1969 Fiat - Lancia
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According to Wikipedia, "Lancia" means "lance" in Italian, but the brand was founded in 1906 using the family name of Vincenzo Lancia. He was initially an employee of Fiat, before later going on to establish his own
company, additionally together in partnership with Claudio Fogolin.
Both men sought new challenges very early on, even though they had been successful as racing drivers at Fiat. Motor racing in Europe was still in its infancy. In 1906, Lancia achieved second place in the Vanderbilt Cup in
the United States. In 1911, the final separation from Fiat took place.
From the very beginning, the distinctive goals of this car company were evident. These were already somewhat evident in the Lancia Theta of 1913/14. It is said to have been the first car in Europe with a starter and
illuminated instruments.
If each Lancia model was always named after a Greek letter, and Theta is the eighth letter in the Greek alphabet, then it's easy to calculate how frequently new Lancia models appeared.
The first real celebrity came after the First World War. The Lancia Lambda from 1923 continues to generate interest to this day. It's somewhat unusual that such an open-top model, common at the time, had a self-
supporting body. The doors only opened the side walls to a minimum.
Perhaps even more remarkable was the independent front wheel suspension, a somewhat simplified design utilizing vertical struts for the suspension. However, the wheels were at least equipped with hydraulic damping.
Therefore the front brakes were no longer so noticeable as a novelty.
| 1st, 2nd and 3rd place at the 1927 Mille Miglia. |
In 1950, the Aurelia received novelties in the form of a transaxle design, i.e. the transmission at the rear. The V6 engine, with its 60-degree angle, likely required that space at the front. The transaxle also required
independent rear suspension with semi-trailing arms, later a DeDion axle, always with internal drum brakes.
| The saloon lacks the B-pillar with two doors opening in opposite directions. |
The D25 now stands here for Lancia's early racing participations after the war. Ultimately, it didn't bring the company any good fortune. The successor model, the D50, easily recognizable by its side-mounted fuel tanks,
was much more successful, until Alberto Ascari had his accidents: first in 1955 in Monaco, when he crashed into the water while leading the race, and later fatally in Monza during a test drive.
| The incidents prompted Lancia to sell the entire racing department, including the D50, to Ferrari,
where they achieved success with it.. |
It made the brand the 'eternal World Rally Champion' with the FIA Group 4 homologation. It was the successor to the Stratos, the Rally 037, that won the last rear-wheel drive world championship in 1983.
Walter Röhrl and Markku Alén won the manufacturers' title, but it wasn't quite enough to secure the drivers' title. This marked the definitive end to the series of titles won by the Stratos between 1974 and 1976. From then
on,
Audi and Peugeot dominated with their all-wheel drive systems.
However, the Stratos remains the most fascinating vehicle ever produced by Lancia. The design was by Marcello Gandini (Bertone), who was also responsible for the Miura and Countach from Lamborghini. It was a mid-
engine sports car powered by the V6 engine from the Ferrari Dino.
| In 1969, Lancia was acquired by Fiat. The purchase price was roughly equivalent to the company's
outstanding debt. |
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