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Lancia Trevi 2000 I.E. – The whipping boy

Name: Lancia Trevi 2000 i.e. 1983
Brand: Lancia

Created on June 22, 2021

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

Lancia (FCA Group)

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Bruno von Rotz

Lancia (FCA Group)

Archiv

Back then, the Lancia Trevi was denied its aesthetic appeal, but today it looks very pretty and well-shaped

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The Beta Trevi was the notchback version of the Lancia Beta. From 1983 it was known simply as the Trevi.

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A rare sight: Only this one Lancia Trevi is said to still exist in Switzerland.

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A touch of Benz in the finish: the rear is reminiscent of contemporary mid-range models from Stuttgart.

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It's true, a third side window would have looked good on it. But the Trevi isn't sooooo inharmonious, is it?

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The small tear-off edge on the roof was intended to improve aerodynamics. Above all, however, it caused the rear window to become dirty in record time.

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For cineastes: Alain Delon drove a black Trevi 2000 in the movie "The Shock", which was torn apart by the press in a similar way to the Lancia.

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The standard equipment was quite extensive with electric windows at the front and (in Germany) headrests all round.

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Nevertheless, a right-hand exterior mirror cost extra.

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The well-behaved notchback fits perfectly into the terraced house neighborhood.

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Bland on the outside, futuristic on the inside: the dashboard designed by Mario Bellini is a sculpture.

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Swiss cheese? The dashboard with 26 holes looks more like a cheese grater.

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The two-spoke steering wheel was also designed by the Milanese architect.

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What the Beta has in one instrument cluster is spread over eight individual cavities in the Trevi.

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Hardly an exaggeration: if you make full use of the 180 km/h top speed, the speedometer needle scrapes against the limit.

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The four-cylinder engine revs surprisingly high for a long-stroke engine. By the way: the engine was not running when I took the photos.

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Indicators for fuel consumption and fuel level, water temperature and oil pressure. The seemingly empty circle in the middle is the charge indicator light.

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The circle motif is continued in the ceiling console. Only the Vegliaflash digital clock doesn't quite fit, but it is original.

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In case you have ever felt useless: The top light warns you that the automatic oil is too hot. However, the Foto-Trevi has a manual transmission.

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Operates as rubbery as it looks: The shift fork is not always sure which gear it actually wants to engage.

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The dashboard flows seamlessly into the doors. Here is the connection for the air vents.

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Small-minded: Testers criticized the lack of lateral support. From 1983, the seats were therefore also stitched lengthways.

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The two-liter version is the latest evolutionary stage of the Fiat four-cylinder engine developed by Aurelio Lampredi.

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The injection engine can be recognized by the asymmetrical, square air filter.

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The transversely mounted long-stroke engine is inclined 20 degrees to the rear and produces 122 hp. Typically Italian: the double bulkhead.

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The type plate on the front right wheel arch. You should remember the lower number in case you ever need a "spare" for your Lancia.

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The fuse box: molded-in pictograms make it unmistakably clear which relay is responsible for what.

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Intake air hose with strange appendix. Who knows what was once connected here?

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Premium in Italian: a rubber flap protects the wiper motor from splashing water.

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The typical Lancia grille became wider and lower over the decades.

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Wide headlights and narrow indicators in a front end without extravagance.

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Somewhat impractical but extremely elegant door handles recessed into the bodywork.

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I.E. stands for Iniezione Elettronica. A Bosch L-Jetronic prepares the mixture.

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Virtually unchanged since 1911: Lance with flag on a four-spoke steering wheel.

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The photo car still bears the original sticker of the delivering Turin dealer in the rear window.

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As well as a reference to Walter Röhrl's victory in the 1983 Monte Carlo Rally - not in a Trevi, however, but in an 037.

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In 1972, the Lancia Beta was the first new Lancia after the takeover by Fiat in 1969.

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Just remove the rear side window and out comes the Trevi. Even the rear doors are identical.

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Despite the modern hatchback, the Beta only had a small trunk lid.

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The contemporary press photo shows the Trevi in all its masterful simplicity.

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In Germany, the Trevi 2000 I.E. cost 21,800 marks at its debut. In Switzerland, it was available for 20,900 francs.

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The Trevi VX produced 135 hp thanks to the Volumex rotary loader.

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In view of the poor quality of workmanship, the answer for many was clear: Yes! Even without a guilty conscience.

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Moderate success: only 40,628 Trevi were built between 1980 and '84.

You have only

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Summary

Subsequent notchback versions of hatchbacks always look a little awkward. The Lancia Trevi, the Beta with a rucksack, was not well received by the press at the time. And then there was the dashboard, which didn't really fit in with the rest of the car. Our article tells the story of the Trevi, shows it in current and contemporary photos and dispels some prejudices.

This article contains the following chapters

The edgy end of the Lancia Beta
You don't like the car?
Swiss cheese in an Italian wrapper
Unjustified criticism
A Fiat engine for the Lancia
Suddenly a sports sedan
A contradiction within a contradiction

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

"Apart from the illustrious name, not much is left of the once glamorous image of the traditional Italian brand Lancia." Ouch. The very first sentence of the test report in auto motor und sport hits the nail on the head. This does not bode well for a hymn of praise. And it gets worse. "With the new Lancia Trevi, even the last hint of noblesse has vanished." Stop! Even though it's just as much fun to write a scanthing review as it is to read one, I have to put a halt to the verbal bashing of a defenceless Lancia here as quickly as possible. Why? Because a Trevi is a great car! Not perfect – certainly not – but also not a complete catastrophe pressed into recycled thin sheet metal, as often claimed in old tests and since then just as readily parroted without reflection.

Welcome to Zwischengas!