MARCH 2003

As soon as the 2003 edition of the Geneva Motor Show ended with the Stola GTS, it was immediately planned to take part in the next, with a "Limousine" derived from the Lancia Thesis.
Called S85, to celebrate the eighty-fifth anniversary of the company.
This prototype, in reality was ready two years before hand and should have been called S82, but its history was complex and interesting, given an unexpected and prestigious development.

In October 2000, Giancarlo Concilio on behalf of Lancia released the definitive sketch of the exterior of the Thesis Limousine.

July 2001 Rivoli. At the Linea Gam modeling shop in Vittorio Grasso.
A mixed team of Stola and Linea Gam modelers will build the interiors on a previously extended Lancia Thesis prototype.

Rivoli, from the end of 2000 the actual engineering and construction work on the prototype began with the sheet metal derived from the pre-production Lancia Thesis sedan.

On 4 September 2000, Alfredo Stola proposed the idea to the engineer Paolo Cantarella as the Stola company was then completing the engineering of the Thesis.
The proposal of this special was immediately greeted with interest, the Fiat Group had already created some limousine configurations on the Lancia Thema and Kappa.
Alfredo explained how the interiors would be very luxurious, with the use of the finest materials from Poltrona Frau and with a wooden parquet floor.
The only condition that Cantarella CEO imposed was that the style should be executed by a Lancia designer under the super-vision of engineer Nevio Di Giusto.

Rivoli July 2001 The Lancia Thesis Limousine S82 in paint shop on the second floor of the prototype department.

It is also proposed that the prototype be presented on the Lancia stand at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show 2001 as a concept.
Architect Giancarlo Concilio, of the Lancia Style Center, is appointed as designer, who will design all the interiors and the extension of the exterior.
At the end of August 2001, a few days before the opening of the show, when the work was finished, the leaders of Fiat Auto unexpectedly decided to no longer present the prototype, postponing the launch to a future date.

Rivoli September 2001 the Limousine painted in a special blue-gray even if ready it will never leave for the Frankfurt Motor Show. At that time it was still called S82. This same prototype in 2004 will be repainted with a bi-color and renamed S85.

The reasoning was explained to the Stola team, a change of strategy in relation to the entry into mass production of the Thesis berlina which was increasingly delayed.
On September 11th, a few minutes after 2.46 pm, the dramatic news of the air attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon was spreading at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The tragic live images from the United States appeared from the screens of the various car manufacturers' stands.

New York 11 September 2001 at 3:03 pm in Frankfurt also the second tower of the W.T.C. gets hit.

The information following the second crash along with the other missing planes spread panic among the visitors of the salon, foreshadowing a world war.
Roberto Stola, together with some of his collaborators of that time, was visiting the Frankfurt Motor Show as the Smart Tridion 4 Concept and the Nissan Cross Bow Show Car were being presented, both made in the Rivoli modeling shop.

Frankfurt 11 September 2001 The Tridion 4 on the Smart stand and the Cross Bow on the Nissan stand are two concepts created by Stola s.p.a. for their customers.

A week after the attacks on American soil, among car manufacturers a strong pessimism had crept in, also in STOLA s.p.a, many show cars and style models in the course of work and future construction were suspended, canceled or slowed down.
In light of these events, the Lancia Thesis Limousine designed and built at its own expense by Stola was somewhat forgotten, not only by them but also by Fiat managers.
In the first few days of January 2002 came a surprise, after recent experience, the Fiat Auto board commissioned STOLA spa to build another, new, extended Thesis for the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and two more with configurations still to be to decide.
The style of the interiors for the presidential version was very different from the 2000/2001 version, though once again was the work of the Giancarlo Concilio.
As for armour plating, it was entrusted to the specialist Repetti.

May 2002 The final design of the presidential Thesis Limousine in blue by Giancarlo Concilio.

June 2002 Giancarlo Concilio on behalf of Lancia releases the first interior designs of the presidential variant
of the Thesis Limousine.

Rivoli in March 2002 activities begin on the body of the presidential Thesis Limousine which will then be completed with armor plating in the Repetti plant. Who will also take care of the glass.

