Lancia, one of the most famous and evocative of all the major automotive brand names, was founded exactly 100 years ago. To celebrate this milestone Italiaspeed is presenting an exclusive 15 part history of Lancia.

Having recently launched the revolutionary Aprilia, Lancia entered a new era in 1938, with the arrival in Turin of the legendary Vittorio Jano, responsible for the highly-regarded and tremendously successful Alfa Romeo P2, 1750, 2300, 2900 and P3. Jano had been sacked from Alfa Romeo the previous autumn, most believe unfairly, for the failings of the latest Tipo 12C/37 chassis; Alfa’s loss was Lancia’s gain, as he accepted an invitation to become the company’s technical director.

Jano’s first project on his arrival at Via Monginevro was of a somewhat different nature to what he was used. With the Aprilia on the market, attention had turned to the little Ardea, the smallest Lancia ever made, introduced as a new upmarket utility model to replace the Augusta just prior to the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. Following the style of the Aprilia, the external design was in fact closer to the shape which Vincenzo had rejected as too radical for the Aprilia. Indeed, despite a wheelbase a full foot shorter than the Aprilia (at 8ft), it had almost as much space inside. 

Furthermore, the Ardea’s concept of a narrow-angle OHC V4 engine and sliding-pillar independent front suspension also displayed similarities with its bigger brother. The overall technical solutions employed, though, were rather simpler, especially the rear suspension (live axle on semi-elliptic leaf springs), outboard hydraulic brakes, and the lack of an opening boot for luggage, while fuel was gravity-fed from a tank under the bonnet. Second series cars introduced a 12V (rather than 6V) electrical system and opening bootlid, although the ongoing conflict meant that production had slowed to a trickle throughout the war years. Later improvements in the fourth series also saw the use of aluminium alloy for the cylinder head, higher compression ratio and an accompanying boost in power, from 28.5 to 30 bhp, whilst the third series, produced from 1948, debuted a five-speed gearbox (actually an overdrive) – a world first on a production car. 

In fact, this feature unintentionally caused some consternation at the time. As Paul Vellacott tells the story, when Juan-Manuel Fangio saw his Ardea, he said, “I was very sorry to have to sell my Ardea when I started to drive for Alfa Romeo, it was such a clever little car.” Having placed an advertisement for it, a lady had responded, buying the car after Fangio had taken her for a short demonstration drive. However, she had returned a couple of days later, claiming something had gone wrong with it – it was now much slower than when Fangio had demonstrated it to her. Fangio thus took her out for another run and the car again attained the 106 km/h it had reached the first time. This satisfied the lady, but a day later she returned, resolute in her avowal that the car would definitely go no faster than 93 km/h. It was, of course, only then that the penny dropped – Fangio had neglected to point out that the car had a fifth gear...

Despite the lack of a commercially-available chassis for the coachbuilders (one was developed but never put into production), a few variants of the Ardea were built, by Zagato and Pinin Farina amongst others. The model was also noteworthy for being built in commercial variants in considerable numbers: as a taxi, a small truck (camioncino) and a van (furgoncino). A total of around 22,000 vehicles were produced. 

The Ardea would be replaced as Lancia’s entry-level model by the 1953 Appia, once again overseen by Jano. Stylistically, it was another pillarless four-door saloon which echoed the company’s flagship model, in this case the recently-launched Aurelia. As with the Ardea, however, its specification was more utilitarian, with a live axle with leaf springs and telescopic dampers at the rear, a conventional column-change four-speed gearbox, and outboard rear brakes. For all that, it retained many Lancia engineering hallmarks: the standard layout of front sliding pillar suspension (the last model to feature it); aluminium doors, boot, bonnet and rear wings to save weight; and a new, Jano-designed, 1090cc V4 engine. With a V-angle of 10°, this was the narrowest and shortest V4 yet, a feat made possible by developments in petrol and metallurgy during the war. L.J.K. Setright notes that it was somewhat taller than ideal, and in this respect, “Jano’s substitution of pushrod valve actuation for the traditional Lancia overhead camshaft did not actually help (it was primarily chosen for reasons of economy); but by really neat cylinder staggering he saw how to shorten the crankshaft so much that it could dispense with central support and run happily in two main bearings.” 

