This Lancia Thesis is For Sale in Wisconsin

"Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn)
06/15/2020 at 08:15 • Filed to: None

Everyone’s favorite dealer is back with another flavor of Italian import that has no business being in Wisconsin. This one is a 2003 Lancia Thesis.

Unlike the Alfa Romeo 166 that I found a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the vin for this spicy Italian meatball comes back as invalid in both CarFax and AutoCheck. If you are curious, the vin is ZLA84100X3L003691

Googling the vin only returns the current dealer’s website, so the only clue to this car’s history is a dealer sticker in the back window.

This sticker matches the C.A.R. Lancia dealer in Florence.

In researching the presence of Theses lurking around the U.S. outside of essays , it seems that one has popped up for sale on Craigslist before in 2013 . However, this one was listed under the condition that a diplomat or similar needed to buy it due to the usual restrictions of registering a non-US market car . So, I would imagine that this car landed here in a similar fashion. How a dealer would be able to sell it is another question.

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No matter how it got here, it has not been driven much in its life. It has racked up 49,188 km or just over 30,500 miles, despite the extra comfy looking interior .

And, as you may have guessed, this car has stuck with the metric system despite its new American home. Because of this, it appears that the importer of this car didn’t even attempt to federalize it, unlike the 166 with its gauges reading English units.

Speaking of the 166, it is still on the lot. Though, it is not listed for sale on their website and it’s much worse for wear with a newly mismatched front bumper, rear door, and fading clear coat.

If you are looking for a car that will most lik ely be an absolute nightmare to register and insure, as well as pass emis sions, which we know our 166 friend ha d a hell of a time passing in Wisconsin, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is the link to the listing.

DISCUSSION (12)

pip bip - choose Corrour > Michael Woyahn
06/15/2020 at 08:22

GIB!

Sir Halffast > Michael Woyahn
06/15/2020 at 08:23

The one that was for sale in DC was a diplo car for the Italian embassy. I saw it once on Mass Ave. with diplo plates about a year before it showed up on Craigslist.

ranwhenparked > Michael Woyahn
06/15/2020 at 08:59

$20,000 for something the Feds could seize and crush at any time? Pass. I guess if you really wanted one, you could play it safe and stash it away in a storage unit for the next 9 years

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ranwhenparked
06/15/2020 at 09:24

That has me wondering if insurance would cover that sort of thing. I assume not, but it might not be explicitly excluded either in their terms.

ranwhenparked > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
06/15/2020 at 09:28

I’d guess you could find someone to cover it, if you looked around enough. I would assume it has a valid title, which is probably the main thing they would ask about. I would pretty well expect they would not pay out if the vehicle was seized and destroyed as contraband, though.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > ranwhenparked
06/15/2020 at 09:32

U nless it was owned by a diplomat at one point

A Boy and His Longtail > Michael Woyahn
06/15/2020 at 09:33

The front page should do an investigation

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ranwhenparked
06/15/2020 at 09:35

I would pretty well expect they would not pay out if the vehicle was seized and destroyed as contraband, though.

This is what I was specifically referring to. I assume most insurance companies would deny the claim, but there might be some wiggle room if it’s not explicitly excluded from coverage.

Cash Rewards > ranwhenparked
06/15/2020 at 09:42

From what I understand, it would still be subject to seizure and crushing. This is potentially different as a diplo car. But if I brought in a r34 gtr and hid it for years, I think if the feds somehow knew it started as illegal, it would get crushed. I’m guessing that when you go to title it and they check the import records, you’re hosed.

ranwhenparked > Cash Rewards
06/15/2020 at 10:06

Difference of jurisdictions. The federal government is responsible for setting safety and emissions standards and regulating imports, state governments are responsible for title and registration. When you go to do that latter, the people at the DMV are just going to go down their own checklist of what’s required. I suppose if it was brought in illegally years earlier, but now meets the 25 year exemption, the Feds could try and go after it, but I doubt they put much enforcement effort into searching out vehicles that are already over the age exemption vs finding sub-25 year ones.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Michael Woyahn
06/15/2020 at 10:08

T hat dealer sm okes lots of Crack

https://www.reinaintlauto.com/1977-chevrolet-el-camino-c-2313.htm

facw > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
06/15/2020 at 13:53

If it was brought in by a diplomat they are required to take it out with them, or sell it to someone else with the same diplomatic status. If they just sell it to whoever, it’s just as crushable as if it had been imported directly.