If there's one European brand that has been in an identity crisis for many years, that is Lancia – and the Fiat Group's decision to drop a few Chrysler models including the 300 sedan and the Town & Country minivan into the Italian firm's range only made things worse.
One time the proud maker of sporty
models with a pinch of luxury like the gorgeous Lancia Fulvia Coupe with
its innovative narrow-angle V4 engine and let's not forget, also the
holder of 10 world rally championships, Lancia is now struggling to find
its place in today's automotive world.
Independent designer David Cardoso is among those not pleased with Lancia's current portfolio and especially the new Thema:
"When
Lancia recently brought out the Thema that is based on the American
Chrysler 300C, I was let down by Lancia as it disowned its own Italian
design language. The Imperiale is an attempt to create a worthy Thesis
successor," Cardoso told Carscoop.
The name Cardoso chose to use on
his reborn Lancia flagship is somewhat unfortunate as the Chrysler used
the Imperial moniker for its own series of luxury models from the 1920s
to the 1980s and again in the early 1990s.
Name
aside, Cardoso's Imperiale borrows the fastback body styling of
previous Lancia cars such as the Gamma Berlina from the late 1970s.
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