In 1956 the second series was introduced. This had a noticeably different external aesthetic, with a more pronounced boot and more vertical rear window resulting in a ‘notchback’ style. The wheelbase was also extended by 30mm and power was increased from 38 to 43.5 bhp with the introduction of hemispherical combustion chambers and a more aggressive camshaft profile, whilst inside, the individual front seats were replaced by a single bench seat. 

This series also formed the basis for many coachbuilt Appias. Coachbuilders as diverse as Lombardi, Scioneri (saloons), Farina (coupe), Viotti (estate and coupe) and Vignale (who in addition to a saloon, produced an angular convertible from 1957) all produced variations on the Appia, but perhaps the best-known are the efforts of Zagato. The first was a one-off shown at the 1956 Turin Motorshow (and known as ‘the camel’), which also competed in the Mille Miglia the following year.

Production models using the standard wheelbase were the alloy-bodied GTZ (from 1957, with 53 bhp), and the GTE (for ‘export’), which ran from 1958 and saw power increased to 60 bhp. A short-wheelbase (2350mm) ‘Sport’ was also offered, with the higher-output engine. All three cars had different body styles and were built in small numbers (a few dozen GTZs, 521 GTEs and 200 Sports). These were in addition to the three other body variants also produced by Lancia: the ‘furgoncino’ (small van), camioncino (pick-up truck) and the autolettiga (ambulance). By the time production of the Appia ceased in April 1963, well over 100,000 units (including coachbuilt examples) had been produced, making it the first Lancia to hit this sales mark and easily their best-selling model to date, providing a vital source of revenue at a difficult time for the firm. 

However, this is to rush the story. The war had proven an extremely challenging experience for the firm, following on so soon from the death of Vincenzo. With car production coming to a virtual standstill, the factory found itself manufacturing vehicles for the military, including investigations into electric trucks (to cope with the shortage of fuel; two hundred were built) and an all-terrain fighting vehicle dubbed the ‘Autoblindata tipo Lince’ (Lynx), which had four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and fully independent suspension (later copied by the Allies and developed into the Ferret). The company suffered severely when much of its plants and equipment were destroyed during the heavy bombing of northern Italy in the autumn of 1942. 

These challenges were hardly allayed by a strategic decision which nearly bankrupted the company. Immediately after the war ended, management decided to concentrate on the production of trucks, reasoning that transport would be in great demand. What they did not count on was A.R.A.R., the public organisation set up to sell the war surplus, unleashing 8000 trucks on the Italian market in 1948 at virtually fire-sale prices. The resulting decimation of Lancia’s truck sales came at a particularly stressful time for the company, which was battling high indebtedness and a lack of new products. 

However, as it is said that fortune favours the brave, so Lancia took a deep breath and committed itself to emerging stronger from this crisis. It was in that same year, with the appointment of Gianni Lancia as general manager, that the company reacquired a leader able to oversee the design and development of a new generation of models. The company founder’s son was well aware of the need to revive company traditions, but equally aware of the need to forge a distinct reputation of his own. As Trow observes, “(Gianni) knew well that his inherited reputation rested upon excellent technical innovation and the satisfaction of market needs.” 

Although the Aprilia would remain in production until 1949, the story of its replacement may be traced back to seven years previously, when engineer Francesco de Virgilio – an expert in the difficult issue of finding the correct balance for V6 engines – had been charged by Lancia to investigate the possibility of a crankshaft suitable for a 40° V6, created by lopping two cylinders off a prototype V8 engine in the Padua workshop. Lancia had in fact built a prototype narrow-angle 2.6-litre V6 as early as 1924, which had been installed in a Lambda, and various experiments with the configuration had continued throughout the intervening years. All of these had been shelved as other developments were deemed more important, but in typical fashion, when its time came around, Lancia’s first production V6 was a thoroughly considered and tested entity.

