancia Ypsilon is available for order in Italy with first deliveries scheduled for June in major European markets and September for the Chrysler badged model that will be offered in the UK and Ireland.

Available for the first time in a five-door body style, the fourth generation Ypsilon will be offered in three trim levels (Silver, Gold and Platinum), 17 body colors (four of which are two-tone schemes), six different upholsteries, three types of alloy wheels and three engine choices. All of these options will allow for a total of 600 different model combos.

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Fiat to Introduce Two New Dodge-Based Sedans in China and Russia by 2013

As time goes by, Fiat SpA’s integration with the Chrysler Group LLC deepens and the results become more evident with the two carmakers making several plans for the future. Speaking at Fiat's annual shareholders meeting on March 30, Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed plans to launch two new Dodge-based sedans in China and Russia.

The first sedan will be a compact model built on the next generation Dodge Caliber, which is expected in the USA next January. According to an Autonews report, this model will enter production in China in the second half of 2011, while timing for the Russian launch has not yet been disclosed. The other four-door saloon will be a mid-size model based on the replacement for the Dodge Avenger, which is scheduled for launch in the USA in 2013. It will go on sale in China and Russia the same year.

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Lancia Ypsilon 'Collection 2011' Flies to Los Angeles for Promo Shoot

The Fiat Group is trying to make the best of its newly found contacts in the U.S. after its partnership with Chrysler LLC as the Italian automaker chose the city of Los Angeles to shoot the promotional photos as well as a new TV spot for its limited edition Lancia Ypsilon 'Collection 2011', which goes on sale in Europe this month. The special edition version of the ageing Ypsilon adds some unique styling touches such as bespoke color options for the body work and cabin trim, plus an upgraded interior with new fabrics and leather surfaces with contrast piping.

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New Chrysler 300 and its Lancia Thema Counterpart to get Hybrid Variant in 2013

On the sidelines of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that hybrids will make a comeback to Chrysler’s line-up, with one such model being a gasoline-electric version of the Chrysler 300 sedan. “We will offer a hybrid variant of the 300 equipped with an eight-speed automatic in 2013”, Marchionne said last week.

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Chrysler Officially Drops the Top on the New 200 Convertible

Following yesterday’s leak, Chrysler today officially released photos and preliminary data on its new 200 Convertible. As previously noted, the drop top model is essentially a facelifted Sebring Convertible featuring a refined exterior design, and a revamped interior with new styling and improved quality.

Customers can choose between two automatically latching tops, which is certainly not a common option in the category. The first option is a body-colored retractable hardtop, while the other is a more traditional cloth soft top, both operated by a button on the key fob.

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2012 Chrysler 200 Convertible: First Official Photos Hit the Web

We don't know if Chrysler's affiliation with the Fiat Group has anything to do with this story, but fact is Italian websites have managed get their hands on the first official photographs of the redesigned Sebring Convertible, which like the sedan variant, gains the 200 moniker.

There's nothing surprising about the 2012 Chrysler 200 Convertibles design, which follows the same recipe as the sedan with softer and more elegant styling for the front and rear end, plus a fully redesigned interior boasting higher quality materials and build.

Naturally, the 200 Convertible will feature the same mechanical tweaks as the sedan with engine options including a 173HP 2.4-liter four-cylinder motor and the new 283HP 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, both offered with a six-speed automatic transmission.

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Lancia to Unveil Chrysler 200-based Model at Geneva Show, may name it Flavia

*The above image is a Carscoop illustration

It appears that all those the rumors regarding future Lancia models are true as the Italian automaker is gearing up for this year’s Geneva Auto Show with several new additions to its line-up.

At the Detroit Motor Show, Fiat Group execs revealed that along with the Chrysler 300-based Thema flagship, Lancia will also unveil its own version of the Chrysler 200. The mid-size model will be offered in both sedan and convertible body styles, and is destined to replace the Sebring in the European market.

