2003 Lancia Granturismo Stilnovo Concept

Teasing with the Untouchables

Ever heard of Lancia? It's an old carmaker with an extremely rich history in both motorsport and upscale personal transportation. Models such as the Lambda,

Unfortunately Lancia is no longer sold in North America, but it's still interesting to check out what the brand offers on the other side of the Atlantic. (Photo: Lancia)

Aurelia and Stratos will forever rate highly on the must-have lists of classic car enthusiasts, while some of the nameplates more recent models, such as boxy but phenomenally quick all-wheel drive Delta Integrale rally car and artistically beautifully Thesis luxury sedan, currently available.

To European automotive enthusiasts the fact that the Lancia brand is no longer available in North America is a shame indeed, but it's still hard not to take a peek at what the Italian automaker has to offer on the other side of the Atlantic once in a while. In the case of Lancia's latest, the Granturismo Stilnovo, it's merely a concept, and therefore taking a closer look doesn't have quite the same

The Granturismo Stilnovo concept marries two seemingly opposite ideals, sedan practicality and sports coupe high-performance. (Photo: Lancia)

bite as if it were available and out of our collective reach.

The Granturismo Stilnovo, which came onto the scene at the 2003 Barcelona motor show, marries two very different motoring concepts that were until recently believed to be irreconcilable, the practicality and flexibility of a conventional sedan and the high-performance attributes of an out-and-out sports coupe.

The dream child of a joint venture between the Lancia Style Centre, Studio Carcerano and Carrozzeria Maggiora, the Stilnovo looks wonderful. If it's an example of future Lancia design, North Americans had better start begging GM, part shareholder in Lancia's parent company Fiat, to import the luxury brand.