At the end of the war, the intent of the factory was to further develop the Aprilia theme, perhaps with a new type of engine design. V6s were appealing for their attractive potential power outputs compared with a four-cylinder, but as yet no-one had been able to overcome the horrific vibration problems inherent in such a layout. To this end, de Virgilio wasted little time in designing a new prototype 1569cc V6 engine with a V-angle of 45°, the maximum which would fit under the Aprilia’s bonnet. After several thousand kilometres of testing underneath an Aprilia bonnet throughout 1947, this evolution of the Aprilia was cancelled by Gianni Lancia the following year, in favour of an all-new model. Following a further prototype of the same capacity but with the V-angle increased to 50°, de Virgilio eventually concluded that the only satisfactory solution was to increase the V-angle up to the optimal value of 60° – the figure which would be adopted for the new production engine.

Well aware of the company’s need to uphold its reputation for technical innovation, Gianni had stipulated the requirements for the Aprilia’s replacement as follows: it must have six comfortable seats, be equipped with a 1.5-litre, 60° V6, have highly aerodynamically efficient unitary construction, and weigh less than 1100kg. The typical buyer of the Aprilia had been, in the words of Riccardo Felicioli, a true ‘Lancisti’. He defines this as the following: “a keen motorist who paid careful attention to the vehicle’s real value and its technical substance; he was able to understand and appreciate the originality and subtlety of the most daring and sophisticated technical solutions: in short, he was an authentic connoisseur.”

On every count, the Aprilia’s successor did not disappoint such Lancisti.  Launched at the Turin Motorshow on March 4, 1950, the Aurelia was new from the wheels up, with its outstanding technical highlight undoubtedly the world’s first production V6, a feature which has guaranteed this model a hallowed place in the annals of motoring. Designed by de Virgilio, in collaboration with Ettore Zaccone Mina, the final result was, and remains, a beautiful piece of engineering in its own right – an all-alloy unit with hemispherical combustion chambers, displacing 1.8 litres (1754cc) in its initial form.  Valve actuation was via pushrods, driven by a single camshaft located in the centre of the ‘V’. The heads were kept narrow by splaying the valves at an angle relative to the length of the head, rather than its width, while other interesting features included wet cylinder liners, a cam-chain tensioning device activated by oil pressure, and auxiliary oil pumps placed within both the gearbox and the rear axle. 

To concentrate solely on the new engine, however, would be to ignore a number of other extremely important technical developments which appeared on the Aurelia. It was, for example, the first car to have Michelin’s revolutionary ‘X’ radial tyres as original equipment (continuing a long relationship between the factory and the French tyre company), while other prominent technical points included independent rear suspension by semi-trailing arms and coil springs, transaxle layout (with synchromesh on all four gears), hydraulic brakes (inboard at the rear), and extensive use of aluminium (including the doors, bonnet and bootlid), which kept the weight down to an impressive 1080kg. Especially in the use of a transaxle and independent rear suspension, the new car bore Jano’s distinct imprint. Front suspension was by traditional Lancia patented sliding pillar, with the shock absorber incorporated within the coil spring.

The first year saw production of the Aurelia B10 berlina, a four-door pillarless saloon with the 1.8-litre engine, producing 56 bhp. Answering some criticism of the car’s performance, the following year saw the introduction of the B21, which had an uprated 2.0-litre (1991cc) engine producing 70 bhp. A six-light limousine, the B15, was also derived from the B21 and built in small numbers by Bertone. This version had the wheelbase extended by nearly 200mm and the engine detuned to 65 bhp.
 

The berlina received another boost in 1952 when the B22 was released. Notwithstanding minor changes such as the instruments and indicators, this was essentially a B21 with a modified camshaft and a twin-choke Weber carburettor, which helped boost power to 90 bhp. This variant continued until 1954, when the arrival of the B12 heralded significant changes to the Aurelia. 

The most important revision arising from this ‘second series’ was the adoption of a de Dion suspension layout on leaf springs at the rear, in place of the previous fully-independent setup, which helped keep camber change in check under cornering load and made wet-weather handling in particular more predictable.  Further modifications included the replacement of the white-metal bearings with Vandervell items, a new cartridge oil filter, and a new block casting. With a 2266cc engine and 87 bhp, the B12 also incorporated numerous other small detail changes to the design, such as the headlights, spotlights, and wind deflectors on the windows. 

