The Lancia Gamma was an executive car from Italian Fiat Auto's upscale marque Lancia. Presented in 1976 at the Geneva Motor Show as Lancia's new flagship, it filled the void in Lancia's lineup left by the demise of the Flavia. The Gamma was made until 1984 as a 4-door fastback (called Berlina) and 2-door coupé (presented in 1977), both designed by Pininfarina. There were only 15,272 berlinas and 6,789 coupés built, which makes the Gamma a really rare collectible.
[] The name
Gamma is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. Greek letters have been used to denote Lancia models before 1945, and this tradition was revived with the presentation of the FWD Lancia Beta in 1971, the first Lancia to be developed under Fiat supervision. The Gamma can be seen as a continuation, also being FWD and utilizing some suspension elements from the Beta[1], so the choice of the following Greek character (Beta is second) appears as logical. The Gamma sports the γ (lower case gamma) sign on several badges both inside and outside.
[] Engines
Lancia Gamma was a FWD car with longitudinally-mounted engines. They were available with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Lancia developed a unique flat-4 engine for the Gamma (an idea initially was to use a Fiat V6). Initially available with a displacement of 2.5 L (Gamma 2500), it was later joined by a 2.0 L version (Gamma 2000), which resulted from the Italian tax system (cars with engines larger than 2.0 L are subject to heavier tax burden). Interestingly, the displacement was lowered by decreasing the bore rather than the stroke of the engine. Both displacements were using Weber carburetors, and the 2.5 L also came in a version fitted with fuel injection (Gamma 2500 I.E.)
* 2.0 L carburetor 8v SOHC flat-4 - 1999 cc, 115 PS (85 kW)
* 2.5 L carburetor 8v SOHC flat-4 - 2484 cc, 140 PS (103 kW)
* 2.5 L I.E. 8v SOHC flat-4 - 2484 cc, 140 PS (103 kW)
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