Tag Archives: Lancia

News

Lancia’s Rarest Unicorn Leads Festival Car 2025 in Revigliasco

On September 28, the hillside village of Revigliasco Torinese will once again trade its Sunday quiet for the growl, burble, and perfume of gasoline and leather. The Festival Car Concours d’Elegance is back for its fourth edition, and this year the little concours with big ambitions has made it onto the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens’ (FIVA) prestigious Premiere Event calendar—a stamp of approval that places Revigliasco alongside the world’s most important showcases of historic machinery.

That recognition comes with an expanded field: 80 cars will roll out for the Tour d’Elegance at 9 a.m., gathering first at the Royal Castle of Moncalieri—a UNESCO site and suitably regal launch pad—before tracing a sinuous route through the Turin Hills. From there, the convoy of Italian thoroughbreds, French exotics, and Anglo-German aristocrats will descend upon Revigliasco, where the cobbled streets transform into an open-air gallery of motoring heritage.

A Jury With Design in Its DNA

As with Pebble Beach or Villa d’Este, the competition isn’t just about polished chrome—it’s about pedigree, provenance, and design. Fittingly, the jury is stacked with automotive heavyweights, including Stellantis Heritage boss Roberto Giolito. Giolito, himself a designer and historian, has made a career out of safeguarding Italy’s rolling treasures. His presence underscores just how seriously the concours is being taken on the international stage.

The Star: Lancia Flaminia Loraymo

Every concours needs a centerpiece, and in 2025 Revigliasco has pulled out something bordering on mythical: the Lancia Flaminia Loraymo. Built in 1960 for the personal use of Raymond Loewy—the French-born American designer whose fingerprints are all over 20th-century culture, from the Lucky Strike pack to the streamlined Studebakers—the Loraymo is a one-off coupé that looks like no other Lancia.

Commissioned to Turin coachbuilder Rocco Motto with input from Nardi, the car reinterprets the Flaminia platform with Loewy’s futurist eye: a low, aerodynamic profile, exaggerated wheel arches, and that “smiling” grille that manages to look both playful and vaguely menacing. Unveiled at the 1960 Paris Motor Show, the Loraymo was met with equal parts fascination and bafflement. Today, it reads as an audacious leap ahead of its time—exactly what you’d expect from the man who also designed the Shell logo and Air Force One’s blue-and-white livery.

After following Loewy across the Atlantic and back, the car eventually returned to Italy thanks to the Lancia Club of America. Today it resides at the Stellantis Heritage Hub in Turin, where it sits among 300 other jewels in the “Concepts and Fuoriserie” collection. For Festival Car 2025, the Loraymo isn’t just attending—it’s the event’s mascot. It dominates the official poster, designed in partnership with IED Turin, and stars in the teaser video, filmed as it rolled out of Stellantis’ Officine Classiche workshops en route to Revigliasco.

Lancia Comes Home

The Loraymo’s presence feels almost like a homecoming. Piedmont has always been Lancia country, and this year the marque will be the most represented at the concours, with more than 20 examples spanning eras and body styles. For locals, it’s both a tribute and a reminder of Lancia’s once-unrivaled knack for innovation and elegance. For visitors, it’s a rare chance to see Turin’s automotive DNA written across decades of sheetmetal.

A Festival With Soul

What sets Festival Car apart isn’t just the machinery, but the setting. Revigliasco’s squares and streets, closed to traffic for the day, become a stage where motoring history rubs shoulders with village life. The effect is part concours, part time machine—a throwback to when automobiles weren’t museum pieces but cultural symbols of progress and style.

By securing its FIVA Premiere Event status, Festival Car 2025 signals that it’s no longer a regional gathering of enthusiasts but an international rendezvous worthy of a global calendar. With the Loraymo as its halo car and Lancia at the center of its narrative, this year’s edition looks poised to be its most evocative yet—a reminder that Italy’s contribution to car culture has always been as much about imagination as engineering.