Additionally, Lancia had released a chassis with an extended wheelbase alongside the debut of the standard car in 1950, specifically designed for the use of the various carrozzerie. This was designated the B50, or B51 with different gear ratios and tyres; later becoming the B52 and B53 respectively with the adoption of the 2-litre engine. A small number of chassis with de Dion rear suspension were also produced (B55 and B56), as well as a single B60.  Various carrozzerie, including Pinin Farina, Bertone, Viotti, Boneschi, Vignale, Allemano, Stabilimenti Farina and Ghia, used these chassis as a basis for their work, with perhaps the most striking vehicle to emerge from all these efforts being a futuristic concept car by Pinin Farina, the 1953 PF2000. 

Nonetheless, as beautiful and striking as some of these coachbuilt cars may have been, they were arguably overshadowed by Lancia’s own efforts with their coupe derivative of the Aurelia, the ‘Gran Turismo’, more popularly known as the B20 GT. Once described as, “a grand tourer which would have made the late Vincenzo Lancia smile”, the B20 GT remains one of the most famous Lancias ever, as well as one of the all-time great automobiles. Built on a wheelbase some 200mm shorter than that of the saloon, the B20 defined the modern template for the Gran Turismo, or GT.

Although the first use of the term was on the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Turismo, it was the Aurelia which popularised it and helped make ‘Gran Turismo’ a concept in its own right.  Robert Coucher observes that, “as a Gran Turismo, the Aurelia is superb. It’s light and minimal in construction but not fragile like Alfa Romeos of the same era: the result of functional weight-paring, not cost-cutting with insubstantial components. Beneath its skin, the mechanicals are rugged and well conceived, allowing rapid progress on challenging roads.” At substantially more than the price of a Jaguar D-Type in the UK, it was far from cheap, but for those who could afford it, it offered a sublime blend of quality, styling, performance, and dynamic integrity. It is no surprise to find that it was extremely popular with many racing drivers of the day, including Jean Behra, Mike Hawthorn and Juan-Manuel Fangio. 

Although the handsome full-width bodywork of the B20 is sometimes attributed to Pinin Farina, who tidied up the design before its debut, it is commonly felt to largely be the work of Ghia’s Mario Felice Boano, who amongst other projects is noted for his work on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint. It was only limited production capacity which prevented Ghia from building the cars as well; the first 98 examples produced are ascribed to Carrozzeria Viotti, while increasing demand thereafter resulted in a shift to Pinin Farina’s works (Lancia supplied a rolling platform to the coachbuilder, to which hand-beaten panels were welded). Mechanically, it was broadly as per the B21, with a slightly tuned engine producing 75 bhp.  Soon afterwards, after 500 S1 cars had been produced, production began of the second series coupe, which used an 80 bhp version of the same engine (the improvement obtained through repositioned valves and a higher compression ratio). Additionally, the brakes were improved, the ride height reduced, and a few detail styling changes made to things such as the instrumentation and chrome trim. 

Further developments to the B20 resulted in a third series entering production by 1952, which was often referred to as the ‘GT 2500’. Along with some mild alterations to the styling (especially in the profile of the tail), the V6’s capacity was expanded to 2451cc, now developing 118 bhp. This increase in power began to show up some weaknesses in the suspension design, so the fourth series introduced a de Dion layout at the rear to replace the previously independent system in 1954, along with the possibility to buy a left-hand drive version for the first time. Subsequent B20 models became more biased towards luxury with somewhat superfluous additions: the fifth series in 1956 (which added a direct drive top gear) was heavier and had a softer cam profile for increased torque, and with power reduced to only 110 bhp, while the sixth and final series (1957 on) added even more weight (a total increase of over 1000lb over the S1), not completely offset by a minor increase in power to 112 bhp. 

