Ivan Vicario Martin
If campaigns to raise funding through crowdfunding o through crowdfunding tend to be common, less common is that they are carried out to raise funding for restore a classic car. In this case, it is a very special one, since we are talking about a Spanish sports car from the 60s and 70s, the Dodge Lanza, of which only one unit was built.
Presented at the Salon of Barcelona of 1971, was the culmination of the dream of Pablo Muñoz Lanza, who had a workshop and was inspired by the sports cars of the time, such as the Porsche 908 and 917 or the Alfa and Chevron boats, to create a car that would allow him to compete and win the national category. For this reason, the propellant had to be Spanish, so the most powerful available was chosen, the Dodge Dart inline 6 engine. Its displacement was 3.690 cm3 and yielded a good 145 CV.
From the Dart were also taken other mechanical elements, like the drum brakes, which were always one of the weak points of the model, since its features "asked" for disc ones. Initially, the change was three gears, but, in its presentation at Barreiros Désel, Eduardo Barreiros he gave a four-speed to Muñoz Lanza.
HAND-MADE
With the engine on two bricks, the interior was designed looking for a ideal weight distribution. For this, the Dodge Lanza engine is front-central, which allowed us to achieve the desired 50-50 weight distribution. The roll bars are integrated into the roof and the suspension allows the height of the car to be adjusted, despite having crossbows as an elastic element.
During development, there were problems with the windshield, which a company from Zaragoza ended up solving. Finally, and in less than a year, the Spear was finished. The tests began immediately, normally rolling through the streets of Madrid with Pablo Muñoz Lanza himself at the wheel, accompanied by his father -also Pablo- many of the times. In this period it was decided to extend the development of the change to improve the maximum speed. This was estimated at 260 km/ha 0 to 100 km / h in 7,3 seconds.
After using it in 1970 and encouraged by his friends, Muñoz Lanza decided to exhibit it at the Barcelona Salon in 1971. There he headed down the road with his father. As expected, the Dodge Lanza became one of the stars of the contest, even received an award. The sharp and futuristic design of him grabbed all the attention.
Since the idea was never to build more units, but rather as a promotional tool, the trajectory of the car did not go further. Munoz Lanza stopped using it in 1973, when his son Pablo was born, being parked for decades in the family garage. The model fell into oblivionuntil the magazine Classic Cars dedicated an article to him in November 2019.
DODGE LAUNCHES CROWDFUNDING
40 years after it went out of use, the sons of Muñoz Lanza, Pablo and Césarthey have started a campaign through crowdfunding to raise funding to restore the Dodge Lanza. The car is running, that is, mechanically well cared for, but there is still a lot of work to be done, especially on the bodywork, despite the fact that part of the restoration has already been carried out in recent years.
It remains to paint it, reupholster it, look for some pieces such as the lampshades of the headlights and others. The cost of pending jobs is very high and the family cannot afford it, hence they seek financing through crowdfunding. Pablo and César thus try to fulfill one of his father's dreams, which is to see his Dodge Lanza rolling again.
The amount they need to raise amounts to 20.000 euros, a lot or a little, depending on how you look at it, because we are talking about a unique car in the history of our country. In addition, they have launched a profile on Instagram to go detailing the progress of the restoration. From LA SCUDERÍA we can only wish them the best of luck.
DODGE LAUNCH VIDEO
Photos from Gofundme and archive.
