A brilliant and fiery Fiat driver, he created his own brand in 1907, the origin of cars that revolutionized the technological panorama of his time.
On August 24, 1881, in the Mastalone Valley, Mariana Orgiazzi gave birth to her fourth child, whom she baptized Vincenzo. She is married to Giuseppe Lancia, an emigrant who, after making his fortune in Argentina, has returned to Italy and owns a canned soup business in Turin. Vincenzo seems destined to devote himself to administrative matters, but
his passion for mechanics it leads him, he is only 19 years old, as an apprentice in a small bicycle importing and manufacturing company, called Ceirano & Cia, which will be launched in the burgeoning automotive market.
Vincenzo fits perfectly into the spirit of the company. In 1899 Ceirano and his engineer, Arístide Faccioli, started production of a light car, the Welleyes 3.5 HP. It is the starting point for a group of Turin businessmen who decide to plunge into car production and create SICCAT (Societá Italianan per la Construzione e il Comercio delle Automobili Torino), which buys Ceirano & Cia.
On July 1, 1899, the company founded by Giovanni Agnelli became FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) and Vicenzo Lancia joined it, first as a tester and then as chief test officer and driver. For seven years, associated with the famous driver Felipe Nazzaro, he achieved famous triumphs: Coppa Fiorio, Couper Gordon Bennet, Vanderbilt Cup or the famous ACF (Automobile Club de France) Grand Prix of 1906.
But Vincenzo
has other ambitions. Thus, together with his friend Claudio Fogolin, he created “Lancia & Cia Fabbrica Automobili” in 1906. This does not prevent him from continuing to compete as a Fiat driver, which brings him money to finance his projects. Despite the fire in the Lancia workshops, the production of the first model of the Vincenzo brand did not stop. And the 12 HP (later, as we shall see, christened Alpha), began firing in September 1907 and was presented at the Turin Salon the following January.
Lancia does not want to build popular, rustic and cheap cars. On the contrary, he is trying to do something new, different and sophisticated. This makes the Alpha a very progressive car for its time. Among other things, it has a four-speed gearbox directly linked to the engine block, a centrifugal water pump or a high-voltage solenoid. The flywheel is designed to do fan timing. The car is offered with different bodies such as double phaeton, landaulet, coupe di lusso and limousine. And all that on a very low chassis for that time, at a time when those first cars had a very high chassis.
This four-cylinder Alpha is soon joined by the 18 hp Dialpha, with a six-cylinder engine. And there is an Alpha “Corsa”, which is nothing more than a competition version. At the Savannah Grand Prix, in the United States, a Lancia Alpha “Corsa” driven by William Hilliard triumphs over all its rivals, both American and European, thanks to its much more advanced technology.
It seeks refinement not only for refinement, but also to make cars safer and easier to drive. If we look closely at the logo of the brand, created by Count Biscaretti in 1911, we see a drawn hand throttle. At the time, cars had two levers on the steering wheel: one was used to control ignition progression and the other to operate the accelerator pedal. This can lead to confusion and create a dangerous situation. So Lancia introduced a hand throttle that rotated around the axis of the steering wheel, completely different from the two-lever solution.
This way of working will be confirmed with the 15 HP, later called Beta, Lancia’s second model, presented at the Salons of London and Paris in 1908.
The model has the chassis designed for the Alpha and its 3.2 liter engine is the first in the world to be equipped with a pressure lubrication system (with oil pressure gauge). Hand in hand with private pilots, he shines in the competition. In England, the importer of the Steward brand won the prestigious Regents Cup in 1909, at Brooklands, with an average speed of over 106 km/h. It will be the first of a long line of Beta and Alpha wins.
The 20 HP (later named Gamma), launched in 1910, already has a fuel pump driven by the camshaft. Production will continue until 1913. Equipped with a 3.5 liter 40 CV engine it will have a brilliant career in competition. He will take second place in the 1911 Targa Florio (with Cortesse) and in the 1912 Targa Florio (Garetto and Guglieminetti), and will win the Tideman Trophy in the United States. And, it will also be the last car in which Vincenzo Lancia himself will drive in competition. At Modena, on May 8, 1910, he took his class victory in the Record du Mile before hanging up his helmet and gloves and dedicating himself entirely to his business.
The Via Ormea building has been made small for the brand’s activity. And in the spring of 1910, Lancia and Fogolin bought a series of buildings on Via Monginevro, where the brand’s models would be produced until the 1990s. All activities go to the new factory, except the bodywork, which remains in the old one.
The Gamma is followed by the 20/30 HP, which as it develops is called Delta (1911), Epsilon (1912) and Eta (1913). A short-lived 12 hp (Zeta) offers unprecedented innovations for its time: crankshaft mounted on double ball bearings, independent fan driven by the water cooling circuit, gearbox coupled to the rear axle, double braking system with foot and foot control.. by hand.. But it is with the Theta that Lancia will know its first real commercial success.
