Lancia () is an Italian
car manufacturer and a subsidiary of
FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a
Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but its history is traced back to ''Lancia & C.'', a manufacturing concern founded in 1906 in
Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
by
Vincenzo Lancia
Vincenzo Lancia (24 August 1881 – 15 February 1937) was an Italian racing driver, engineer and founder of Lancia.
Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin; his family tree starts in Fabell ...
(1881–1937) and Claudio Fogolin. It became part of
Fiat in 1969.
The brand is known for its strong
rallying heritage, and technical innovations such as the
unibody chassis of the 1922
Lambda
Lambda (}, ''lám(b)da'') is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiced alveolar lateral approximant . In the system of Greek numerals, lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is derived from the Phoenician Lamed . Lambda gave ri ...
and the five-speed gearbox introduced in the 1948
Ardea. Despite not competing in the
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
since 1992, Lancia still holds more
Manufacturers' Championships than any other brand.
Sales of Lancia-branded vehicles declined from over 300,000 annual units sold in 1990 to less than 100,000 by 2010. After corporate parent Fiat acquired a stake in
Chrysler in 2009, the Lancia brand portfolio was modified to include
rebadged
In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...
Chrysler products, for sale in most European markets. In the United Kingdom and Ireland however, Lancias were rebadged as Chryslers. As sales continued to drop the Lancia-badged Chryslers were no longer offered after 2015. Since then, the company's only product has been the
Lancia Ypsilon
The Lancia Ypsilon is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Lancia, now in its third generation and as of 2022, the marque's only model. The Ypsilon was released in 1995, as a larger and more expensive replacement to the Y10. Between 1995 an ...
, and sales outside of Italy ended in 2017. Despite Lancia's much smaller brand presence, the Ypsilon continues to be popular in Italy; in fact it was the second best-selling car there in 2019.
The newly-merged Franco-Italian-American company Stellantis has stated that it will try to revive Italy’s Lancia, with the move also suggesting there will be more than one model for the brand and sales outside of Italy for the first time in years.
History
Foundation and early years
![2006 SAG - Lancia Beta Torpedo 1520 HP 1909 -03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/2006_SAG_-_Lancia_Beta_Torpedo_1520_HP_1909_-03.JPG)
Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili was founded on 27 November 1906 in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
by
Fiat racing drivers,
Vincenzo Lancia
Vincenzo Lancia (24 August 1881 – 15 February 1937) was an Italian racing driver, engineer and founder of Lancia.
Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin; his family tree starts in Fabell ...
(1881-1937) and his friend, Claudio Fogolin (1872-1945). The first car manufactured by Lancia was the "
Tipo 51" or "12 HP" (later called "Alfa"), which remained in production from 1907 to 1908. It had a small four-cylinder engine with a power output of .
In 1910, Lancia components were exported to the United States where they were assembled and sold as
SGVs by the SGV Company. In 1915, Lancia also manufactured its first truck, the
Jota, that continued as a dedicated series. In 1937, Vincenzo died of a heart attack. His wife, Adele Miglietti Lancia, and his son,
Gianni Lancia
Gianni Lancia (16 November 1924 – 30 June 2014) was an Italian automobile engineer, industrialist and racing enthusiast, known for running the Lancia carmaker in Turin (1949–55). Born in Fobello (near Biella), he was the older son of Vince ...
, took over control of the company. They persuaded
Vittorio Jano
Vittorio Jano ( hu, János Viktor; 22 April 1891 – 13 March 1965) was an Italians, Italian automobile designer of Hungarian people, Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s.
Jano was born ''Viktor János'' in San Giorgio Canavese, in ...
to join as an engineer. Jano had already made a name for himself by designing various
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
models, including some of its most successful race cars ever such as the
6C,
P2 and
P3.
![LanciaBorgoSanPaolo009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/LanciaBorgoSanPaolo009.jpg)
Lancia is renowned in the automotive world for introducing cars with numerous innovations. These include the
Theta
Theta (, ; uppercase: Θ or ; lowercase: θ or ; grc, ''thē̂ta'' ; Modern: ''thī́ta'' ) is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, derived from the Phoenician letter Teth . In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 9.
Gr ...
of 1913, which was the first European production car to feature a complete electrical system as standard equipment.
Lancia's first car adopting a
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
chassis – the
Lambda
Lambda (}, ''lám(b)da'') is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiced alveolar lateral approximant . In the system of Greek numerals, lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is derived from the Phoenician Lamed . Lambda gave ri ...
produced from 1922 to 1931 - featured '
Sliding Pillar
A sliding pillar suspension is a form of independent front suspension for light cars. The stub axle and wheel assembly are attached to a vertical pillar or kingpin which slides up and down through a bush or bushes which are attached to the veh ...
' independent front suspension that incorporated the spring and hydraulic damper into a single unit (a feature that would be employed in subsequent Lancias, up to the
Appia that was replaced in 1963). In 1948, the first 5-speed
gearbox
Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...
was fitted to a production car (Series 3 Ardea). Lancia premiered the first full-production
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a six-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, Deutz Gasmotoren Fabr ...
, in the 1950
Aurelia Aurelia may refer to:
People
* Version of feminine given name Aurélie
* Aurelia (mother of Caesar)
* Aurelia gens, a Roman family
* Aurelia Browder, American civil rights activist
* Astrud Aurelia, American drag queen
Science
* ''Aurelia'' (c ...
,
[1980; page 2 of]
www.ritzsite.nl/Lancia/02_LanciaCC.htm
accessdate: 14. June 2016 after earlier industry-leading experiments with
V8 and
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The f ...
configurations. It was also the first manufacturer to produce a
V4 engine
A V4 engine is a four-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The V4 engine is less common compared to straight-four engines. However, V4 engines have been used in automobiles ...
