To power this 'fridge', you could opt for a 999cc FIRE engine, and a normally aspirated or turbocharged 1050cc engine. FIRE doesn't, by the way, mean this engine is a 'fire-starter' in performance terms. It actually stands for Fully Integrated Robotized Engine, which means the engines should be reliable, if not terribly powerful.

All this computer aided design is all very well, but the end product lacks sparkle, design flair and soul. When Issigonis penned the Mini, it came from the heart, not a bunch of silicon chips. And this is my main gripe with the Y10. Forgetting for the moment that the ride isn't very good, and the interior is the wrong side of spacious, it just isn't a Lancia. Lancias are supposed to be flamboyant, out going and in some instances down right gorgeous. The Y10 is none of these.

Lancia hoped that the Y10 would do for them what the Mini Cooper did for Austin. In hindsight it probably could have, if the design had shown a bit more flair; but the Y10 didn't stop Lancia pulling out of the UK market.

Does the Y10 deserve to go to heaven? In a word - no. I think everyone will happily forget the Y10, including Lancia. BH