Source: Stellantis

News

Lancia Names New Marketing Chief as Brand Gears Up for a Renaissance

The winds of change are blowing through Turin again, and this time, Lancia is looking to the past as much as the future. The storied Italian marque—long synonymous with rally glory and elegant grand tourers—has named Stefano Solfaroli Camillocci its new Marketing & Communication Director. Reporting directly to brand CEO Luca Napolitano, Camillocci is stepping into a role that could prove pivotal as Lancia seeks to reestablish its relevance in Europe.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Camillocci is no stranger to Stellantis or its Italian sub-brands. With more than three decades of experience across Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and now Stellantis, he has climbed the corporate ladder through stints in Sales, Aftersales, Marketing, and Network Management. Along the way, he’s managed international teams and guided everything from pan-European aftersales strategies to B2B initiatives in Italy. In short: he knows the business inside and out.

But this isn’t just another corporate appointment—it’s personal. “Lancia is part of my DNA,” Camillocci said. “My first car was a Lancia, and in my professional journey I’ve already had the honor of working for this extraordinary brand. Today, I return home with great enthusiasm, ready to contribute to its renaissance and embrace the many challenges ahead, from the launch of the New Lancia Gamma to the rally adventure.”

That last bit is telling. The mention of “rally adventure” hints at a potential motorsport comeback, something fans of the brand have been clamoring for ever since Lancia faded from the WRC scene in the early ’90s. Combined with the upcoming Gamma—a sleek, all-electric flagship expected to blend retro cues with modern sustainability—Lancia’s revival plan is starting to look less like wishful thinking and more like a strategy.

Camillocci brings the kind of résumé you’d want for such a high-stakes gamble: a Bocconi-trained economist from La Spezia, fluent in the intricacies of European markets, and seasoned enough to balance heritage with the demands of electrification. Away from the boardroom, he’s a husband, father of two, and passionate about cinema—an apt hobby for a man now tasked with writing the next chapter of one of Italy’s most cinematic car brands.

For a marque that has lived on reputation alone for the better part of two decades, the challenge ahead is enormous. But if Camillocci’s mix of experience, passion, and strategic vision is any indicator, Lancia may finally be ready to step back into the spotlight it once dominated.

Source: Stellantis

News

Lancia HF Reborn: The Red Elephant Charges Into a Bold New Era

Some emblems transcend mere design. They become storytelling devices—badges that carry decades of engineering excellence, motorsport grit, and national pride. Few automotive symbols encapsulate this as powerfully as Lancia’s HF badge and its emblematic red elephant. For over 60 years, these icons have stood as declarations of performance and audacity. Now, in 2025, they return—not as nostalgic tokens, but as catalysts for a new era of Lancia performance.

A Roaring Comeback

With the debut of the all-electric 280-hp Ypsilon HF and the rally-bred Ypsilon Rally4 HF, Lancia is rekindling the spirit that once made it the most successful brand in rally history. These vehicles aren’t simply callbacks—they’re forward-facing machines forged in the fire of competition, steeped in heritage but reengineered for modern roads and racetracks.

This renaissance coincides with a particularly fitting anniversary: 60 years since the 1965 Fulvia Coupé premiered at the Geneva Motor Show. A paragon of Italian elegance and engineering, the Fulvia would go on to wear the HF badge a year later, marking the beginning of Lancia’s golden age in motorsport.

Fulvia: The Genesis of HF Glory

The original Fulvia HF wasn’t just a pretty face—it was a rally weapon. Designed by Piero Castagnero with inspiration from Riva motorboats, the coupé featured a compact front-wheel-drive layout, lightweight aluminum panels, and progressively more powerful V4 engines. From the 88-hp 1.2 HF to the legendary 160-hp “Fanalone” with its oversized headlights, each version pushed the performance envelope.

In 1972, the Fulvia HF etched its name into the motorsport hall of fame with a historic victory at the Monte Carlo Rally, toppling more powerful rivals in treacherous snow-covered stages. Wearing a bold Amaranto Montebello paint job with Turin’s blue-and-yellow racing stripe, the car—bearing race number 14—became a national icon. Its success helped catapult Lancia into the global spotlight and led to further dominance in the newly formed World Rally Championship.

