Misplaced Pages

#505494

36-734: After its debut at the 1994 Paris Auto Show , production reached 117,216 units, over six years. The Kappa was manufactured at the Fiat factory in Tetti Francesi, Rivalta di Torino and was designed by the Centro Stile Lancia in collaboration with the I.DE.A Institute . Lancia had earlier used the Kappa nameplate for the 1919 Kappa , with evolutions called Dikappa and Trikappa ). The Kappa nameplate folloowed Lancia's frequent use of Greek letters for its model names, in this case

72-414: A commodious interior, the impression of space only heightened by a low cowl and very Japanese-looking fascia, somewhere between a Honda NSX and Lexus LS400." Rear cabin room was described as "immense" but the cushion was criticised for being too flat, a fault rectified in later iterations of the car. Robinson criticised the "horrid mock wood with which Lancia frames the prominent central console that runs from

108-542: A distinctive profile with frameless doors. The front, from bumper to the window screen, was identical to the other Kappa body styles. It was Lancia's first coupé since 1984, when the Beta and Gamma coupés were discontinued and remains the last Lancia to feature this body style to this day. The small production capacities at the Maggiora factory for this essentially hand-made car, and the relatively high price, destined it to be

144-682: A partnership with the Porsche design office. From 1931, Reutter manufactured the first bodies for Porsche types 7, 8, 9, 12 and 32. In 1936, after the capacity limit of the main plant in Augustenstraße had been reached, a second plant was built in Zuffenhausen. A year later in 1937, Reutter received the order to produce the Volkswagen prototype pre-series VW 303. A couple years later in 1939, the company had around 900 employees. In 1944,

180-547: A rare vehicle. For cost cutting reasons, the rear lights were shared with the Delta . 3,263 were manufactured from 1996 to 2000. Car magazine described the Coupé as looking "top heavy, like a Bentley Continental that's been heated up and squeezed at both ends." However, the car's engine range was praised for matching the vehicle's dynamics, the 2.4-litre five cylinder and the 3.0-litre Alfa Romeo-derived V6 coming closest to "infusing

216-595: A separate line of after-market seats. In 1965, Recaro presented the first Recaro sports seat at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In 1967, Recaro started the construction of a production facility in Schwäbisch Hall. Economic problems led the Reutter family to sell the business in 1969 to three companies, Keiper , Huber & Wagner, and Metzeler . In 1971, Recaro produced the first aircraft seats under

252-456: A sorts returned some six years later and the 33rd "Salon" finally opened in October 1946. In January 1977, it was announced that no Paris Motor Show would take place that year, because of the "current economic situation": at the same time the organisers confirmed that a 1978 Auto Salon for Paris was planned. The 65th Salon de Paris duly opened on 15 October 1978 in the modern buildings of

288-445: Is now owned by automotive supplier Adient . The Recaro Group continues to act as licensor. In 2018, Recaro Child Safety ceased business operations (including Storchenmühle), and Recaro Holding entered into a global licensing agreement with Artsana Group, which, following the cessation of Recaro Child Safety's operations (including Storchenmühle), will continue to develop, manufacture, and distribute premium child seats and strollers under

324-596: Is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently takes place in Paris expo Porte de Versailles . The Mondial is scheduled by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles , which considers it a major international auto show. In 2016, the Paris Motor Show welcomed 1,253,513 visitors, making it

360-801: The COVID-19 pandemic 48°49′51″N 2°17′12″E  /  48.8308°N 2.2867°E  / 48.8308; 2.2867 Recaro Recaro Holding , as the parent company of the Recaro Group , owns the Recaro brand and the independently operating companies Recaro Aircraft Seating (aircraft seats) based in Schwäbisch Hall and Recaro eGaming (gaming seats) based in Stuttgart , Germany . The business areas Recaro Automotive Seating and Recaro Kids are operated by licensees. The company

396-521: The Parc des Expositions , on the south western edge of central Paris at the Porte de Versailles , where the show had been held since 1962. There was no "Salon de l'Automobile" in 1920 There was no "Salon de l'Automobile" in 1925 due to the venue having been allocated to an Exhibition of Decorative Arts No shows were held from 1939 until 1945 There was no "Salon de l'Automobile" in 2020 due to

SECTION 10

#1732779561506

432-433: The Porsche 356 in 1954, the "Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co. GmbH" celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1956. That same year the 10,000th Porsche body left the factory, which by then employed 900 people. In 1963, Porsche acquired the car body factory. What remained was renamed to Recaro (REutter-CAROsserie), and focus was shifted to high-end seats. The company began producing both OEM seats for Porsche, and