“The new Chrysler 200 will come – cabriolet included – to Europe as a Lancia, and Flavia is a very good hint as its possible name,” Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said on the sidelines of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

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Fiat’s Future in Italy Could be at Stake Due to Disagreements with Unions

As previously reported, Fiat hasn’t been able to secure agreements with all Italian unions regarding a key productivity deal to help the automaker to keep its turnaround strategy on track. With a hard-line union planning a strike later this month, the country’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi claims Fiat will have a good reason to quit Italy if the deal falls through.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne agreed with Mr. Berlusconi saying that the future of the company in Italy could be at stake and he might be forced to move all production to lower-cost countries.

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Stig Blomqvist

713

acrylic on paper 8x12" sold

Swedish rally legend Stig Blomqvist

Lancia Stratos

Concept car : Lancia Delta Executive

     Geneva sees the debut of the Delta Executive, the new Lancia flagship which exactly matches the requirements of a refined customer who is alive to technological developments but knows the value of tradition, who wants a solid product but also exclusivity and prestige. These are businessmen, managers and independent professionals who know how to combine conceptually opposing values such as tradition and innovation, rationality and emotion, but who are also representatives of the institutional and diplomatic milieus.































        Aimed, therefore, at customers seeking greater elegance and comfort, the Delta Executive offers an exclusive rear seat providing the same comfort as a business class seat on an intercontinental flight. In addition, the roominess of the rear passenger compartment in the Delta is the best in the market segment, confirming that Lancia has devoted the utmost attention to the space reserved to passengers rather than just the driver. So the original Executive version is also the perfect answer for prestige representation purposes. The version shown at Geneva is fitted with the powerful 1.8 liter Di TurboJet engine developing 200 HP and Euro 5 compliant, coupled with a new 6-speed automatic transmission. In addition, from the outside, the Delta Executive is distinguished by its two-tone bodywork (body in Light Bronze and “Eclipse” gloss black roof), the special two-tone diamond-edged alloy rims, the gold “D” logo on the door pillar and the word “Delta” on the rear window as well as the special trims. Inside, the Lancia Delta Executive offers high-quality seats with new wraparound head restraints and dashboard covered in Frau Pieno Fiore beige leather with special chocolate brown edging, “Montblanc” black dashboard, double tinted glass courtesy light on the roof liner and leather embellished with new elegant stitching. Developed from the Delta Platino, the new version offers as standard: Reactive Suspension System, parking sensors, 6 airbags, dual-zone automatic climate control, Granluce sunroof, Instant Nav, Absolute Handling System, fog lights with cornering function, and a front armrest with refrigerator compartment.



Full Story<<<

Lancia Beta Monte Carlo

609

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acrylic on paper 7x10" sold

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a little study of the

Lancia Beta Monte Carlo
just because it is so good looking...

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as always click on the pic for full effect!

Lancia Stratos HF

580

acrylic on paper 7x10" sold

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always fun to paint

Bernard Darniche

579

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acrylic on paper 8x10" sold

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Bernard Darniche and Alain Mahne

winning the 1979 Monte Carlo rally

in a Lancia Stratos of course

Monza 82

551

acrylic on paper 8x12" sold

a beautiful spring day in Italy 1982
two Lancia LC1's are leading the bunch at the start
and life is bellissimo!

this painting is available as a print

just contact rijbema@hotmail.com for details

Dirty Stratos

550

acrylic on paper 10x14"

even dirty,it's beautiful

Lancia Stratos

Lancia LC1

505

acrylic on paper 6x13" sold

another beauty from Lancia the LC1 from 1982,

here with Michele Alboreto behind the wheel

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this painting is available as a print
just contact rijbema@hotmail.com for details

Lancia Delta

501

acrylic on paper 6x7" sold

More Martini please.

Lancia Delta in muddy Wales

LANCIA LC2

497

acrylic on paper 8x12" sold
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this car was very fast...
several poles in the group C era
it looked stunning...
with those sexy martini stripes
but also fragile,
it didn't finish many races...

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this painting is available as a print

just contact rijbema@hotmail.com for details

.

just found another little write up

about car-a-day

it's been done a while ago,

but thought it worth sharing with you.

it's on, the blackflack outpost

at foxsports.com