Lancia Trevi
Encyclopedia
The Lancia Trevi is a saloon car which was produced between 1981 and 1984. The Lancia Beta Trevi was presented at the Turin Auto Show
in May 1980. Much of the car was derived from the Lancia Beta
. The most powerful version of the Trevi was introduced in 1982 - this Volumex (VX) version had a supercharger. The name stems from the Italian
"Tre Volumi" (three-box).
The intention behind the car was to help re-establish Lancia after the debacle of the rusting Betas. "Lancia´s position took an unreasonably big knock as a result of the revelation that they were buying back cars with corroded sub-frame mounting points...a new Lancia today - thanks to the over-compensation that was necessary to make their point - promises to be as rust resistant as any of its rivals" wrote UK's Autocar in 1981. The review continued to say the Trevi was "a conventional three-box saloon...it is a Beta under its skin but most the body panels and the interior are completely new." The appearance of the car drew this comment from Autocar: "The Trevi is, to most eyes, a rather curious looking car, an odd combination of curves and angles, that produces an incipient spoiler from the slight upturn at the rear of the roof panel."
Referring to the Volumex model Autocar magazine reported that despite the fitting of a Rootes-style positive displacement supercharger "fuel economy is not penalised; an overall consumption of around 28 mpg has been quoted by Lancia" (cited in the Lancia Beta Gold Portfolio).
Drive and Trail carried out a full test of the Lancia Trevi 2000 in July 1982. The car was viewed as a competitor to the Ford Cortina 2000 Ghia and Vauxhall Cavalier. The quoted price was 7,421 GBP. "Beneath the Trevi´s conventional slab-fronted bonnet sits an extrovert twin-cam motor that´s coupled to a close ratio five-speed gearbox...Mastering our car´s fiery Latin temperament was a test of our tester´s patience. It started out well enough on the auto choke, but the engine stuttered and spluttered along until the coolant´s temperature needle was well into its normal running zone. The snag is that on a cold morning this can take up to three miles (5 km) to achieve. Worse still were the antics that follow the restarting of the test car´s semi-warm engine. Each time the throttle was re-applied the engine´s power disappeared like a rocket into a black hole - only to reappear just as suddenly to blast the Trevi away. It´s annoying, it´s embarrassing and it happens to other Trevis we have heard about." Balancing this, the author went on to write: "Once the Trevi has passed through these warm up tantrums, it´s a reformed character. The engine´s response is usually crisp and clean, the exceptions being the mild fuel starvation when the Trevi is cornered enthusiastically and minor plug fouling after prolonged low-speed crawling. The latter is generally cured by a generous dose of a heavy right foot on the accelerator."
On the general performance Drive and Trail continued: "It´s a performance saloon that goes like a real sport: acceleration is as sparkling as an Alfa Romeo´s or BMW`s. If you enjoy rapid gear changing and keeping the tachometer´s needle swinging around its red sector you´ll find the Trevi a quick and rewarding car [...] one of the most appealing features of the engine is its wide spread of useable power and its tolerance of inappropriate gear selection." The writer commented that the selection of gear ratios might be well suited to ascending the mountain passes in the Trevi´s homeland but that the ratios were inappropriate for steady motorway cruising. It was suggested a higher top gear might have been a better solution.
The clutch was criticised for being too heavy and the gear change affected by over-spring towards the third and fourth positions. Power steering was standard on the 2 litre model in the UK. The design was praised for its unobtrusiveness, correct ratio and the accuracy of its action. The caveat was that "as usual though there is little feedback from the front tyres as the nose of the car nudges wide of the line on fast corners." About the tyres the comment was that "Lancia's engineers have honed the Trevi's handling so finely that only one make of tyre is approved, Pirelli's P6. It's a low profile tyre that gives a very high standard of grip in all weathers, and contributes to the well-balanced ´feel` of the car during rapid cornering." In the summmary the steering was viewed as being much better than the Beta´s.
In a discussion about the Lancia HPE to which the Trevi was related, LJK Setright of the UK´s CAR magazine reported that the Trevi "...surprised me by its ability to maintain high speeds on rural roads...." (CAR magazine, August 1982, page 17).
About the driving position Road and Trail commented: " Accepting that the Trevi is an accomplished, exciting car, it's all the more annoying that the driving position is so poor." The seats had a good view out but lacked lateral support and spinal support.
The test reported an average fuel consumption of 25 mpgimp (3 mpg worse than the class norm) and realistic range of 250 miles (402.3 km). The fuel tank held 11.4 imp gal (52 l; 14 US gal)).
The dashboard, credited to the Italian industrial designer Bellini, was compared to Gruyere cheese and "drew not one word of praise during our fortnight's testing." The packaging was criticised for being poor with less space for rear passengers than in the Beta, a lack of oddments space in the cabin and a glove box that was too small. The ventilation came in for criticism: "During our wintry test we were frequently fiddling with the controls in a vain attempt to get a comfortable atmosphere."
The overall summary of the author was that the Trevi was a "dynamic machine that makes fast driving on secondary roads a pleasure."
Turin Auto Show
The Turin Auto Show is an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, moving to Turin in later years....
in May 1980. Much of the car was derived from the Lancia Beta
Lancia Beta
The Lancia Beta is a car produced by Lancia. It was the first new model introduced by Lancia after it had been taken over by Fiat in 1969.-Berlina:...
. The most powerful version of the Trevi was introduced in 1982 - this Volumex (VX) version had a supercharger. The name stems from the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
"Tre Volumi" (three-box).