. Other innovations involved the use of
independent suspension in production cars (in an era where
live axles were common practice for both the front and rear axles of a car), and rear transaxles, which were first fitted to the
Aurelia Aurelia may refer to:
People
* Version of feminine given name Aurélie
* Aurelia (mother of Caesar)
* Aurelia gens, a Roman family
* Aurelia Browder, American civil rights activist
* Astrud Aurelia, American drag queen
Science
* ''Aurelia'' (c ...
and
Flaminia range. This drive for innovation, constant quest for excellence, fixation of quality, complex construction processes and antiquated production machinery meant that all cars essentially had to be hand-made. With little commonality between the various models, the cost of production continued to rise, while flat demand eventually affected Lancia's viability.
Gianni Lancia, a graduate engineer, was president of Lancia from 1947 to 1955. In 1956, the Pesenti family took over control of Lancia with Carlo Pesenti (1907–1984) in charge of the company.
1969 to present
![LanciaBorgoSanPaolo0001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/LanciaBorgoSanPaolo0001.jpg)
Fiat launched a take-over bid in October 1969. It was accepted by Lancia as the company was losing significant sums of money, with losses in 1969 being 20 million. This was not the end of the distinctive Lancia marque, and new models in the 1970s such as the
Stratos,
Gamma and
Beta proved that
Fiat wished to preserve the image of the brand it had acquired.
Autobianchi
Autobianchi () was an Italian automobile manufacturer, created jointly by Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat in 1955. Autobianchi produced only a handful of models during its lifetime, which were almost exclusively small cars, with the biggest being the sh ...
, bought by Fiat Group just a year before, was put under the control of Lancia.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Lancia had great success in
rallying, winning many
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
s.
During the 1980s, the company cooperated with
Saab Automobile, with the
Lancia Delta
The Lancia Delta is a small family car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia in three generations. The first generation (1979-1994) debuted at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, the second generation (1993-1999) debuted at the 1993 Gene ...
being sold as the
Saab 600
The Lancia Delta is a small family car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia in three generations. The first generation (1979-1994) debuted at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, the second generation (1993-1999) debuted at the 1993 Gen ...
in
Sweden. The 1985
Lancia Thema
The Lancia Thema (Type 834) is an executive car produced by the Italian automaker Lancia between 1984 and 1994, and one of four cars to share the Type Four platform alongside the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. The Thema was first shown ...
also shared a
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
with the
Saab 9000
The Saab 9000 is an automobile produced by the Swedish company Saab from 1984 to 1998. Representing the company's foray into the executive car scene, it was developed as a result of the successes of the turbocharged 99 and 900 models. The 9000 re ...
,
Fiat Croma
The Fiat Croma name was used for two distinct large family car by Fiat, one a five door liftback manufactured and marketed from 1985 to 1996, and after a nine year hiatus, a crossover station wagon manufactured and marketed from 2005 to 2010.
...
and the
Alfa Romeo 164
The Alfa Romeo 164 (Type 164) is a four-door executive saloon manufactured and marketed by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1987-1998, styled by Pininfarina, and cooperatively designed and sharing platforms and numerous elements with the Fiat ...
. During the 1990s, all models were closely related to other Fiat models.
Starting from 1 February 2007, Fiat's automotive operations were reorganised.
Fiat Auto became
Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.,
Fiat S.p.A.'s branch handling mainstream automotive production. Simultaneously the current company, ''Lancia Automobiles S.p.A.'', was created from the pre-existing brand, and controlled 100% by FCA.
In 2011, Lancia moved in a new direction and added new models manufactured by
Chrysler and sold under the Lancia badge in many European markets. Conversely, Lancia-built models began to be sold in right-hand drive markets under the Chrysler badge.
In 2015 Lancia's parent company Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. became
FCA Italy S.p.A., reflecting the earlier incorporation of Fiat S.p.A. into
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Despite doubts about the brand's future following the completion of the
Stellantis merger in 2021, Lancia was made part of a joint group with sister companies Alfa Romeo and
DS Automobiles
DS Automobiles is a French luxury vehicle marque which was introduced in 2009. Formerly part of Citroën, DS has been a standalone brand since 2015 (2012 in China).
DS can be an abbreviation of Different Spirit or Distinctive Series, although it ...
, to develop new premium models for the 2024 model year. As part of Stellantis' recovery plan for Lancia, Luca Napolitano was appointed the car maker's CEO, and
Jean-Pierre Ploué
Jean-Pierre Ploué is a French car designer, born in 1962, known for bringing the Citroën marque back to strength and restoring its reputation for innovation and strong individualistic styling.
Biography
Ploué graduated from the École na ...
its chief designer. Three new electric models were announced in June 2021: a replacement city car for the Ypsilon; a compact crossover (codenamed L74 and rumoured to be named the Aurelia); and a compact hatchback, likely to be a new Delta.
2021 - Lancia's 115th anniversary
Lancia celebrated the 115th anniversary of its foundation in 2021.
Luca Napolitano and
Jean-Pierre Ploué
Jean-Pierre Ploué is a French car designer, born in 1962, known for bringing the Citroën marque back to strength and restoring its reputation for innovation and strong individualistic styling.
Biography
Ploué graduated from the École na ...
celebrated Lancia’s 115th anniversary with a docufilm entitled ''Elegance on the move''.
Logo
;1907
From 1907 to 1910 Lancia cars didn't bear a true badge, but rather a brass plaque identifying the manufacturer (Lancia & C.) and chassis code; although some models did have a brass Lancia script on the grille.
