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BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 160

Although it's hard to believe now that it has passed into relative obscurity, but during a short period in the mid Eighties, Lancia's Y10 was the hot ticket amongst style conscious city dwellers. Offering a healthy dose of Italian pizzazz in a market dominated by Fiestas and Metros, the Y10 was, in many respects, a good way ahead of its time. It wasn't until the Fiat Cinquecento was launched fully eight years after the Y10 made its debut that the public at large really cottoned on to what Lancia were trying to market. Those that did take the plunge and buy a Y10 were treated to a small car with a serious measure of fun thrown in. Italian cars of this era have been saddled with something of a reputation for electrical and mechanical gremlins and the Y10 shares its predecessors' propensity to oxidise. Therefore is it even worth trying to get hold of a used example? Find out here.

Modelsword count: 21

Models Covered: 3 door citycar, 1.0, 1.05, 1.1, 1.3-litre petrol [FIRE, Touring, Turbo, Fila, FIRE LX, Missoni, Martini, GTie, LXie, Selectronic]

Historyword count: 280

Launched at the 1985 Geneva Motor Show, the Lancia Y10 was a combination of bold in-house design and rudimentary chassis componentry. The sheared off rear end and the high level of standard equipment differentiated the Y10 from many cars in its class although the public were slow to take it to their hearts. The usual group of early adopters prized the Lancia's nonchalant Italian style and it became popular with city dwellers and dependently wealthy students. Three models were introduced to the British market in 1986. First up was the 45bhp 999cc FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine). If you had qualms about buying a Lancia that was pre primed with FIRE across its engine you could always opt for the 55bhp 1050cc Touring model. This proved the most popular version although the car which garnered the most headlines was the 85bhp Turbo, at the time the smallest capacity forced induction car on sale in Europe. The model range was rehashed in late 1986 with the addition of the FIRE LX and this was followed by a number of special edition versions including the Missoni (metallic blue paint and velvet trim), the Martini Turbo (featuring the evocative Martini body stripes) and the Fila (colour coded white bumpers and tailgate with Fila logos). In 1987 Lancia made some rear suspension changes and upped the sound insulation and in 1990 the Y10 Selectronic was introduced, offering a rather unlovely CVT transmission. In 1989 a revised version of the Y10 was launched and the Turbo was quietly deleted from the line up, replaced by the normally aspirated 75bhp 1.3-litre GTie. The last of the UK cars were imported at the tail end of 1991.

What You Getword count: 95

A quirky and stylish citycar that once carried off the Tornio-Piemonte design award. Later models were well loaded with standard equipment, the GTie featuring a dashboard, seats, and door panels trimmed in soft touch Alcantara. Those looking for the rarest model can attempt to track down the four-wheel drive version that was never officially imported to the UK. Although its styling isn't as recognisably classic as the Fiat Panda - the source of the Y10's front suspension and transmission - it has nevertheless aged well and a nicely looked after car still cuts a dash.

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