For the motorist looking for the ultimate in refined elegance, sportiness and glamour, however, it was difficult to go past the Aurelia B24 Spider, first seen as a prototype in 1954 but officially introduced during the 1955 Brussels Motor Show. The B24’s bodywork was both designed and built by Pinin Farina, and it is widely considered to be one of the coachbuilder’s most successful designs; elements deriving from it would later pop up in designs such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider and Ferrari 250 GT California. Based on a fourth series B20 chassis shortened by a further 210mm, the Spider was fitted with the latest mechanical specification from the coupe, which meant the 2.5-litre engine and de Dion rear end, and floor-mounted gearlevers on certain left-hand drive cars. 

Only 240 examples of the Spider were produced until 1956, when it gave way to the GT 2500 Convertible (aka ‘America’). Featuring a completely redesigned body, the Convertible had no panels common to the Spider; the latter’s wrap-around windscreen was ditched in favour of a flatter windscreen with small quarterlight panels, along with deeper doors (incorporating door handles) and one-piece straight bumpers. The aim was to make the car more comfortable and user-friendly, and in that aim Lancia was successful; but it is also generally agreed that a deal of the Spider’s purity and delicacy was sacrificed in the process. 

Like the B20, production of the Aurelia Convertible ran until 1958, whereas production of the berlina wound up a couple of years prior. For all its charms, significance and timeless design, the Aurelia failed to sell in sufficient numbers to be viable, with just over 18,000 examples of all models leaving the factory gates over eight years (broken down into 12,786 saloons, 3871 coupes, 761 Spiders/Convertibles and 778 bare chassis). By 1955, the situation had deteriorated to the point that Gianni Lancia and his mother were forced to sell the family’s majority holding in the company to industrial conglomerate Italcementi, headed by millionaire Carlo Pesenti. 

The reasons for the financial crisis are complex and disputed, but it is likely that a number stem from the particular technical and organisational culture which characterised the company from the off. Although the Aurelia’s lack of viability placed the company close to the financial precipice, and the huge expense of the competition programme was the trigger for the family’s loss of control, Giuseppe Berta is careful not to underestimate the significance of the company’s lack of responsiveness to developments outside the technical arena: “Lancia’s corporate system was, in the early 1950s...a mixture of contradictions.  It produced models like the Aurelia which overwhelmed the market, whilst its technological and organisational modernisation was at a standstill. It continued to pursue an ideal aspiration for technical excellence...when in practice it had abdicated from all entrepreneurial and managerial-type behaviour. 

“(Within Lancia during this period,) the technical control and disciplinary authority of the company were at an all-time low, whereas the discretionary power of the workers was extremely high. In fact, workers, technicians and management all shared a single mentality...the outstanding importance attributed to the technical quality of the product and the attention paid to some executive phases were factors that could quite easily stand alone from an exact understanding of the lacunae in terms of efficiency and costing.” According to Wim Oude Weernink, under Gianni’s leadership there had been too heavy a concentration on the technical aspects of the Aurelia project, as well as too much effort and expenditure on different styles and technical variations, at the cost of sufficient investment in plant equipment which had been ageing since the end of the 1940s. Reinvestment in the best machine tools available, along with the building of the Lancia skyscraper on the Via Vincenzo Lancia, was simply not being sufficiently repaid by the weekly output of under 180 cars. In short, he says, “Lancia was dominated by a technical and engineering culture, exclusively concentrated on the project, and it was this that finally inveigled the company to embark on the extremely costly adventure of racing.” 

Unfortunately for Gianni, the racing programme would have a negligible impact in improving the company’s sales. If nothing else, however, it would bring fame to the company, establishing the Lancia name in motor racing in some style, and provide a suitable arena where the Aurelia’s outstanding handling and performance characteristics could be put on show. The sensational debut of a B20 GT on the 1951 Mille Miglia, where it finished second overall, marked the beginning of the factory’s steadily increasing commitment to motor racing – a commitment which would ultimately culminate in Lancia’s first and only Formula 1 car, and the adoption of the famed ‘running elephant’ logo to designate Lancia competition cars. Between 1951 and 1955, the Aurelia and the specialist racing cars which followed it would achieve a great number of successes, going head-to-head against the likes of Alfa Romeo and Ferrari.

by Shant Fabricatorian