The intention behind the car was to help re-establish Lancia after the debacle of the rusting Betas. "Lancia´s position took an unreasonably big knock as a result of the revelation that they were buying back cars with corroded sub-frame mounting points...a new Lancia today - thanks to the over-compensation that was necessary to make their point - promises to be as rust resistant as any of its rivals" wrote UK's Autocar in 1981. The review continued to say the Trevi was "a conventional three-box saloon...it is a Beta under its skin but most the body panels and the interior are completely new." The appearance of the car drew this comment from Autocar: "The Trevi is, to most eyes, a rather curious looking car, an odd combination of curves and angles, that produces an incipient spoiler from the slight upturn at the rear of the roof panel."
Referring to the Volumex model Autocar magazine reported that despite the fitting of a Rootes-style positive displacement supercharger "fuel economy is not penalised; an overall consumption of around 28 mpg has been quoted by Lancia" (cited in the Lancia Beta Gold Portfolio).
Drive and Trail carried out a full test of the Lancia Trevi 2000 in July 1982. The car was viewed as a competitor to the Ford Cortina 2000 Ghia and Vauxhall Cavalier. The quoted price was 7,421 GBP. "Beneath the Trevi´s conventional slab-fronted bonnet sits an extrovert twin-cam motor that´s coupled to a close ratio five-speed gearbox...Mastering our car´s fiery Latin temperament was a test of our tester´s patience. It started out well enough on the auto choke, but the engine stuttered and spluttered along until the coolant´s temperature needle was well into its normal running zone. The snag is that on a cold morning this can take up to three miles (5 km) to achieve. Worse still were the antics that follow the restarting of the test car´s semi-warm engine. Each time the throttle was re-applied the engine´s power disappeared like a rocket into a black hole - only to reappear just as suddenly to blast the Trevi away. It´s annoying, it´s embarrassing and it happens to other Trevis we have heard about." Balancing this, the author went on to write: "Once the Trevi has passed through these warm up tantrums, it´s a reformed character. The engine´s response is usually crisp and clean, the exceptions being the mild fuel starvation when the Trevi is cornered enthusiastically and minor plug fouling after prolonged low-speed crawling. The latter is generally cured by a generous dose of a heavy right foot on the accelerator."
On the general performance Drive and Trail continued: "It´s a performance saloon that goes like a real sport: acceleration is as sparkling as an Alfa Romeo´s or BMW`s. If you enjoy rapid gear changing and keeping the tachometer´s needle swinging around its red sector you´ll find the Trevi a quick and rewarding car [...] one of the most appealing features of the engine is its wide spread of useable power and its tolerance of inappropriate gear selection." The writer commented that the selection of gear ratios might be well suited to ascending the mountain passes in the Trevi´s homeland but that the ratios were inappropriate for steady motorway cruising. It was suggested a higher top gear might have been a better solution.
The clutch was criticised for being too heavy and the gear change affected by over-spring towards the third and fourth positions. Power steering was standard on the 2 litre model in the UK. The design was praised for its unobtrusiveness, correct ratio and the accuracy of its action. The caveat was that "as usual though there is little feedback from the front tyres as the nose of the car nudges wide of the line on fast corners." About the tyres the comment was that "Lancia's engineers have honed the Trevi's handling so finely that only one make of tyre is approved, Pirelli's P6. It's a low profile tyre that gives a very high standard of grip in all weathers, and contributes to the well-balanced ´feel` of the car during rapid cornering." In the summmary the steering was viewed as being much better than the Beta´s.
In a discussion about the Lancia HPE to which the Trevi was related, LJK Setright of the UK´s CAR magazine reported that the Trevi "...surprised me by its ability to maintain high speeds on rural roads...." (CAR magazine, August 1982, page 17).
About the driving position Road and Trail commented: " Accepting that the Trevi is an accomplished, exciting car, it's all the more annoying that the driving position is so poor." The seats had a good view out but lacked lateral support and spinal support.
The test reported an average fuel consumption of 25 mpgimp (3 mpg worse than the class norm) and realistic range of 250 miles (402.3 km). The fuel tank held 11.4 imp gal (52 l; 14 US gal)).
The dashboard, credited to the Italian industrial designer Bellini, was compared to Gruyere cheese and "drew not one word of praise during our fortnight's testing." The packaging was criticised for being poor with less space for rear passengers than in the Beta, a lack of oddments space in the cabin and a glove box that was too small. The ventilation came in for criticism: "During our wintry test we were frequently fiddling with the controls in a vain attempt to get a comfortable atmosphere."
The overall summary of the author was that the Trevi was a "dynamic machine that makes fast driving on secondary roads a pleasure."
Engines
| Model | Displacement | Power | Torque | Note | Top Speed/0–100 km/h/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 8V | 1585 cc | 101 PS @5800 rpm | 134 newton metres (98.8 ft·lbf) @3000 rpm | 1980–1984 | 170 km/h (106 mph) /n/a |
| 2.0 8V | 1995 cc | 115 PS @5500 rpm | 176 newton metres (129.8 ft·lbf) @2800 rpm | 1981–1984 | 176 km/h (109 mph) /10.4 |
| 2.0 8V i.e. | 1995 cc | 122 PS @5500 rpm | 176 newton metres (129.8 ft·lbf) @2800 rpm | 1981–1984 | 180 kilometres per hour (111.8 mph) /10.2 |
| VX | 1995 cc | 137 PS @5500 rpm | 206 newton metres (151.9 ft·lbf) @3000 rpm | 1981–1984 | 190 kilometres per hour (118.1 mph) /n/a |
Production
| Version | Years | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Beta Trevi 1600 I series | 1980–1983 | 12.836 |
| Beta Trevi 2000 and 2000 i.e. I series | 1980–1983 | 17.364 |
| Trevi 1600 II series | 1983–1984 | 2.951 |
| Trevi 2000 i.e. II series | 1983–1984 | 3.633 |
| Beta Trevi Volumex I-II series | 1982–1984 | 3.844 |
| Total | 40.628 |
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