Rowan Atkinson's 'Lancia Ferrari' And Mercedes 500E To Be Auctioned

Two modern classics belonging to the comedian are due to be auctioned - which tempts you the most?

17 Jan 2018

Rowan Atkinson's 'Lancia Ferrari' And Mercedes 500E To Be Auctioned

Last time we were talking about a car of Rowan Atkinson’s being sold, it was his twice-crashed McLaren F1. Which sold for £8 million. But today, we’re taking a look at a pair of cars belonging to the comedian which are set to go for a more affordable sum.

First up, we have a 1989 Lancia Thema 8.32. And yes, that’s the one where Lancia went to tremendous lengths to shoehorn a 2.9-litre Ferrari under the bonnet, only to end up with something that was barely faster than the significantly cheaper Thema Turbo. Right.

A bizarre and borderline daft project then, but that’s why we like it. It’s been fastidiously maintained over Atkinson’s eight years of ownership, and the interior is an immaculate, oh-so 80s festival of beige.

Car number two is another V8-powered saloon, but of a very different flavour. It’s a 1993 Mercedes 500E, packing a 5.0-litre V8 that kicks out 328bhp. These were developed as part of a collaboration between Mercedes and Porsche, and were built by the latter the firm at its Rossle-Bau factory. Once production ceased, it was replaced on the assembly line by another joint venture, the Audi RS2.

So it’s a curious piece of Mercedes/Porsche history, and one with just 85,000 kilometres on the clock. It, along with the Lancia, will go under the hammer at the same Retro Classics auction as the 1993 Vatanan Group A Subaru Legacy on 23 February. Both are being sold with no reserve, with no estimate given.

Which would you rather own?

Comments

Rowan Atkinson? More like Rowan Actingup, why would you sell these cars?

…because they’re his cars, and he can do as he pleases with them?

Id take the Mercedes

koff koff financial instability koff koff

“koff”

Pls no

Freeze!

It’s the Grammar Police! They are here to check ur Grammar!!

The biggest issue with the Thema 8.32 is the drivetrain. They basically lifted the the transverse layout from the 308 and slammed it into the front end of a family sedan. That is, without the changing where the power went.

That means the 8.32 is front wheel drive. A Ferrari-V8 engined FWD family sedan. Realizing the car was maybe a bit too Italian, they downtuned the engine from 255 to 205 horsepower, which is why it’s so slow. Not to mention the obvious handling issues. It’s completely mad.

While it’s cleary not competing with the sharp handling fwd hot hatch, it’s still pretty decent on fast curves and highway. Especially the phase 2 which had a piloted suspension, and an electonically activated rear spoiler (which seems to be the first one ever fitted to a production car)

Oh, and the engine needs to come out in order to change the timing belt. That’s Italian engineering.

What’s the point in going to such lengths to put a Ferrari engine under the bonnet only to detune it in the end?

The Mercedes and Lancia😍😍😍 Schön und Belissima😍😍

The Mercedes is better looking and I prefer German cars.

Are we going to ignore the fact that the Thema in the pictures runs on UK plates but is LHD?

They were all LHD except for one that was converted in SA

500e Every f* day, What’s the point of owning a fwd lancia wich will break if you drive it ?

At least it looks nice

Being both fast cruisers i would’t be able to choose, because the thema is really cool and exotic, but the 500E is like the really good car with a more normal styling (that i don’t really like)