A mid-engined family car featuring a digital clock embedded into the steering wheel.
Name: Lancia Medusa
Debuted: 1980 Turin Motor Show
Specifications: Based on the Lancia Montecarlo mid-mounted four-cylinder 2.0 liter engine with 118 HP, rear-wheel drive and a five-speed manual gearbox
Why It Matters Now:
What number of four-door, mid-engined family sedans do you know? There aren’t many.
Lancia was an automotive phenomenon back in the day. Giorgetto Giugiaro, a talented Italian designer, came up with the idea to convert the Pininfarina-designed Montecarlo midengined sports car into four-door sedan. The Medusa had a unique engine placement for a family car. It also had a very aerodynamic body that has a drag coefficient (0.263).
The clay model had a Cd value of 0.255. However, adding mirrors and turn signals to the real car clearly had an effect on its sleekness. The car’s low drag coefficient was due to its lack of bulky fenders, pop-up lights and flush door handles. Special glazing on the doors extended onto the sides of the roof also contributed to this.
Although the interior was not as impressive as its exterior, there were some nice features inside, including a steering wheel with a lot of buttons that we take for granted. The digital clock was located in the middle of the steering wheel, allowing the driver to see the current time without looking up from the road. The front seats are very comfortable.
The core of the Lancia Medusa was a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter gasoline motor from the Montecarlo. It produced 118 horsepower (88 Kilowatts) as well as 125 pound-feet (170 Newton meters) of torque. The output was sent to the rear wheels via a manual five-speed gearbox.
Giugiaro initially planned to use the Beta Coupe underpinnings, but this might have been a mistake. Some would assume that the Medusa was a preview of the next generation.