468-515: The Recaro Kids brand name. Also in 2018, Recaro established a division called Recaro eGaming , which markets gaming chairs. In 2019, Recaro Gaming Seats became available for purchase. In July 2024, news reports surfaced that Recaro Automotive GmbH (Germany) had filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently approved for self-administration by a German court. The insolvency proceedings affect RECARO Automotive GmbH (Germany) exclusively and not any of

504-578: The Servotronic steering is terrific, with just the right degree of self-centering." His summary of ride and handling was that car was better than average but not class-leading: "On the Lancia there is too much body roll and the front grip in the wet didn't inspire confidence." The station wagon version of the Kappa, designated " SW " by Lancia, was designed and built by Pininfarina and did not differ from

540-464: The areas of strategy, finance, human resources and law as well as design, brand, communication and innovation management. The headquarter of Recaro Holding has been located in Stuttgart since May 2013. Recaro Aircraft Seating is a developer and manufacturer of aircraft seats. The Aircraft seat production began in 1971 under license under the name Recaro Aircomfort, initially in Stuttgart. From 1983

576-443: The automotive industry, as well as the exclusive, unlimited right to market Recaro seats for cars and commercial vehicles. All other brand companies now belong to RECARO Group Stuttgart, which is the brand owner and licensor of RECARO Automotive Seating. In 2013, after restructuring, Recaro Holding relocated its registered office back to Stuttgart, Germany. After it spun off from Johnson Controls in 2016, Recaro Automotive Seating

612-547: The beginning of 2018, Recaro Gaming GmbH & Co. KG, based in Stuttgart, has been part of the Recaro Group. The company presented the first gaming seat prototype at Gamescom 2018 in Cologne. The Recaro Automotive Seating division, a manufacturer of car seats, was sold to US automotive supplier Johnson Controls in 2011. In 2016, Recaro Automotive Seating evolved to ownership under automotive supplier Adient following

648-527: The car's bland styling which was justified by Fiat's Paolo Cantarella on the basis that the designers did not want to create too much "visual noise." The body was reported as having twice the torsional rigidity of the outgoing Thema and 15 percent stiffer than any of its rivals. The automatic Aisin-Warner gearbox (50-40 LE type) was shared with the Volvo 850 . Robinson went on to say "the Kappa´s dimensions ensure

684-575: The entire production takes place in Schwäbisch Hall. Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG also has production plants in Poland , South Africa, the USA and China in addition to its headquarter in Schwäbisch Hall. In 2004, Recaro Aircraft Seating took over the majority of AAT Composites in South Africa - a company that manufactures products for the aviation industry from fibre composites. Since

720-455: The first ever-growing child seat. In 2004, Recaro bought the traditional company "Storchenmühle", which concentrates on the production of child seats. In 2006, the company celebrated its 100th anniversary. In June 2011, Recaro sold the automotive seating division to Johnson Controls, a U.S.-based automotive supplier. The acquisition granted Johnson Controls to be a licensee of the RECARO brand in

756-462: The front wheels . The engines were available with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission , unless otherwise indicated. manual is 5-speed, automatic/comfortronic is 4-speed The Lancia Kayak or Bertone Kayak is a 4-seater coupé concept car built by Italian coachbuilder Bertone based on the Lancia Kappa mechanicals, unveiled at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show . It

SECTION 20

#1732779561506

792-464: The handbrake, up the full length of the dash and over the top." About the driving characteristics, Robinson wrote: "If Lancia quietened the starter motor, this would be one refined drivetrain...with no hint of any 5-cylinder unevenness." The 2.4 litre engine tested appeared to have been tuned for low-end torque, a characteristic of this Alpine brand. The engine was praised by Robinson for its "smooth responsiveness" and "torque steer has been eliminated...and

828-432: The k Coupe with the classy character its styling tries to suggest." "It's the spiky turbo four that asks the hardest questions of the chassis and the all-strut suspension doesn't flounder. It shines. A viscous coupling helps the front wheels cope with the onslaught of the engine's old school, big-bang turbo delivery, and it feels remarkably untroubled." About the refinement and ride, John Barker (of Car Magazine) reported that

864-400: The main factory in Augustenstraße was severely damaged in an air raid. The workforce shrunk to 94 people. In 1949, Porsche began engaging the company to build their Porsche 356 sports car bodies. In 1953, the company registered a patent for "a hinge fitting for upholstered seats with adjustable backrest", the Reutter reclining seat fitting. Following completion of the 5,000th body for

