The 76th Geneva Motor Shows officially inaugurates the celebrations for Lancia’s centenary. It is an extraordinary milestone, shared with only a small number of carmakers, for which the brand has created a stand on which the worlds of design, fashion and the cinema coexist, three contexts in which the brand will be present this year with important initiatives to mark its Centenary.

For example, Lancia will be a Major Sponsor of the Venice Film Festival, and will be at the ‘Moda Milano’ fashion event with a fleet of one hundred suitably personalised Ypsilons, at the disposal of the models on the catwalk at the fashion shows programmed for February, June and September. The design world is represented by the two-tone models, a stylistic feature that has often been adopted on Lancia models.

The Geneva stand celebrates the brand’s 100 years of history with an evocative display, mixing historical cars with new versions from today’s range, and projecting period films and advertisements for the latest models on the screens. It is all designed to make sure the public is aware not only of its great history – with cars and personalities, races and engines that have been milestones of technology and racing throughout the 20th century – but also of its clear intention to continue to play a leading role in the future. This is the best demonstration of the vitality of a brand which, in a century of history, has maintained its identity as a manufacturer of cars that embody comfort, elegance and cutting-edge technology. And Lancia will tackle the coming years with the same spirit and aims, continuing to propose superb new models.

One of the attractions of the stand at Geneva is the Lancia Ypsilon MOMO Design, which confirms the car’s gutsy but trendy personality. It was developed jointly by Lancia and the MomoDesign Styling Centre, which share a commitment to innovation in design, the use of cutting edge materials and attention to detail. A Lancia show-car is also on the stand, derived from the Ypsilon and sporting the logo of the Moda Milano fashion event, with attractive black bodywork. Light effects and contrasts inspired by the world of fashion design set off the interior that is elegantly furnished with a combination of precious Alcantara upholstery and soft, luxurious black leather. The Lancia Ypsilon Moda Milano is a haute couture outfit, designed by the Lancia Styling Centre and a team of fashion stylists, and developed with the collaboration of Alcantara, Crystal Label and AT+T. A unique product with a daring look, which could have other developments in the future.

Another attraction on the stand are the ‘Centenary’ editions of the Musa and Ypsilon, the brand’s tribute to its best tradition – the same tradition that guides its stylists and designers today in their daily work – but also to its natural vocation to offer equipment, technology and engines that are always on the cutting edge. As a result, the exclusive Centenary edition, with its unmistakable two-tone paintwork and the original commemorative logo on the pillar, highlights the sophisticated technology of the compact Musa and Ypsilon.
 

From the revolutionary 1.3 Multijet engines (described as the ‘engine of 2005’), to the innovative DFN gearbox, huge Gran Luce sunroof and Bose stereo system. Both models sport the original Centenary logo: the number 1 followed by ‘∞’ which recalls both a double zero and the symbol of infinity. A strong symbol that embraces the past, the present and the future, because celebrating a century of life is not a nostalgic re-evocation, but a departure towards new challenges; this is the concept conveyed by the stand in Geneva, which is packed full of novelties but also ‘proudly’ evocative.

Two-tone paintwork, a feature of great cars of the past, now returns on the latest Lancia models thanks to a special long painting process: Lancia offers what was once an ‘artisan’ feature available to a chosen few, on its ‘pocket flagships’, the Musa and Ypsilon. Thanks to the heritage of values that are part of its genes, Lancia is in a better position than most to respond to the needs of a clientele looking for high technology but also aware of the value of tradition, who want ‘substance’ from their cars, but also exclusiveness and prestige.

The equation ‘elegance and innovation’ is epitomised by the Lancia Thesis, the flagship in which Lancia interprets the theme of the large, prestigious saloon. The brand’s ‘chromosomes’ are typically Italian craftsmanship, and the capacity to give a new look to the most advanced technologies. For example, in the well-being that is guaranteed by quality materials used not only for their stylistic effect but also for the sensory pleasure they impart. Or in a more advanced approach to information and telematic technology, which enables the Lancia Thesis to satisfy occupants’ desires immediately by adapting to the motorist and not the other way round.

The Lancia Thesis addresses the most demanding market bracket, customers who want complete control of the comfort and onboard activities even when they are not driving: from the layout of the interior space to the climate, the use of instruments to communicate with the outside world, and access to the media, whether for work or for pleasure. Visitors to the Geneva stand can admire the latest version of this model, equipped with a new 185 bhp 2.4 Multijet engine, with new, even more refined interiors and original exterior features.

In keeping with the ‘vintage’ context of the stand, Lancia is also exhibiting four extraordinary historical cars which recall four important moments in the brand’s long and glorious history: a Beta Torpedo 15 HP, an Aurelia GT B24 Spider, a Fulvia Coupé 1.2 (first series) and a Delta HF integrale EVO Martini gr.4. These cars have been immortalised by Fulvio Bonavia, one of the most famous Italian photographers, who created the calendar ‘1906-2006: Once upon a time …’ in which a century of automotive creations from Lancia are combined with ‘fairy-tale inventions’.

Still on the theme of ‘cinema and fashion’, which runs through the Lancia stand, in one area films and design items recall the years of the ‘Dolce Vita’, when Federico Fellini’s ‘paparazzi’ were the stars of wild Roman nights, ready to ‘steal’ pictures, stories and sensations to sell to the press. It was the late Fifties and Rome was the capital of the cinema and the international jet set: Via Veneto came alive, the chic bars and luxury hotels were full of actors and writers, while politicians and VIPs met at the tables of the ‘in’ places. A kaleidoscope of language and music, perfume and colour. And the legendary Lancia Aurelia B24 driven by Vittorio Gassman raced across the cinema screens in Dino Risi’s film ‘Il Sorpasso’ (1962). The 1950s were also an unrepeatable moment for motoring history. Lancia was undisputed leader among the carmakers for the class, elegance and sporty nature of its models. They were called the Ardea, Aurelia and Appia, and they sped down the roads of Europe with style, refinement and sensuality, like primadonnas of the cinema.

But the years of the ‘Dolce Vita’ were also the years in which Italian fashion began to make a name for itself in the world. What we now call ‘Italian Glamour’ was born in those years, when the aesthetics of daily life, quality food and wine, good taste, imagination and ‘savoir-vivre’ began to take hold. But above all class, charm and elegance. That Italian elegance which is the foundation and hallmark of the Lancia philosophy, and which we can find in its most recent creations.

The best example of the ‘Italian art of living’ is the Lancia Phedra Emblema, which is on show in Geneva in a 6-seater version equipped with the powerful 128 bhp 2.2 JTD engine. Standing next to the two ‘Centenary’ models, the prestigious people-mover is ‘dressed’ in elegant, sophisticated Rossini Grey, which is set off perfectly by beige leather upholstery inside. The model has a muted interior environment, which is a pleasure to look at and touch, with every detail perfectly finished, to produce a companionable ambience, protected by an array of safety equipment (in 2004 the car received the 5-star Euro NCAP rating), and the best comfort and telematic features in its segment.

Plenty of comfort and stylistic refinement, but also class-beating performance delivered by the engines: a 108 bhp 2.0 JTD 16v (available with hydraulic automatic transmission) and a 128 bhp 2.2 JTD 16v, a particularly brilliant turbodiesel that guarantees an entertaining drive in all situations, combined with low running costs.