;1911
The original Lancia logo was designed by Count
Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia.
In 1910 Vincenzo Lancia asked Biscaretti di Ruffia to design a badge for the company: the Count submitted six
watercolour
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
proposal sketches. Vincenzo Lancia chose a round one, composed by a blue
lance
A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...
and flag bearing a Lancia script ("Lancia" means "lance" in Italian) in gold, over a four-spoke steering wheel, with a hand
throttle
A throttle is the mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by constriction or obstruction.
An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ...
detail on the right spoke.
The first car to bear the Lancia logo was the
Gamma 20 HP in 1911.
;1929
In 1929 the logo acquired its final layout: the previous round badge was superimposed on a blue shield in the shape of a
Reuleaux triangle (as found in one of Biscaretti di Ruffia's six original proposals).
Though first applied on the 1929
Dikappa, this badge was only used consistently starting with the 1936
Aprilia.
;1957
Beginning with the 1957
Flaminia, Lancia cars switched from the traditional vertical split grille to a horizontal, full-width one. The logo was moved inside the grille opening, and changed to a more stylized chromed metal open-work design; shield and steering wheel became chrome frames, the only remaining enameled surface being the blue field of the flag. This new metal logo was used on most models with some exceptions, namely
Zagato
Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 ...
-bodied
Lancia Fulvia
The Lancia Fulvia (Tipo 818) is an automobile produced by Lancia between 1963 and 1976. Named after Via Fulvia, the Roman road leading from Tortona to Turin, it was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 and manufactured in three variants ...
s and
Flavias
Flaviopolis ( grc, Φλαβιόπολις or Φλαοϋιόπολις), or Phlaouiopolis, or Flavias, was a town of ancient Cilicia. Respecting its history scarcely anything is known, and it cannot be ascertained whether it owed its name to the emp ...
, the
Lancia 2000 Berlina (which reprised the traditional upright grille and the round enameled badge) and the
Stratos HF (whose ornaments lacked the triangular shield).
;1974
In 1974 the badge was redesigned on
Umberto Agnelli
Umberto Agnelli (; 1 November 1934 – 27 May 2004) was an Italian industrialist and politician. He was the third son of Virginia Agnelli (born Donna Virginia Bourbon del Monte) and of Edoardo Agnelli, and the youngest brother of Gianni Agnell ...
's request;
it went back to a modernised silver, white and blue version of the 1929 design. Flag and lance were unified in a single shape and dispensed with the earlier minute detailing, the Lancia letters became all of the same size, and the steering wheel became also outlined in blue and lost the hand throttle detail. This logo debuted on the 1979
Lancia Delta
The Lancia Delta is a small family car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia in three generations. The first generation (1979-1994) debuted at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, the second generation (1993-1999) debuted at the 1993 Gene ...
,
and made its way on the other models as they adopted the split grille introduced by the Delta. Though lightly revised in 2000 with the addition of a chrome shield surround, the 1974 logo was used through four decades, up to 2006.
;2007
The current logo, designed by Robilant Associati, was presented at the 2007
Geneva Motor Show—a couple of months after the creation of Lancia Automobiles.
While the traditional chrome-framed blue shield has been retained and made three-dimensional, for the first time since 1911 lance and flag are absent; the steering wheel has been stylized into a chromed circle, from which two spikes converge towards the modern Lancia logotype in the centre.
Lancia family
![VittorioJano-GianniLancia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/VittorioJano-GianniLancia.jpg)
Cavalier Giuseppe Lancia (1860 (
Cuneo
Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area.
It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in ...
) - 1919 (
Bordighera
Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy).
Geography
Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...
) was an Italian businessman and father of
Vincenzo Lancia
Vincenzo Lancia (24 August 1881 – 15 February 1937) was an Italian racing driver, engineer and founder of Lancia.
Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin; his family tree starts in Fabell ...
. When he was sixteen he started a business with food in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Later, for a few years, he made relationships with
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
and he created a food industry in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. His efforts and innovations made his company a great success. His company was one of the first food companies in the country and showed new methods in this sector. When he made a fortune, he returned to Italy. By his education, Giuseppe was a translator. In 1875, he married Marianna Orazzi. In 1876, their first son Giovanni was born. In 1879 their daughter Margherita was born. She died in 1894. In 1881, their third child, Vincenzo Lancia, was born. Their second daughter, Anna Maria (later Anna-Maria-Giacobinni), was born in 1884. In their free time, the Lancias spent their time at a villa near Turin.
Vincenzo Lancia
Vincenzo Lancia (24 August 1881 – 15 February 1937) was an Italian racing driver, engineer and founder of Lancia.
Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin; his family tree starts in Fabell ...
was born on 24 August 1881 in
Fobello
Fobello is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Vercelli.
Fobello borders the following municipalities: Alto Sermenza, Bannio Anzino, Ca ...
near Turin. His father wanted Vincenzo to be a lawyer, but did not have much interest in the humanities. He met the Battista brothers as well as Giovanni Ceirano and became interested in science and technology, especially automobiles. He saw his first cars in Turin and Milan. One of his friends, Carlo Bishareti di Ruffia, had a Benz and that was the first important automobile in his life. When
FIAT was founded in 1899, Vincenzo was very active in the company and later became one of the most famous test drivers of Italian automobile brands. In 1922, Vincenzo married his secretary - Adele Miglietti. Vincenzo and Adele had three children: Gianni, Eleonora and Maria. He died on February 15, 1937.