900-451: The most visited auto show in the world, ahead of Tokyo and Frankfurt. The key figures of the show are: 125,000 m (1,350,000 sq ft) of exhibition, 8 pavilions, 260 brands from 18 countries, 65 world premieres, more than 10 000 test drives for electric and hybrid cars, more than 10 000 journalists from 103 countries. Until 1986, it was called the Salon de l'Automobile ; it took

936-613: The name Mondial de l'Automobile in 1988 and Mondial Paris Motor Show in 2018. The show was held annually until 1976; since which time, it has been held biennially. The show was the first motor show in the world, started in 1898 by industry pioneer, Jules-Albert de Dion . After 1910, it was held at the Grand Palais in the Champs-Élysées . During the First World War motor shows were suspended, meaning that

972-764: The name Recaro Aircomfort under license of the American manufacturer Hardman Aerospace. Shortly afterwards, Recaro launched its first aircraft seat, the so-called Recaro 2020 , and sold it to Lufthansa, among others. In 1974, the first motorsport seat was based on the Recaro professional full shell seat. In 1983, Keiper purchased all shares in Recaro and established Keiper Recaro in Kirchheim . After restructuring in 1997, Recaro became an independent company again. This resulted in four legally and economically independent companies, including Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG . A year later, in 1998, Recaro introduced

1008-417: The occupants "are completely isolated from any vibration while the ride is smooth at moderate speeds, parrying bumps quietly and unobtrusively." The interior was described as "appealing" and having "curvy, attractive door casings, plump supportive Recaro seats and a good choice of plastics.". The 1997 price was estimated at 24,000 pounds sterling. The Kappa has a Transverse engine layout, all powering only

1044-467: The other automotive or commercial vehicle units such as RECARO Automotive North America, RECARO Automotive Japan and Joint Ventures in China. The bankruptcy also doesn't affect the aircraft, train and gaming chair divisions. The Recaro Group comprises the divisions Recaro Aircraft Seating, Recaro eGaming and Recaro Holding itself. Recaro Holding acts as the holding company of the Recaro Group and comprises

1080-485: The saloon's exterior dimensions, sharing most of its body panels. Only 9,208 cars were built in Pininfarina's factory. The estate version was also available with Boge- Nivomat self-levelling hydropneumatic rear suspension. The Coupé was designed by Centro Stile Lancia and built by Maggiora . It is technically quite different from the saloon, having a 120 mm (4.7 in) shorter wheelbase, wider rear track and

1116-466: The show of October 1919 was only the 15th "Salon". There was again no Paris Motor Show in 1925, the venue having been booked instead for an Exhibition of Decorative Arts . In October 1926, the Motor Show returned, this being the 26th Paris Salon de l'Automobile . The outbreak of war again intervened in 1939 when the 33rd Salon de l'Automobile was cancelled at short notice. Normality of

Lancia Kappa - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-549: The spin-off from Johnson Controls. In 2020, Adient sold RECARO Automotive to a privately held entity and is headquartered in Clinton Township , MI , USA . The Recaro Child Safety GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Marktleugast , which merged with the long-established Storchenmühle company in 2004, ended its business operations on 31 July 2018. At the end of October 2018, Recaro Holding and Artsana Group signed

1188-570: The tenth letter of the Greek alphatbet. In writing, Lancia often referred to the Kappa simply as the k (lower case "k"), which is fairly similar to the original Greek letter κ . In Poland , where Fiat Auto is the largest domestic car manufacturer, the Kappa served as the official government cars (replacing the Thema). Autocar 's Peter Robinson reviewed the Kappa in November 1994. He commented on

1224-522: Was a constructive forerunner of the convertible . The result was bodies including interior fittings for almost all well-known manufacturers of the time, in particular Daimler-Benz (and predecessor) as well as the Chemnitzer Wanderer-Werke . In 1919, the gradual conversion from individual production to mass production took place. During the 1920s, the company became known for building limousine bodies. 1930, Reutter entered into

1260-533: Was designed Luciano D'Ambrosio. A one-off Kappa Limousine with an extended middle section, and wheelbase, was built for Gianni Agnelli . Its concept was very similar to the Thema Limousine from 1987. The car was finished in dark blue with a matte-black roof. Paris Auto Show The Paris Motor Show ( French : Mondial de l'Automobile ) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it

1296-431: Was founded on 1 October 1906 by Wilhelm Reutter as Stuttgarter Carosserie und Radfabrik . In 1909, Wilhelm's brother Albert Reutter joined the company as a partner and commercial manager. There was a change of name to "Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter & Co.", owner W. & A. Reutter. On 24 July 1909, the patent for a "folding roof with canopy, especially for motor vehicles" was filed. This so-called "reform body"

#505494