HF and the Red Elephant: A Symbolic Legacy

The HF story began in 1960 with the foundation of the “Hi-Fi” club—reserved for the most loyal Lancia customers. By 1963, the HF Squadra Corse racing team was born under the leadership of a young Cesare Fiorio. Their emblem, featuring four red elephants sprinting beneath bold HF lettering, defied the typical associations with the animal’s size. For Fiorio and Lancia, elephants symbolized unstoppable force—graceful only when in full charge.

That symbolism became prophetic. After Fulvia, Lancia unleashed the Stratos HF, the Delta Integrale, and other rally legends, racking up ten WRC Constructors’ titles, victories at the Targa Florio, Carrera Panamericana, and even World Endurance Championships. No other brand matched its blend of technological daring and competition success.

Electrified Heritage: The Ypsilon HF

Fast forward to today, and the HF badge adorns a very different kind of machine: the Ypsilon HF, a fully electric performance hatch that merges heritage with high-tech ambition. Its specs are impressive—280 hp, 0–100 km/h in 5.6 seconds, and a 370-km WLTP range courtesy of a 54-kWh battery. Yet, it’s the driving feel that aims to deliver on the HF promise.

A widened track, lowered suspension, Torsen limited-slip differential, and a chassis 67% stiffer than the base Ypsilon promise real dynamic engagement. Inside, the inspiration continues with laser-cut Econyl seats, a perforated leather steering wheel, and a dual-screen S.A.L.A. infotainment system steeped in HF graphics. The design, echoing Lancia’s “Pu+Ra” philosophy, pays tribute to legends like the Stratos with circular taillights and sculpted surfaces.

Lancia HF Line: Performance for the People

For those seeking spirited driving without the full EV commitment, the new Ypsilon HF Line introduces a 110-hp 1.2-liter hybrid with 48V tech and a 9.3-second 0–100 km/h sprint time. Designed for urban thrill-seekers, it borrows much of its design language from the HF, including 17-inch alloys, bespoke bumpers, and the signature Red Elephant badge.

Back on the Stages: Ypsilon Rally4 HF

In partnership with Stellantis Motorsport, Lancia is returning to its roots with the Ypsilon Rally4 HF—a front-wheel-drive rally car designed to revive the brand’s dominance on special stages. Under the hood lies a 212-hp 1.2L turbocharged engine, mated to a SADEV 5-speed gearbox and a mechanical LSD. McPherson suspension with Öhlins dampers, 330-mm front brakes, and a fireproof cockpit developed with Sparco round out a serious package.

Veteran Miki Biasion, a two-time World Rally Champion with Lancia, was directly involved in fine-tuning the car—adding even more credibility to its mission of reviving Italy’s rally spirit.

Democratizing Motorsport: Ypsilon HF Racing

The Ypsilon HF Racing isn’t just a rally car—it’s an idea. Designed to offer an affordable, FIA-compliant race-ready platform, it’s priced at €38,900 (ex-VAT) and targets young drivers looking to step into competitive motorsports. With 145 hp, robust brakes, a mechanical differential, and lightweight construction, it’s a grassroots tool with genuine pedigree.

A Progressive Classic

The new HF logo is a brilliant visual metaphor for Lancia’s direction: bold and unmistakable, yet cleaned up for modern clarity. It keeps the red elephant, white HF lettering, and black background, but the lines are refined—honoring the past while expressing forward motion. Like the cars themselves, it is what Lancia now calls “Progressive Classic.”

With electrification, design innovation, and motorsport firmly in its DNA, Lancia HF is no longer just a memory. It’s a living legacy, reborn for the modern age. Whether you’re drawn by the visceral performance of the Ypsilon HF, the nostalgic pull of the Fulvia’s red paint and matte-black hood, or the raw ambition of the Rally4 HF, one thing is clear: the Red Elephant runs again—and it’s charging toward the future.