Gianni Lancia
Gianni Lancia (16 November 1924 – 30 June 2014) was an Italian automobile engineer, industrialist and racing enthusiast, known for running the Lancia carmaker in Turin (1949–55). Born in Fobello (near Biella), he was the older son of Vince ...
was born on 24 November 1924 in Turin. He finished his education with his sisters at the Technical University of Pisa. From the time he was a little boy Gianni loved sports, but his greatest passion was motor racing. This led him to become a driver for the Lancia team. Gianni became the boss of Lancia in 1950. He invested a lot of money in expensive prototypes and other unprofitable ventures that led him to sell a big part of the company to Carlo Pesenti in 1957. After that he started a business in the food industry. For a few years he lived in Brazil. He had two sons, Mariele and Vincenzo, from his first marriage, and one son, Lorenzo Lancia, from his marriage to Jacqueline Sassard. He died on 30 June 2014.
Automotive
Current car models
Lancia Ypsilon
![Lancia Ypsilon MY'21](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Lancia_Ypsilon_MY%2721.jpg)
The Ypsilon is a premium 5-door
supermini car
The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of ...
produced since 2011. It is based on an updated
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles.
Launc ...
platform. It was previously available for sale in many European markets; however, since 2017, it has only been available in Italy. In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
it was previously sold as the ''Chrysler Ypsilon''.
Although it is the only Lancia car in production and only for sale in Italy, the Ypsilon continues to be popular there; it was the second best-selling car in Italy in 2019.
Past car models
Historical models
The
Lancia Aurelia introduced the front engine rear transmission configuration later used by Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, GM, Volvo and Maserati, as well as the V6 engine, which is now common. It had
inboard rear brakes, an important way of reducing un-sprung weight.
The
Lancia Stratos
The Lancia Stratos HF (''Tipo 829''), widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is a rear mid-engined sports car designed for rally racing, made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for ''High Fidelity''. It was a very succes ...
was a successful rally car during the 1970s, and helped the company to improve its sporting credentials.
Chrysler-derived models
The second generation
Lancia Thema
The Lancia Thema (Type 834) is an executive car produced by the Italian automaker Lancia between 1984 and 1994, and one of four cars to share the Type Four platform alongside the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. The Thema was first shown ...
executive car
Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and smal ...
(2011 – 2014) was a re-branded second generation
Chrysler 300
The Chrysler 300 is a full-size luxury car manufactured and marketed by Stellantis North America (and its predecessor companies) as a four-door sedan and station wagon in its first generation (model years 2005–2010) and solely as a four-d ...
unveiled in 2011 to replace the
Thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
. It reused the name of the Italian made 1984–94
Thema saloon. It used to be available in various European markets, but for the United Kingdom and Ireland it was only sold as the ''Chrysler 300C''. It was discontinued in 2015.
The
Lancia Voyager was a
large MPV
Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
unveiled in 2011, which was based on the
Chrysler Town & Country
The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from 1990 to the 2016 model years. The third of the Chrysler minivans introduced, the 1990 Town & Country shared its nameplate with the flagship Chrysler st ...
. It was marketed in various European markets, but for the United Kingdom and Ireland it was only sold as the ''Chrysler Grand Voyager''. It was discontinued in 2015.
Between 2012 and 2014, the
Chrysler 200 Convertible was rebranded and marketed under the Lancia Flavia name. The Flavia was only available in
left-hand drive
Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...
markets, and thus not sold in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
or
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
File:" 12 - ITALY - Lancia Thema - Bologna.JPG, Lancia Thema
Lancia Voyager 2.8 MultiJet 16v Gold – Frontansicht, 10. März 2012, Düsseldorf.jpg, Lancia Voyager
File:Lancia Flavia 2.4 16v – Frontansicht, 9. Juni 2012, Düsseldorf.jpg, Lancia Flavia
Concept cars
![LanciaFulvia(2003)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/LanciaFulvia%282003%29.JPG)
Lancia has shown several
concept cars
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
to the public including the Flaminia Loratmo (1958),
Stratos Zero (1970), the
Megagamma by
Italdesign Giugiaro
Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. is a design and engineering company and brand based in Moncalieri, Italy, that traces its roots to the 1968 foundation of Studi Italiani Realizzazione Prototipi S.p.A. by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani. Best k ...
and
Sibilo by
Bertone Bertone is an Italian surname meaning "descendant of Roberto". Notable people with the surname include:
* Alicia Bertone, American academic, researcher, and veterinary surgeon
* Catherine Bertone (born 1972), Turkish-born female Italian marathon ...
in 1978, Hit (1988) by
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
, the Bertone-designed
Kayak (1995), the
Dialogos (1998) and Nea in 2000. The company showed the Granturismo Stilnovo and
Fulvia
Fulvia (; c. 83 BC – 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gai ...
concepts in 2003.
Special cars
In the end of 1960, Lancia made their first
landaulet Landaulet may refer to:
* Landaulet (carriage), horse-drawn carriage
* Landaulet (car)
A landaulet, also known as a landaulette, is a car body style where the rear passengers are covered by a convertible top. Often the driver is separated from t ...
-
limousine
A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.
A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a pr ...
for the
President of Italy
The president of Italy, officially denoted as president of the Italian Republic ( it, Presidente della Repubblica Italiana) is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity, and guarantees that Italian poli ...
, called the
Lancia Flaminia 335 Presidenziale.
In 1989, Lancia made a limousine version of the
Thema. 24 examples for Fiat-Group executives.
In 1999, Lancia made a one-off limousine version of the
Kappa and at the 2004
Geneva Motor Show, Stola showed a limousine version of the
Thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
.
