javier romagosa
Just a month ago Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the Fiat group, was amazed In an interview published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica stating that soon Lancia would only be sold on the Italian market and in a single model, the Lancia Ypsilon. It seems that this is the way it will be, and that we will probably not enjoy the legendary Turinese brand beyond the life of the current generation of its small utility vehicle.
The Fiat Group - or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, after the acquisition by the Italian giant of the total shareholding package of Chrysler last January - bought Lancia in 1969, after the Pesenti family was unable to carry it out after the sports program implemented by Gianni Lancia in the first five years of the fifties.
The brand founded by pioneer Vincenzo Lancia in 1906 always characterized by being at the forefront of technique, for experimenting at the time with visionary solutions that only decades later would be adopted by other manufacturers. This was the case with the self-supporting body, independent front suspension and all-wheel brakes of the 1922 Lambda; or with the torsion bar suspension, the hypoid rear axle or the aerodynamic bodywork of the 1937 Aprilia model.
1- Lancia Lambda, technological showcase of its time
2- Lancia Aprilia from 1937
However, V. Lancia never wanted to test his cars on the fierce racing terrain. He was satisfied that they were the fruit of his passion - of his genius - and of dressing them in the haute couture of the time, mainly thanks to Pinin Farina. Until after World War II the Lancia were technological jewels of great beauty.
DIE OF SUCCESS
In the immediate post-war period, Gianni Lancia, Vincenzo's son, took over the reins of the company and decided it was time to run; He then hired the services of the engineer Vittorio Jano, father of the virtuous six- and eight-cylinder Alfa-Romeo mechanics and, by extension, of the legendary P2 and P3 grand prix cars. His objective was that, without losing the essence of innovation of the brand, he designed the machines that would relaunch it.
Such a sports program would ruin Lancia, But not before he built some of the most desirable cars of the 4s. Jano transformed the atypical and traditional V6 engine into a V246 that would serve as the basis for the new Aurelia but would also be related to the Dino XNUMX and Stratos in the future. Regarding the Aurelia, he won the Targa Florio, the Monte-Carlo Rally, his class at Le Mans and achieved a second place in the Thousand Miles behind a Ferrari that surely could not believe that that little guy with whom he doubled the power was dancing at your pace.
1- Lancia Aurelia B20GT, a sporty twist
2- Lancia D24, at the height of a Ferrari
These successes encouraged Gianni Lancia to finish what he had started; that is, to create two cars to compete in the Formula 1 and sports car championships. Thus was born the D24 boat that Alberto Ascari led to victory in the Thousand Miles and was about to win the 1954 championship; then the D50 would arrive, a promising V8 car that, piloted by the same ace, achieved the pole position and the fastest lap in his first race.
The bet ended in an unusual way, The Italian ceded the entire project, including cars and plans, to Ferrari. The Commendator I would know how to take advantage of it.
After the bankruptcy, control of the Turin manufacturer passed into the hands of the Pesenti family, who worked to stabilize it while preserving its identity and even, in part, its participation in sports. This is the time of the birth of Professor Fessia's Fulvia, front-wheel drive, which Fiat would later take to the top of the world rally with 1.6 HF engines, as well as the beautiful Flaminia coupes and convertibles like the one you can see in the header image.
1- The Lancia Stratos revolutionized the rallies of its time
2- Lancia 037, pioneer of Group B
Fiat money
Unfortunately, Lancia remained unprofitable, which is why it was eventually sold to the Fiat Group. The Italian giant used it as its flagship in rallying, while Ferrari and Alfa-Romeo - the former probably much more independently than the latter - gave the upper hand on the circuits. From the Stratos to the Delta S4, passing through the 037 and the Beta Monte Carlo, all those Lancia's wrote the history of motorsport in capital letters.
At first, the Piedmontese group gave Lancia surprising freedom to continue applying the philosophy that had led to his ruin. Maybe it just took more money to develop these ingenious machines ... but the truth is that they were too complicated to do business with. The major projects undertaken in the seventies, such as the Gamma, would end in a resounding failure, the effective Beta being - like the Delta later -, even with its corrosion problems, the model that breathed air into the company.
In the 1990s Fiat decided to transfer all competencies sports from the coglomerate to Alfa-Romeo, leaving Lancia with no reason to exist. She has survived until now, even having to endure the humiliation that her centennial emblem headed American limousines that had nothing to do with her; and now it seems the time has come to say goodbye.
* All images have been provided by Lancia
