Some automotive passions are handed down from generation to generation. Others become real family stories. In Japan, that of Ryota Iwasaki and his Lancia Thema 8.32 almost resembles a modern automotive tale, in which a passionate father spends years restoring a rare Italian sedan before giving it to his son for his 20th birthday. And not just any Lancia. A Thema 8.32, one of the most fascinating creations of the Italian automotive industry, a discreet sedan hiding a Ferrari-derived engine under its hood.
A passion born of childhood
The story begins when Ryota Iwasaki is just a child. In fourth grade, he saw for the first time a Lancia Thema 8.32 that his father had just bought at an online auction. It was love at first sight.
At the time, the young boy was already passionate about cars. He knew more models than most of his classmates, but what fascinated him even more was his father. An industrial designer by profession, he spent his spare time dismantling, repairing and restoring cars in his garage.
Over the years, the father has become a reference in the Lancia Thema ownership community in Japan. Thanks to a blog detailing his repair methods and maintenance procedures, other enthusiasts began to contact him for help. As the projects accumulate, so do the Lancias in the family garage. The family even ends up owning several Themas, including various V6 versions and several examples of the very rare 8.32.
An astonishing restoration
Among all these cars, one has a particularly amazing story. In 2012, when Ryota was in high school, his father picked up a Thema 8.32 in Yokkaichi. The vehicle was in critical condition: it was an old car that had taken on water in a flood. Where many would have given up, he decided to take up the challenge. For a year and a half, he took the car completely apart. Every component was removed, inspected, restored or replaced. The Italian sedan is literally rebuilt piece by piece to near-new condition.
Originally, the restoration was to return the car to its owner. But when the work was completed, the owner made an unexpected request: he wanted the family to keep the car. The Thema 8.32 now finds a permanent home in the Iwasaki garage.
Her 20th birthday present
A few years later, Ryota is living alone for his studies. On his twentieth birthday, he receives a message on his telephone. His father sends him a photo showing three Lancia keys lined up side by side.
The message is simple: «The one on the right, the one in the middle or the one on the left? Which do you want?» From the three choices, Ryota selects the key corresponding to the restored Thema 8.32. Thus, this Ferrari-powered Lancia officially became his car. A particularly original way of celebrating a passage into adulthood.
Handling a Ferrari disguised as a sedan
When he starts driving the car on a regular basis, Ryota soon discovers that the reality is different from the image he had of it as a child. For years, he had imagined a car that was difficult to control, almost savage, in the image of the prestigious Ferrari engine installed under the hood.
The surprise is quite different. «I thought it was going to be a very sharp and complicated car to drive. In reality, the Ferrari engine is incredibly easy to use and the car behaves like a normal saloon,» he explains.
It's precisely this contrast that gives the Thema 8.32 its charm. Beneath its unassuming appearance of a 1980s grand tourer lies a V8 derived from that of the Ferrari 308, specially adapted for more civilized use. Lancia had succeeded in creating a car capable of offering the sensations and prestige of a Ferrari engine while retaining the comfort and discretion of a family sedan.
He maintains it himself
Now 29, Ryota lives in Yamanashi prefecture. He still owns his Thema 8.32. He rides it relatively infrequently, covering some 4,500 kilometers in three and a half years. Understandably cautious, given the rarity of the model and the difficulty of finding certain parts.
But this limited use doesn't stop him from getting his hands dirty with the mechanics. Like his father before him, he does most of the maintenance himself. Recently, he even replaced the timing belt, relying on the technical manuals and documents prepared by his father. Not surprising, given his own degree in mechanical engineering.
More than a car, a piece of Italian history
Over time, Ryota's fascination with the Thema 8.32 evolved. As a child, he was impressed by the Ferrari engine and the electrically retractable rear spoiler, one of the model's signatures.
Today, what he appreciates most is the car's subtlety. In his opinion, the real strength of the Thema 8.32 is that it never tries to flaunt its exclusivity. It hides its qualities behind a discreet, typically Italian elegance. He also points out that this model occupies a unique place in automotive history. The Thema 8.32 is, in fact, the first car whose interior was designed by the famous Italian saddler Poltrona Frau, and the only production Lancia equipped with a Ferrari engine. It's an unlikely meeting of two worlds emblematic of Italian industry.
Despite his attachment to the 8.32, Ryota is already dreaming of other Lancias. Strangely enough, one day he'd like to own a more classic Thema, so that he can enjoy the model on a daily basis without worrying about the constraints associated with the Ferrari V8. He's also interested in older Lancias produced before the brand was taken over by Fiat, such as the Gamma and Fulvia. Proof that the family passion is far from running out of steam.
Original text by Yuya Murayama for the magazine ENGINE. Photos by Hirohiko Mochizuki.
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I love the Thema V8, but having it in a body not designed for it and in a front transverse position without 4WD not only makes the front end considerably heavier, it also makes it less efficient than the Turbo or Busso.
At the time, FIAT should have taken Renault/PSA's place and boosted its ass so that the GRP could be used in all large sedans in the longitudinal position.