Export markets
In January 2014, in an interview with ''
La Repubblica
''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arnol ...
'', Fiat
CEO Sergio Marchionne
Sergio Marchionne (; 17 June 1952 – 25 July 2018) was an Italian-Canadian businessman, widely known for his turnarounds of the automakers Fiat and Chrysler, his business acumen and his outspoken and often frank approach, especially when dealing ...
foreshadowed that Lancia would become an Italy–only brand, and focus only on the Ypsilon supermini range.
United States
While some models had been imported on a small scale during the 1950s to the 1960s, Lancias were sold in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
from 1975. Sales were comparatively slow, and the range was withdrawn at the same time as Fiat in 1982.
In 2009, following Fiat's acquisition of a stake in United States-based
Chrysler and part of Chrysler's restructuring plans, it was stated that Fiat plans for the Chrysler brand and Lancia to co–develop products, with some vehicles being shared. Olivier Francois, Lancia's CEO, took over as CEO of the
Chrysler division in October 2009. Fiat also announced that, depending on the market, some Chrysler cars would be sold as Lancias and vice versa.
Francois' plans to re-establish the Chrysler brand as an upscale brand were somewhat muddied by the discontinuance of the
Plymouth brand. At the 2010
Detroit Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019. ...
, a Chrysler-badged
Lancia Delta
The Lancia Delta is a small family car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia in three generations. The first generation (1979-1994) debuted at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, the second generation (1993-1999) debuted at the 1993 Gene ...
was on display, but this did not result in sales in the United States, with proposals to instead modify an Alfa Romeo for sale by 2013.
United Kingdom
Lancia's reputation was significantly undermined in 1980, when defective Lancia Beta models, suffering from significant suspension sub-frame corrosion problems, were purchased back from owners by the company in a highly publicised campaign. These cars were later crushed.
The brand never recovered from the damage inflicted during the Beta recall and, combined with a range of related factors (including poor residual values, which made their range uncompetitive), decided to withdraw from the
right-hand drive
Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...
market in February 1994.
The last model to be sold in the United Kingdom was the Delta, boosted by its rallying reputation, withdrawn from sale in 1995, although a small number of left-hand drive Lancia models have since reached the UK as personal imports.
After 1995, there were continuous rumours suggesting Lancia's return to the United Kingdom. In November 2005, ''
What Car?
''What Car?'' is a British monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Huntingford and published by Haymarket Consumer Media. Other team members include deputy editor Darren Moss and test editors Will Nightingale, Neil ...
'' reported rumours over the alleged return, to rival "affordable" premium makes, such as
Saab
Saab or SAAB may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB
** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB
* Saab Automobile, a fo ...
and
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
. In September 2006, ''What Car?'' reported that Lancia were returning to the United Kingdom. The relaunch date was set for August 2008. In April 2008, ''
Car'' reported that Lancia had postponed the relaunch. In June 2009, ''
Autocar'' reported that the relaunch of Lancia was now “very unlikely”.
These rumours were credible since Lancia models, by that time, shared common parts with
Fiat and
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
models that were imported, sold and maintained by an existing dealership network. The cost to reestablish the brand would therefore be minimal. In December 2008, however, Fiat cancelled relaunch plans, due to financial concerns coinciding with the global financial crisis, and the
recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
.
In 2011, Lancia Ypsilon and Delta models were eventually reintroduced to the United Kingdom, but were sold under the Chrysler marque. In January 2014, the slow-selling Delta model was dropped from this line-up. In March 2015, Fiat Group announced that the Chrysler brand would be discontinued in the United Kingdom in 2017, citing a desire to focus largely on the Jeep brand instead.
Japan
A small number of Lancia models were previously sold in Japan, such as
Fulvia
Fulvia (; c. 83 BC – 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gai ...
,
Stratos and
Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also ...
. More recently, some models have been sold under the Chrysler brand, such as the
Ypsilon
Upsilon (, ; uppercase Υ, lowercase υ; el, ''ýpsilon'' ) or ypsilon is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, grc, Υʹ, label=none has a value of 400. It is derived from the Phoenician waw .
Ety ...
.
Lancia in motorsport
Formula One
![1954-type Lancia D50A 616298256](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/1954-type_Lancia_D50A_616298256.jpg)
After Vincenzo Lancia's son
Gianni became director of the firm, it started to take part more frequently in motorsport, eventually deciding to build a Grand Prix car.
Vittorio Jano
Vittorio Jano ( hu, János Viktor; 22 April 1891 – 13 March 1965) was an Italians, Italian automobile designer of Hungarian people, Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s.
Jano was born ''Viktor János'' in San Giorgio Canavese, in ...
was the new designer for Lancia and his
Lancia D50
The Lancia D50 was a Formula One racing car designed by Vittorio Jano for Lancia in 1954. The car's design made use of many innovative features, such as the use of the engine as a stressed chassis member, the off-centre positioning of the engine ...
was entered into the
1954 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1954 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 October 1954 at Pedralbes. It was the ninth and final race in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers. The 80-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Mike Hawthorn after he started fro ...
, where
Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari (; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles ...
took the pole position and drove the fastest lap. In the
1955 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1955 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 22 May 1955. It was race 2 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers and was given an honorary name, ''Grand Prix d'Europe''. The 100-lap race was won by Ferrari driv ...
Ascari crashed into the harbour after missing a chicane. One week later Ascari was killed in an accident driving a Ferrari sports car at Monza. With Ascari's death and Lancia's financial problems the company withdrew from Grand Prix racing.
Altogether Lancia took two victories and ten podiums in Formula One.
