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Lancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary Edition Gets 0.9L 2-Cylinder Mill for Geneva

The Lancia Ypsilon is a curious little urban dweller. Originally launched in 1985 as the Autobianchi Y10, named after a Greek letter and related to the Fiat Panda, the Ypsilon is, more or less, the proverbial dog’s breakfast.
Lancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary Edition 7 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf / R. Kah
Lancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary EditionLancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary EditionLancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary EditionLancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary EditionLancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary EditionLancia Ypsilon 30th Anniversary Edition
Get a load of this: to celebrate 30 years since the Autobianchi Y10 debuted at the 1985 edition of the Swiss auto show, Lancia thought it would be nice to make an anniversary model in time for the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. OK, so what’s wrong with that? Frankly speaking, everything about it is wrong.

With the 30th Anniversary Edition, Lancia added to the Ypsilon formula details that can never be classified as being special. Black 15-inch alloy wheels with diamond-effect finish? Wow! Some celebrative badges on the pillars? Wow again! A black tailgate as a reference to the retro Y10?

It isn’t far fetched to say that these things aren’t worthy to celebrate the Y’s 30-year existence

I’ll grant the dying Lancia brand that the exclusive Ultramarine Blue paint job looks seriously yummy, but I’m having trouble with understanding why the Italians even bothered botching undesirable bits and bobs to the Ypsilon, then expect customers to pay top dollar for this thing half-assed machine.

In recent years, superminis got better than ever, but the 30th Anniversary is pretty much the same outdated supermini it was when production of the third-gen Ypsilon started in 2011. Then again, is it OK for Lancia, such a historically rich automaker, to offer an 85 HP 0.9-liter two-banger or a 69 HP 1.2-liter LPG-fed engine? Sorry, but not quite...
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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