Lot details Registration No: SV 8852 Chassis No: 11490 Mot Expiry: Exempt
- Early 2nd Series long chassis torpedo tourer originally delivered to Australia
- Previously owned by Len Evans of Hunter Wines fame
- Class winner of the gruelling 7,000km Bourke to Burktown Rally in 1985
- Imported to UK in 2000 and restored, property of a well-known VSCC member
- Maroon / Black with Grey leather
The extraordinarily innovative Lancia Lambda was unveiled to the public at the 1922 Paris Salon and developed through nine series over a nine year reign. It's said that Vincenzo Lancia envisioned the Lambda after considering the strength required by a ship's hull to resist the forces of the oceans. The result was the world's first monocoque motorcar body, eliminating at a stroke the need for a heavy, separate chassis. Much of the strength was derived from the transmission tunnel. What's more, by seating the passengers beside rather than above the driveshaft, Lancia was able to achieve a lower roofline than was usual at the time. Production figures for the model vary, but over 11,000 examples were reputedly built by the time the Lambda was superseded by the Artena.
This splendid early Series II Torpedo comes with an enviable history. It was delivered new to Australia in 1924, where it was first registered on November 18 to a Dr R L Oliver of Chatswood, New South Wales. Subsequent keepers on that continent include Ian McKnee who, with Len Evans of Hunter Wines fame, won the 1985 Bourke to Burketown Bash in the car; an amazing feat that required them to travel from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria and back, ie 7,000 kilometres in six days. They apparently did this with the hood down the whole way, setting up a card school each night with candelabra, ice buckets and Champagne. Having been restored in the 1980s, 'SV 8852' was then imported to the UK in 2000 by Dick Parrott and purchased by Roger Hart, who retained the Lancia until last year. Originally finished in White, it is these days presented in the stately combination of Maroon over Black and trimmed in Grey leather. A wonderful and very usable example of a fine breed.
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