Remnants of the Lancia team were transferred to
Scuderia Ferrari,
where
Juan Manuel Fangio won the
1956 championship with a Lancia-Ferrari car.
Rallying
![Lancia Delta S4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Lancia_Delta_S4.jpg)
Lancia has been very successful in motorsport over the years, and mostly in the arena of
rallying. Prior to the forming of the
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...
(WRC), Lancia took the final
International Championship for Manufacturers
The FIA International Championship for Manufacturers (IMC) was a rally series culminating in a champion manufacturer. The championship was run from 1970 to 1972 and it was replaced by the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973. All the nine rall ...
title with the
Fulvia
Fulvia (; c. 83 BC – 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gai ...
in 1972. In the WRC, they remain the most statistically successful marque (despite having withdrawn at the end of the
1993 season
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
), winning
constructors' titles with the
Stratos (
1974,
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
and
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
), the
037 (
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
) and the
Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also ...
(six consecutive wins from
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
to
1992). The Delta is also the most successful individual model designation ever to compete in rallying. All this gave Lancia a total of 11
Championships over the years and 15
European Championship from 1969 to 1992.
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen (; born 2 April 1959) is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which we ...
and
Miki Biasion
Massimo "Miki" Biasion (born 7 January 1958) is an Italian rally driver, two-time World Rally champion.
Career
Biasion was born in Bassano del Grappa, Veneto.
Biasion came to prominence in the early 1980s, winning both the Italian and European ...
both won two
drivers' titles with the Delta. Among other drivers to take several World Rally Championship wins with Lancia were
Markku Alén
Markku Allan Alén (born 15 February 1951) is a Finnish former rally and race car driver. He drove for Fiat, Lancia, Subaru and Toyota in the World Rally Championship, and held the record for most stage wins (801) in the series, until Sébastie ...
,
Didier Auriol
Didier Auriol (born 18 August 1958) is a French former rally driver. Born in Montpellier, and initially an ambulance driver, he competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first driv ...
,
Sandro Munari
Sandro Munari (born 27 March 1940), also nicknamed 'Il Drago' (The Dragon) is a former motor racing and rally driver from Italy.
Career
Sandro Munari was born in Cavarzere, in the Veneto region. He began rallying in 1965 and won the Italian Ral ...
,
Bernard Darniche
Bernard Darniche (born 28 March 1942 in Cenon, a commune in the Gironde department) is a French former rally driver. He won the European Rally Championship in 1976 and 1977 and the French Rally Championship in 1976 and 1978, each time behind the ...
,
Walter Röhrl
Walter Röhrl (; born 7 March 1947) is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW. Röhrl has scored 14 victories over his career, with his notable achievements includin ...
,
Björn Waldegård
Björn Waldegård (12 November 1943 – 29 August 2014) was a Swedish rally driver, and the winner of the inaugural World Rally Championship for drivers in 1979. His Swedish nickname was "Walle".
Career
Waldegård, who came from Rimbo, had a ca ...
and
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen (25 August 1956 – 2 May 1986) was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri, became a profess ...
. The history of the brand in rallying is also tainted with tragedy, with deaths of Italian driver
Attilio Bettega
Attilio Bettega (19 February 1953 – 2 May 1985) was an Italian rally driver.''Autosport'' 50th Anniversary Issue Celebrating 50 years of the Best in Motorsport. page 173. 13 July 2000. Haymarket Specialist Magazines
Biography
Bettega was born ...
at the 1985
Tour de Corse
The Tour de Corse is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was the French round of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season until 2008, was part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge from 2011 to 2012, and ...
in a
Lancia 037
The Lancia Rally (''Tipo 151'', also known as the Lancia Rally 037, Lancia 037 or Lancia-Abarth #037 from its Abarth project code ''SE037'') was a mid-engine sports car and rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s to compete in the FIA Group ...
and then Finnish championship favourite Toivonen in a
Lancia Delta S4
The Lancia Delta S4 is a Group B rally car manufactured by the Italian car company Lancia. The Delta S4 competed in the World Rally Championship in 1985 and 1986, until Group B class was disbanded and the cars were eventually banned from competi ...
at the same rally exactly a year later. These deaths would eventually lead to the end of
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar ...
rallying.
Sports car racing
In 1951
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...
, Lancia Aurelia B20 GT came second overall. The car was driven by Thornley Kelham.
In 1953,
Umberto Maglioli
Umberto Maglioli (5 June 1928 – 7 February 1999) was a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 September 1953. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 3 championship ...
won the
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
at the wheel of the Lancia D20. The same year Lancia introduced the
D24 sports racer, which was an evolution of D23 model, but rebodied as a spider by Pinin Farina. Its most significant victories were the
1953 Carrera Panamericana
The 1953 Carrera Panamericana was the fourth running of the Carrera Panamericana Mexican sports car racing event, and the first edition as a part of the World Sportscar Championship. The race took place from 19–23 November, and was run from Tuxt ...
, the
1954 Mille Miglia and the 1954
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
.
![Lancia Beta MonteCarlo 1980-05-24](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Lancia_Beta_MonteCarlo_1980-05-24.jpg)
During Lancia's dominance of rallying, the company also expanded into sports cars in the late 1970s until the mid-1980s. It first ran the
Stratos HF in
Group 4 Group 4 may refer to:
*Group 4 element, chemical element classification
*Group 4 (racing), classification for cars in auto racing and rallying
* G4S, formerly Group 4 Securicor, a prominent British security company
*IB Group 4 subjects
The Group 4 ...
