Lancia Kappa

Lancia Kappa

Overview
Manufacturer	Lancia
Also called	Lancia K
Production	1994–2000
Assembly	Saloon: Rivalta plant, Turin, Italy Coupé: Chivasso, Italy (Maggiora) Estate: Turin, Italy (Pininfarina)
Designer	Ercole Spada at I.DE.A Institute (saloon) Centro Stile Lancia (Coupe) Pininfarina (Estate)
Body and chassis
Class	Executive car (E)
Body style	4-door saloon 5-door estate 2-door coupé
Layout	FF layout
Platform	Type E
Related	Alfa Romeo 166
Powertrain
Engine	Petrol: 2.0 L turbocharged I4 2.0 L I5 2.0 L turbocharged I5 2.4 L I5 3.0 L V6 Diesel: 2.4 L turbodiesel I5
Transmission	5-speed manual 4-speed automatic AISIN or Z.F.
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Saloon/estate: 2,700 mm (110 in) Coupé: 2,580 mm (102 in)
Length	Saloon/estate: 4,687 mm (184.5 in) Coupé: 4,567 mm (179.8 in)
Width	Saloon/estate: 1,826 mm (71.9 in) Coupé: 1,830 mm (72 in)
Height	Saloon/estate: 1,462 mm (57.6 in) Coupé: 1,425 mm (56.1 in)
Curb weight	1,425 kg (3,142 lb)-1,580 kg (3,483 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Lancia Thema
Successor	Lancia Thesis

The Lancia Kappa (Type 838) is an executive car produced by Italian automaker Lancia. It replaced the Thema as Lancia's flagship model in 1994 and was itself replaced by Lancia Thesis in 2001. It shared its platform with the Alfa Romeo 166 and was available as a saloon, estate or coupé. The Kappa was only available in left-hand drive, as Lancia pulled out of right-hand drive markets after the demise of the Thema.

Kappa is the tenth letter of the Greek alphabet. Greek letters have frequently been used to denote Lancia models. Back in 1919, Lancia had already produced a Kappa (and its later evolutions called Dikappa and Trikappa), but these are far less known nowadays than the 1990s Kappa. In writing, Lancia often referred to the Kappa simply as the k (lower case "k"), which is fairly similar to the original Greek letter κ.

The Kappa was not particularly popular, with only 117,216 made in total. Italy remained Kappa's most important market, absorbing the bulk of sales. It is also worth noting that in Poland, where Fiat Auto is the biggest domestic car manufacturer, Kappas served as official government cars (replacing Themas). This boosted the Kappa's profile in that country and gave it a peculiar cachet, which is why the Kappa enjoys a solid enthusiast base there.

Autocar's Peter Robinson reviewed the Kappa in November 1994. He commented on the car's bland styling which was justified by Fiat's Paolo Cantarella on the basis that the designers did not want to create too much "visual noise." The body was reported as having twice the torsional rigidity of the outgoing Thema. It was 15 percent stiffer than any of its rivals. The automatic Aisin-Warner gearbox was shared with the Volvo 850. Robinson went on to say "the Kappa´s dimensions ensure a commodious interior, the impression of space only heightened by a low cowl and very Japanese-looking fascia, somewhere between a Honda NSX and Lexus LS400." Rear cabin room was described as "immense" but the cushion was criticised for being too flat, a fault rectified in later iterations of the car. Robinson criticised the "horrid mock wood with which Lancia frames the prominent central console that runs from the handbrake, up the full length of the dash and over the top." About the driving characteristics, Robinson wrote: "If Lancia quietened the starter motor, this would be one refined drivetrain...with no hint of any 5-cylinder unevenness." The 2.4 litre engine tested appeared to have been tuned for low-end torque, a characteristic of this Alpine brand. The engine was praised by Robinson for its "smooth responsiveness" and "torque steer has been eliminated...and the Servotronic steering is terrific, with just the right degree of self-centering." His summary of ride and handling was that car was better than average but not class-leading: "On the Lancia there is too much body roll and the front grip in the wet didn't inspire confidence."

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Wikipedia