Lancia Thema Coupé Coggiola

The Lancia Thema Coupé by Carrozzeria Coggiola is a singular design study completed in 1993, based on the executive sedan architecture of the Lancia Thema. Developed independently by the Turin-based coachbuilder Coggiola, the vehicle was conceived as an exploration of grand touring form within the structural and mechanical confines of a front-wheel-drive luxury platform. The car was publicly presented at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show as a fully realized concept but was never advanced to production. The donor platform for the Thema Coupé was the standard four-door Thema, introduced in 1984 as part of the Type Four project—a collaborative effort between Fiat Group, Saab, and other European manufacturers. In its reconfigured form, the Coupé retained the longitudinal architecture, with Coggiola modifying the bodywork extensively. The result was a two-door configuration with altered proportions, characterized by a lengthened front overhang, reduced roofline, and a truncated rear deck. The coachwork was executed in steel with bespoke glazing, particularly evident in the flush side windows and the revised C-pillar treatment. The body was finished in a distinctive metallic green, selected to emphasize the car’s form. The interior was believed to be based on standard Thema equipment with enhancements in trim materials and configuration to suit the revised layout, though original documentation is limited. Mechanical elements were retained from the Thema range; it is presumed the concept utilized either the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four or the 3.0-liter V6 engine, paired with a manual or automatic transmission, in a front-wheel-drive layout. Only one example of the Lancia Thema Coupé Coggiola was constructed. The vehicle was believed to have remained in Coggiola’s possession for a period following its debut. Later documentation regarding ownership, registration, or restoration is incomplete, and the chassis number is not publicly cited in available literature. Its current whereabouts are unknown. Interestingly, Carrozzeria Boneschi also created a Lancia Thema Coupé, employing more traditional and conservative lines, offering a stylistic counterpoint to Coggiola’s more experimental interpretation. The Thema Coupé Coggiola stands as an isolated yet illustrative artifact of 1990s Italian coachbuilding—a demonstration of formal reinterpretation imposed upon an otherwise industrially derived platform. It remains emblematic of the period’s waning tradition of artisanal coachwork within a rapidly consolidating automotive industry.