, and for a brief interlude with a rare
Group 5 Group 5 may refer to:
*Group 5 element, chemical element classification
*Group 5 (racing)
Group 5 was an FIA motor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations def ...
version. The car was replaced with the successful
Beta Montecarlo Turbo winning the FIA's
1980 World Championship for Makes
The 1980 World Sportscar Championship season was the 28th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship for Makes which was contested as a series running under both Fédération Internationale d ...
and
1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes and the 1980
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (translated as ''German Racing Championship'') or simply DRM as it was known, was a touring car and Sportscar racing series. It is regarded as a predecessor of the current DTM as Germany's top national series.
His ...
.
![Lancia LC2 Front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Lancia_LC2_Front.jpg)
In 1982 the team moved up to
Group 6 Group 6 may refer to:
*Group 6 element, chemical element classification
*Group 6 (racing)
Group 6 was the official designation applied by the FIA to two motor racing classifications, the Prototype-Sports Car category from 1966 to 1971 and the Two ...
with the
LC1 Spyder, followed by the
Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...
LC2 coupé which featured a
Ferrari powerplant in 1983. The LC2 was a match for the standard-setting
Porsche 956 in terms of raw speed, securing 13 pole positions over its lifetime; however, its results were hampered by poor reliability and
fuel economy, and it only managed to win three
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
and
World Endurance Championship races. The team's inability to compete against the dominant
Porsche 956 and
962
Year 962 ( CMLXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* December – Arab–Byzantine wars – Sack of Aleppo: A Byzantine e ...
sports cars led it to drop out of sportscar racing at the end of 1986 in order to concentrate on rallying, although private teams continued to enter LC2s with declining results until the early 1990s.
Titles
*
1979 World Championship for Makes (under 2-litre division)
*
1980 World Championship for Makes
The 1980 World Sportscar Championship season was the 28th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship for Makes which was contested as a series running under both Fédération Internationale d ...
(overall)
*
1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes (overall)
*1980
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (translated as ''German Racing Championship'') or simply DRM as it was known, was a touring car and Sportscar racing series. It is regarded as a predecessor of the current DTM as Germany's top national series.
His ...
Commercial vehicles
Lancia produced a wide range of vans, trucks, buses and military vehicles from the beginning, forming Lancia Veicoli Industriali in 1912. Lancia slowly withdrew from the commercial sectors during the late 1960s and production of commercial vehicles ended in the early 1970s, shortly after Fiat's takeover of the company, with some models transferred to
Iveco.
![Lancia Superjolly front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Lancia_Superjolly_front.jpg)
Light commercial vehicles
* 1958
Lancia Ardea
The Lancia Ardea is a small family car produced by Italian car manufacturer Lancia between 1939 and 1953. Its unusually short bonnet reportedly contained the smallest V4 engine ever commercialized in a small family car.
Nearly 23,000 of the Arde ...
Furgoncino (van), Cassone (pick-up)
* 1950
Lancia Beta
The Lancia Beta (Type 828) was an entry-level luxury car produced by Italian car manufacturer Lancia from 1972 to 1984. It was the first new model introduced by Lancia after it had been taken over by Fiat in 1969.
The Beta was made in severa ...
* 1953
Lancia Appia
Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but its ...
Furgoncino (van), Camioncino (pick-up)
* 1959
Lancia Jolly
* 1963
Lancia Superjolly
Heavy commercial vehicles
![Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-105-13A, Ungarn, deutscher Rückzug](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1989-105-13A%2C_Ungarn%2C_deutscher_R%C3%BCckzug.jpg)
* 1915
Lancia Jota
The Lancia Jota (from the Greek letter iota) is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Lancia between 1915 and 1935. The original 1915 Jota was the first true Lancia truck; throughout the following two decades it was made in a number of di ...
* 1915
Lancia Djota
* 1921
Lancia Triota
* 1921
Lancia Tetrajota
* 1924
Lancia Pentajota
* 1926
Lancia Esajota
* 1927
Lancia Eptajota
* 1932
Lancia Ro
* 1935
Lancia Ro-Ro
* 1938
Lancia 3Ro
The Lancia Ro, Lancia Ro-Ro and Lancia 3Ro were 4x2 heavy trucks built by Italian manufacturer Lancia from the 1930s through the 1940s for military and civilian use. The 2-cylinder diesel Ro was produced from 1933 to 1939, the 3-cylinder diesel R ...
* 1943
Lancia Esaro
The Lancia Ro, Lancia Ro-Ro and Lancia 3Ro were 4x2 heavy trucks built by Italian manufacturer Lancia from the 1930s through the 1940s for military and civilian use. The 2-cylinder diesel Ro was produced from 1933 to 1939, the 3-cylinder diesel R ...
* 1941
Lancia E290 electric truck, 202 built (E290 & E291) (La Lancia 3rd Ed, p.431, Wim Oude Weerink)
* 1947 Lancia 6Ro
* 1947
Lancia Esatau
* 1957 Lancia Esatau B
* 1959
Lancia Esadelta
* 1963 Lancia Esadelta B
* 1967 Lancia Esadelta C
* 1969
Lancia Esagamma
Buses
* 1919
Lancia Eptaiota
* 1920
Lancia Trijota (bus)
* 1922 Lancia Tetraiota
* 1925 Lancia Pentaiota
* 1927
Lancia Omicron
Lancia Omicron is a bus chassis produced by the Italian manufacturer Lancia. Production of the Omicron started in 1927 and ended in 1936 after 601 total models were built.
History
This chassis was fitted with many different body types, a short ...
* 1934
Lancia Ro (bus)
* 1947
Lancia Esatau (bus)
Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced.
Trucks
Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
* 1949
Lancia Esatau (bus)
Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced.
