I think one of my favorite states of mind is something I call appreciative bafflement: A state of confusion so deep and profound that you’re genuinely impressed and appreciate the efforts taken to make such confusing, deeply fucked decisions. The Lancia Gamma, especially the fastback Berlina version, is a car full of this sort of bafflement. Let’s talk about this lovely weirdo. //

the engines themselves were pretty good, save for the one ridiculous Achilles’ heel that is the initial source of my gleeful bafflement: They decided to drive the power steering fluid pump off of one of the two camshafts — you know, the things that open and close the cylinder valves.

If you start up your cold engine with your steering wheel turned all the way to one side or the other, the load from the power steering pump could be enough to break the camshaft/timing belt, which would make the left bank of cylinders completely lunch the top end of the engine, leaving you stranded and soon to be broke. //

Normally, ancillaries like the alternator or A/C compressor or power steering pump are driven off the crankshaft pulley. I can’t think of any other car that drives a pump off the camshaft and has a cam belt setup like this, and here’s why, according to the Gamma mavens over at Lancia Gamma Consortium:

Gammas have an unenviable reputation when it comes to their toothed camshaft drive belt, and not without reason! The camshaft serving the nearside (left- hand) pair of cylinders also drives the power steering pump. A lack of development, in early cars in particular, showed itself when unsuspecting owners would start their Gammas on a cold morning with the steering on full lock. This would cause the cambelt to break / jump with the load from the steering pump, resulting in one pair of cylinders firing-up whilst the other pair tried to destroy themselves, at the least causing bent valves. Later models have revised belt tensioners, but are still known to suffer from this problem.