Short, but undeniably sweet, Lancia's stumpy Y10 first appeared at the 1985 Geneva Salon, quickly carving a small-but-profitable niche with punters looking for a city car with more chic than a Metro or Fiesta. Styled at the Fiat Design Centre, over proposals from Pininfarina and Ital, the Y10's non-conformist silhouette featured a low, wide frontal area and severly chopped tail, finished in matt black, boasting a drag coefficient of 0.31cd. With three different engine options, including 45bhp, 999cc FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine) economy model, topping the range was the raucous 85bhp Turbo. At 1050cc, it was the smallest capacity car on sale in Europe with forced induction, capable of reaching 60mph in 9.5 secs. A non-turbo equipped Touring model of the same displacement produced 55bhp, proving the most popular model in the UK.

Underneath the adventurous facade, the Y10 was prosaic, featuring Fiat Panda front suspen sion and transmission, the 'Omega' rear end unique to the Lancia. The car's ride was skittish at high speed but handling was almost universally praised. A four-wheel drive variant was also offered from '86 which transferred power to the rear wheels at the press of a button but it never officially reached the UK.

Despite winning numerous awards, including the prestigious Design Award Torino-Piemonte, the Y10's radical shape remained an acquired taste but it soon becaame the hatch of choice for the Sloane set. In order to emphasise the car's exclusive image, Lancia loaded the Y10 to the gills with all manner of standard and optional equipment including Alcantara upholstery, climate control system and electric windows, the Turbo featuring bigger front bumpers with red piping and custom trim.

In '86, the UK model line-up was augmented by the arrival of the Fire LX, the most opulent variant yet. Between February and October '87, Lancia offered several limited editions. Externally, changes were few - mainly limited to colour and go-faster stripes - but each received special interior trim and equipment levels. First up was the Fila. Based on the normally aspirated FIRE, it gained white paintwork with colour-coded bumpers and tailgate plus red and blue graphics and Fila logos down its flanks.

This was also followed by the Missoni, also based on the non-turbo FIRE, which gained Memphis metallic blue paint and velvet trimmed seats along with the Martini Turbo in red, white and blue war paint to tie in with the firm's sponsorship of Lancia's rally efforts. The (unofficially dubbed) series 1 Y10 was replaced in '89 by a lightly revised model, the Turbo dropped in favour of the normally aspirated GTie. Imports ended in late '91 and cars can be picked up for three figures.