Welcome back, petrolheads! Today, I’m back to an Italian “playground”: the first Lancia I have ever driven – the small Y, or Ypsilon as they want us to call it. First things first: this is a rented car, so despite being only 2 years old and having 38k kilometres (24k miles) on the clock, the paint is faded (too many automatic car washes) and the rear shock absorbers look to have had better days, as well. I rented it as a courtesy car, as my roadster was receiving its 30k kilometre (19k miles) service. Being at a Mercedes-Benz shop, the least I could expect was a latest generation smart fortwo, a car I never drove. So, when I was given the keys to a Lancia Ypsilon, I was shocked. Really, that’s that kind of cars you never remember of, and when you do, you wish you hadn’t. Me, a 27 year bloke, driving that girlie thing?! Is this a joke? No, it isn’t. My Panda may also not be the most masculine car money can buy, but the Ypsilon is almost like a Nissan Micra – it’s a dress with four wheel