Lancia Thesis

The Lancia Thesis, Type 841, was a full-size luxury car built by Lancia between 2001 and 2009 and aimed at the Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. It followed the Kappa but was given its own chassis rather than sharing one with Alfa Romeo, and its design came from the 1998 Dialogos concept car. It premiered at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show and went on sale in Italy in June 2002. Engines were naturally aspirated and turbocharged, from 2.0 to 3.2 litres, in straight-five and V6 layouts. The cabin used varnished wood and cast magnesium trim, and Lancia priced the car about fifteen percent under its rivals. An early landaulet prototype, the Giubileo, was presented to Pope John Paul II.