Aware that the Delta/Epsilon and Eta series is nearing the end of its evolution, Vincenzo Lancia invents a completely new car: the 35 hp Theta.
For the first time in Europe, a car is offered as standard with a starter motor, horn and electric lighting, powered by a Bosch high-voltage magnet. The starter handle thus leaves its hole free and is stored in the boot for use in an emergency.
Sales start very well, but the First World War (1914-1918) cuts off this commercial growth. And the Theta has been transformed for military needs, from an ambulance to an armored vehicle: the latter were transformed by the Ansaldo company and will be used in Northern Ireland until the 1950s!
But back to the Great War. In 1915, Vincenzo continued to work on his ideas for a V engine, with a patent defining a 60-degree V8. A 24-litre V12 (Type 4) engine is fitted to Caproni reconnaissance aircraft, followed by a 32-litre V12 (Type 5) in 1918.
At the end of the war, it is time for repentance. Vincenzo buys Fogolin’s share of his capital and becomes the sole owner of the company.
Auto production is relaunched and the Theta is updated. The engine retains the displacement and power, but the cylinder head becomes removable. It will be renamed Kappa and there will be a Dikappa, with a new cylinder head, and a Trikappa mounting a 98 hp V8 engine, heir to aircraft engines. It is at this time that all Lancia models are renamed, which carried the Italian tax name, with the names we have indicated, taken from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma….
But for Vincenzo, cars need to change even more. On March 28, 1919, he registered the patent for a car with a self-supporting hull, in steel. Inspired, it is said, in a boat, saying goodbye to the concept of an independent chassis and superimposed body, a legacy of horse-drawn carriages.
Three years later, it presents the first series of Lambdas, the first car with a self-supporting body. The transmission passes through a tunnel created in the center of the monocoque and this allows the center of gravity to be lowered by as much as six inches. The trunk is also integrated into the body and contributes to the rigidity of the whole. In addition, it was equipped with adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers with a simple key. The engine is a 4-cylinder V at 13 degrees.
With these features, which provide an extraordinary dynamic behavior that is far ahead of other rivals, and although not designed for racing, the Lambda has become a highly regarded competition car. His track record is spectacular, with class victories at the Grand Prix of Rome in 1925, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1928) or at the Thousand Miles in 1929. In 1934, twelve years after his birth, the Lambdas were still winning the displacement class . ..
In 1929 the 220 Dilambda was launched, with a stiffer Lambda body (it has two spars) and a 3.9 liter V8 engine and 100 hp. These chassis have been coached on many occasions by Battista “Pinin” Farina, establishing a partnership between the brand and the coachbuilder that has given us some of the most beautiful models in history. The American adventure is attempted with this car, but the operation fails and Vincenzo is convinced that specific cars should be designed for that market.
In 1931 he launched the Artena and Astura. They’re less revolutionary than the Lambda, but they deserve a reputation for being comfortable and reliable, and they serve to get the brand box back after the American fiasco. The Artena will be highly appreciated by taxi drivers with its reliable and powerful V4, while the Astura, successor to the Dilambda, has a V8.
With the 1932 Augusta, Lancia renews its commitment to monocoque bodywork. Interestingly, before launch, there was a dispute with Chrysler and the American coachbuilder Budd, which registered this type of body. Once solved, the car was a success that even led Lancia to set up a factory in France, under the Belna brand. It would also have its sporting record, occupying the first three places in the 1936 Targa Florio. Besides, a clear example of its qualities, the Augusta became the car of choice for everyday use by great drivers such as Nuvolari or Varzi.
Lancia wants to continue to revolutionize the automotive landscape. Thus began in 1934 the first sketches of the Aprilia. Vicenzo set the principles. It should be a four-door, five-seater sedan, weighing 1,000 kilograms and powered by a 1.5 liter engine with a consumption of 10 liters at 100 km/h and a top speed of 125 km/h. After the first contact with the car between Turin and Bologna, he has one of the four engineers who accompany him drive a series of critiques. He then takes the wheel to return to Turin and, without saying anything else, invites everyone to a restaurant. They wait at the table. Suddenly Vincenzo orders a bottle of excellent wine, raises his hand and exclaims with a smile: “This is an exceptional car.”
The Aprilia is presented at the Paris Salon of 1936 and is a sensation for the list of innovations it offers. For example, the suspensions, both front and rear, are independent, the front brakes are onboard to reduce unsprung weight, the V6 engine block is made of light alloy and the connecting rods are made of duraluminium…
It is a real mechanical jewel and with a body that, despite not having been studied from an aerodynamic point of view, surprised when it was introduced in 1970 in the wind tunnel of the Polytechnic School of Turin. while other cars of the era were at 0.70.
But fate will rob Vincenzo of the pleasure of contemplating his success. On February 15, 1937, a heart attack ended the life of this passionate pilot and innovative builder, when he was only 56 years old and still had a lot to do. His wife Adèle took over the management of the company until 1948, when her son Gianni took over. But that, you know, is another story.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
