Start with what the Lancia Gamma is: a 4-door fastback Sedan (automobile) / saloon (berlina) / 2-door coupé with 2.0 , built from 1976 to 1984, as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Leonardo Fioravanti (engineer) / Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina (saloon) / Aldo Brovarone at Pininfarina (coupé). 22,054 were built.
Where it came from
The Lancia Gamma (Tipo 830), stylised Lancia γ, is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) manufactured and marketed by the Lancia subdivision of Fiat. Following its debut at the 1976 Geneva Motor Show as Lancia's new flagship, the Gamma was marketed as a 4-door fastback saloon known as the Berlina (1976–1984) and as a 2-door coupé (1977–1984), both designed by Pininfarina – with 15,272 and 6,790 manufactured, respectively.
The Gamma superseded the Lancia 2000. The Gamma nameplate will be revived as a crossover Suv in 2026.
Under the skin
The engine is 2.0 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 1320 kg - berlina. Drive goes through a 5-speed Manual transmission / manual / 4-speed Automatic transmission / automatic. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2670 mm - berlina / 2555 mm - coupé. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Lancia line-up the Lancia Gamma has a clear place: it replaced the Lancia 2000; it handed the line to the Lancia Thema; the factory was Turin, Italy. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Ford Fiesta, the Lotus Esprit, the Volkswagen Polo. Nearby in the Lancia catalogue sit the Lancia 037 and the Lancia 2000.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Lancia Gamma has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.
Lancia Gamma Olgiata