Trucks
Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
V11
* 1953
Lancia Esatau (bus)
Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced.
Trucks
Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
V81
* 1957
Lancia Esatau (bus)
Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced.
Trucks
Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model w ...
703
* 1964
Lancia Esagamma (bus) 715/718
Trolleybuses
* 1951 Lancia Esatau Pistoiesi
* 1956 Lancia Esatau Piaggio Ansaldo
* 1961
Lancia Esatau V.11 (trolleybus)
* 1966
Lancia Diafa trolleybus
* 1967 Lancia Bimax
* 1968 Lancia Bimax F600
* 1968 Lancia Pistoiesi
* 1969 Lancia Menarini Monocar
* 1969 Lancia Esatau P Casaro
Military vehicles
![An Italian 90-53 gun on a truck mounting joining the rows of derelict Axis vehicles and equipment jettisoned by Rommel's army](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/An_Italian_90-53_gun_on_a_truck_mounting_joining_the_rows_of_derelict_Axis_vehicles_and_equipment_jettisoned_by_Rommel%27s_army.jpg)
* 1912
Lancia 1Z
The Lancia 1Z was a light military truck produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia between 1912 and 1916. From a mechanical standpoint, it was closely related to the 1913 35 HP Theta passenger car. It was Lancia's first military vehicle.
Developm ...
(light truck)
* 1912
Lancia 1ZM
The Lancia 1Z and the Lancia 1ZM were two variations of an Italian armoured car built during World War I and which saw limited service during that war, the interwar period, and during World War II. The name is often misspelled as Lancia IZM.
De ...
(armoured car)
* 1938
Lancia 3Ro
The Lancia Ro, Lancia Ro-Ro and Lancia 3Ro were 4x2 heavy trucks built by Italian manufacturer Lancia from the 1930s through the 1940s for military and civilian use. The 2-cylinder diesel Ro was produced from 1933 to 1939, the 3-cylinder diesel R ...
(truck)
* 1942 Lancia Esaro (truck)
* 1942
Lancia Lince (armoured car)
* 1948 Lancia Esatau 6RoM (truck)
* 1951 Lancia CL51 (Z 20) (troop transporter)
* 1954 Lancia TL51 (Z 30) (truck)
* 1960 Lancia 506 (truck)
* 1975 Lancia ACL 75 (6611 M) (truck)
* 1990 Lancia ACL 90 (truck, later
Iveco) (truck)
Tractor
* 1947 Lancia 3Ro (based on Fiat)
Other
* 2007
Lancia Bike
* 2009
Lancia di Lancia speedboat
Engines
![Lancia Flavia Flat four (Boxer) engine (26097832230)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Lancia_Flavia_Flat_four_%28Boxer%29_engine_%2826097832230%29.jpg)
*
Lancia Flat-4 engine
*
Lancia V4 engine
Italian automobile company Lancia was the first to manufacture cars with V4 and V6 engines in series-production. This started with a number of V4-engine families, that were produced from the 1920s through 1970s.
The Lancia V4 pioneered the narr ...
*
Lancia V6 engine
In 1950, Lancia introduced one of the world's first production V6 engines in the Lancia Aurelia. The engine was the work of Francesco De Virgilio and was developed to solve the vibration problems Lancia had experienced with its V4 engines. This ...
* Lancia V8 engine
*
Lancia Tipo 4
The company has also made industrial engines.
Logo
LogoLancia1907.jpg, Lancia (1907)
LogoLancia1911.jpg, Lancia (1911)
LogoLancia1929.jpg, Lancia (1929)
LogoLancia1957.jpg, Lancia (1957)
LogoLancia1974.jpg, Lancia (1974)
Lancia logo.jpg, Lancia (2000)
Lancia company logo.png, Lancia (2007)
Media and sponsorship
![Lancia Stratos HF 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Lancia_Stratos_HF_01.jpg)
In 2009, the British motoring television show ''
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'' suggested that Lancia had more 'great' models than any other car company. The presenters went on to test the
Gamma Coupé,
Fulvia Coupé,
Aprilia,
Montecarlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
,
Beta Coupé,
HPE,
Stratos,
037,
Delta Integrale Evo II and
Thema 8.32. They also stated during their review that Lancia made the best-looking cars, even though they are unreliable.
Lancia sponsored the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
for five years, ending in 2012, with the
Lancia Thema
The Lancia Thema (Type 834) is an executive car produced by the Italian automaker Lancia between 1984 and 1994, and one of four cars to share the Type Four platform alongside the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. The Thema was first shown ...
used to transport stars to the festival.
Lancia was sponsor of the ninth and eleventh World Summits of
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
Laureates.
See also
*
List of automobile manufacturers
This is a list of notable automobile manufacturers with articles on Wikipedia by country. It includes companies that are in business as well as defunct manufacturers. Only companies that have articles here are included.
A
Algeria
* SNVI
...
*
List of Formula One constructors
Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name alludes to a series of rules establ ...
*
List of Italian companies
Italy is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe with the third largest nominal GDP in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world. As an advanced economy the country also has the sixth worldwide national wealth and it is ranked third ...
*
List of World Rally Championship Constructors' Champions
The World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (or WRC Manufacturers' Championship) is a title awarded by the FIA to the most successful manufacturer over a World Rally Championship season, as determined by a points system based on rally result ...
*
Martini Racing
Martini Racing is the name under which various motor racing teams race when sponsored by the Italian company Martini & Rossi, a distillery that produces Martini vermouth in Turin. Martini's sponsorship program began in 1958 as Martini Internat ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Lancia models production
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