Italian automobile company

Lancia 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 it ...

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 narrow-angle

V engine A V engine, sometimes called a Vee engine, is a common configuration for internal combustion engines. It consists of two cylinder banks—usually with the same number of cylinders in each bank—connected to a common crankshaft. These cylinder ...

design, more recently seen in Volkswagen's VR5 and

VR6 VR6 engines are V6 piston engines with a narrow angle between the cylinder banks and a single cylinder head covering both banks of cylinders. Volkswagen Group introduced the first VR6 engine in 1991 and VR6 engines currently remain in producti ...

engines. By using very shallow V-angles — between 10° and 20° — both rows of cylinders could be housed in an engine block with a single

cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ov ...

, like a

straight engine The straight or inline engine is an internal combustion engine with all cylinders aligned in one row and having no offset. Usually found in four, six and eight cylinder configurations, they have been used in automobiles, locomotives and aircraft ...

. A determining characteristic was the use of

overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...

s (either single or double), in which a

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...

would serve the same function for all cylinders — in ''both'' cylinder banks.

Lambda

The first V4 was used in 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 rise ...

from 1922 through 1931. It was a 20° narrow-angle aluminium design. All three

engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...

s shared the same long stroke, and all were SOHC designs with a single camshaft serving both banks of cylinders. Engines: * , at 3250 rpm * , at 3250 rpm * , at 3500 rpm

Artena

The Lambda engine was updated for the

Artena Artena is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It is situated in the northwest of Monti Lepini, in the upper valley of the Sacco River. It is approximately southeast by rail, and direct from Rome. The economy is based ...

. Bore was set at as in the 2.6 L Lambda, but stroke was reduced to a more conventional . Total displacement was , with produced at 4000 rpm.

Augusta

An all-new V4 was designed for the Augusta. Produced from 1934 through 1938, the Augusta's engine displaced with a bore and stroke. Power output was at 4000 rpm.

Aprilia

The engine was redesigned again for 1936's

Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...

. The first-series cars used a version with a bore and stroke. Output was at 4300 rpm. A second series was unveiled for 1939 with an enlarged engine. It did not share its predecessor's dimensions, with bore and stroke now at . Power output was nearly the same at .

Ardea

A small V4 (''tipo 100'') powered the compact 1939 Ardea. It was a 20° narrow-angle engine displacing just . Bore and stroke were new again at , and output was just at 4600 rpm. For the 1949 ''tipo 100B'' power was increased to .

Appia

The V4 returned after the war with the 1953 Appia. It featured an even narrower 10° cylinder bank and just of displacement, fitting below Italy's 1.1-liter tax threshold. An initial of power grew to in 1956. was available in 1959.

Fulvia

Lancia's final V4 series were used in 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 ...

, remaining in production up until 1976. Designed by Ettore Zaccone Mina, it used a narrow angle (13°) and was mounted well forward at a 45° angle. The engine was a true DOHC design with one camshaft operating all

intake valve A poppet valve (also called mushroom valve) is a valve typically used to control the timing and quantity of gas or vapor flow into an engine. It consists of a hole or open-ended chamber, usually round or oval in cross-section, and a plug, usual ...

s and another operating all exhaust valves. Displacement began at just with with a bore and stroke. A higher (9.0:1)

compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values. A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...

raised power to soon after. The engine was bored to to enlarge engine displacement to for the ''Coupé'' model. This, and some tuning, raised output to , further enhanced up to for the HF model. The engine was re-engineered with a slightly narrower bank angle and longer stroke for 1967. Three displacements were produced: bore, bore, and bore. The latter engine is most common, with the first unit only sold in Greece. Three levels of performance were available: for common 1.3 Liter (commonly imported in USA and described as "highly tuned" by ''

Road & Track ''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York. History ''Road & Track'' (often ab ...

'' at the time); for its 1.3s evolution and for the Rallye HF. The engine was redone again for a new ''HF'' with an even narrower 11° cylinder bank and longer stroke for its final incarnation. A bore of gave it a displacement of , and power shot up to between depending on tune.

External links

Lancisti.net - An Information Exchange and Support Community for Lancia Owners and Enthusiasts
* * {{Lancia V4 Gasoline engines by model V4 engines