Lancia Gamma Berlina

An underdog luxury saloon, as much of an outlier now as it was half a century ago

- Matthew Hayward

THE LINE BETWEEN pleasure and pain is always fuzzy when it comes to old Italian cars. While often delivering the highest of highs, they have also been known to cause untold heartache. It's fair to say that, in the case of the Lancia Gamma, the scales were never tipped in its favour. The Italians have always struggled to sell executive cars in other markets, especially the UK. And the Gamma suffered with tales of snapped timing belts and terminal corrosion after just a few years. Even the most committed Lancia fans were hesitant. The Gamma Berlina appeals as a classic buy, though, and offers plenty of positive attributes that are often glossed over by those keen to make a joke at its expense.