The Thesis Limousine will was handed over to the President of the Republic Carlo Azzeglio Ciampi on June 6, 2003 with a presentation at the Quirinale internal courtyard by Dr. Umberto Agnelli and Giuseppe Morchio, CEO of the Turin group.

Rome 6 June 2003 at the Quirinal Palace Umberto Agnelli accompanied by CEO Giuseppe Morchio gives the President of the Republic Carlo Azelio Ciampi an armored Thesis Limousine.

Rome 6 June 2003 at the Quirinal palace the President Carlo Azelio Ciampi sits for the first time inside the presidential Thesis Limousine, which for the record the rear interiors are different
of what will later be the Stola S85.

Shortly afterwards work of the other two elongated Thesis was, unfortunately, suspended.
At the end of March 2003 STOLA s.p.a. re-evaluated the prototype that had never been presented, it had been stored with the aim of showing it the following year at the Geneva Motor Show.
Given past experience and with a rather anonymous grey livery, the Lancia Thesis Limousine was be completely repainted in an eye-catching two-tone amaranth under guidance of Rossella Guasco and Serena Chionetti of the colour department of the Fiat Style Center.
The interiors were also revised to improve the design.

 Rossella Guasco

Serena Chionetti

January 2004. Advertising page for Auto&Design magazine.

November 2003 the two-tone drawing by Giancarlo Concilio used to replace the gray version of the end of August 2001.

Spring 2003 the design by Giancarlo Concilio of the interior of the S85 redesigned given the past time.

Rivoli December 2003. Alfredo Stola in the painting department on the second floor of the factory in via Ferrero 9.

Rivoli December 2003 Giancarlo Concilio and Silvia Calautti can be recognized in the background in the center.Rivoli December 2003 Gigi Gallina, Alfredo Stola and Giancarlo Concilio pose for a souvenir photo with the S85.

February 2004 The official photos for the S85 press kit before being exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show.

April 2004 In the photo shoot organized by the journalist Giancarlo Perini after the show.
On the left Laura Novarese on the right Silvia Calautti della Stola s.p.a.

 April 2004 The journalist Giancarlo Perini organizes a photo shoot.
The fake driver is Silvia Calautti, an employee of Stola s.p.a.

Geneva. Luigi Gallina prepares a coffee while enjoying the success of the S85 without forgetting the Presidential.To continue the tradition ,this prototype was called S85 to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the company's foundation, and was finally presented on the STOLA stand in Geneva on 4 March 2004.
Luigi Gallina was the manager who followed these limousine projects, from both a technical and organizational point of view, for three years, with passion and competence.

4 March 2004 Geneva Motor Show the S82 on the Stola s.p.a. stand

Geneva 4 March 2004. A very pleasant visit to the Stola stand of Jurgen Hubbert CEO of Daimler Chrysler. Alfredo Stola personally describes the interior of the S85 to him.

Geneva 2004 Two important visits from design men, on the left Patrick Le Quément director of Renault and
Shiro Nakamura director of Nissan.

Geneva 2 March 2004, On the left P. Arcadipane, A. Stola, M. Mauer on the right A. Stola with Sergio Pininfarina.

Geneva 2 March 2004 On the left S. Mattin, H. Leschke, G. Grande and J. Piaskowski.
On the right Tiziano Novo with a Chinese delegation of the X

Geneva 2 March 2004. Maria Paola Stola.

Silvia Calautti with the two designers Giancarlo Concilio
and Daniele Gaglione

Geneva 2 March 2004 On the left H. Wester, A. Stola and C. Alecci. On the right G. Gallina, L. Minardi
and T. Novo.

Geneva 2 March 2004. S. Calautti and L. Novarese.Geneva 2 March 2004. H. Sinkwitz and G. Grande.

Geneva 4 March 2004 Alfredo and Maria Paola Stola with Fabrizio Giugiaro.

Geneva 2004 Luigi Gallina and Giancarlo Concilio among the most important architects of the Stola S85 project and Lancia Thesis Presidential Limousine. To the engineers Paulo Cantarella and Nevio Di Giusto goes the thanks of Alfredo Stola for having always supported these projects.

In 2008 the Lancia Thesis Limousine called S85 was purchased by the Swiss collector Heini Rutz, thus also becoming part of the prestigious Lancia Club Suisse.

Switzerland 2008: the Stola S85 from the Rutz collection