Description
This car is Lot 117 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at The Bond St Sale on Thursday December 11th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available Wednesday December 10th from 13:00 until 20:00, and Thursday Dcember 11th from 09:00 at 101 New Bond St.
Lot 117
Mille Miglia eligible
1930 Lancia Dilambda 1st Series Sports Tourer
Registration no. not UK registered
Chassis no. 27/ 71
Delivered new to Australia and bodied locally
Known ownership history
Present ownership since 1985
Continuously maintained while in the current ownership
Completed on 1st March 1930, this Dilambda was exported to Melbourne, Australia and sold to Mr Anthony Barber on 3rd July 1930 by the Australian Lancia agents, Shields Motor Company Pty Ltd. The Lancia was then delivered to leading Melbourne coachbuilder, James Flood, who built the close-coupled sports tourer body that it retains today. Mr Barber was from a family of well known Lancia enthusiasts: the family also owned a Kappa and a couple of Lambdas. He raced the Dilambda in a number of hill climbs in the early 1930s.
Registration records show that the car passed through 10 owners and then to Mr Kim Brownbill, an Australian Lancia Register member, and then to Mr Ken Shine, from whom our vendor purchased it in 1985.
Since 1985 the following significant work was done:
( Refer to receipts for dates)
Body bare-metal repainted in original colours with wheels and under-guards in red (all original panels and guards retained)
Original sprung seats and door panels re-upholstered in Connolly hide
Rear carpet replaced.
Wire wheels checked, renovated and reset, balanced by wire wheel expert.
Mechanical overhaul in 1997-2000 and 2003 with various more recent work as required (see dates on receipts)
Engine rebuild
Gearbox and differential rebuilt with new bearings, original gearbox gears re-lapped
Clutch rebuilt
Brakes, brake cables and rods, wheel bearings replaced, hubs, etc
Carburettor renovated and jets replaced a number of times, including in 2024
Most parts re-chromed
Knock-ons and wheel hubs restored and re chromed
Steering box and related mechanism restored
Springs and suspension, driveshaft and related bearings restored.
Wiring repaired or replaced, coil replaced, distributor renovated with new points (original NOS Bosch platinum)
Radiator replaced
Generator and starter motor rebuilt, battery replaced 2024
Other components repaired as required.
Original running boards restored
Speedometer restored
New tonneau cover (1997)
New hood and hood cover (2017 )
New tyres (two in 2013 and two in 2024 )
New fuel pumps
Original scuttle wooden framework replaced and restored in 2013 to eliminate shake (steel panelling left intact)
Original engine fan removed (included with the car) and replaced with an electric fan
Body mostly taken back to bare metal, doors, etc repaired and realigned as required and repainted in 2024, again in original colours
Otherwise every effort has been made to retain originality. For example: the firewall, aluminium panels around the engine bay, dashboard, instruments and controls, manifolds and connections, etc are original. This car does not have side curtains. All early photographs show the car with the hood down and that is how the vendor drove it. Given the sporting predilections of the original owner, it seems unlikely he would have ordered side curtains or driven with the hood up. On the couple of occasions when the owner has driven the car in rain he found it quite dry and cosy in the front seat with the hood up and the tonneau fitted.
The horn is activated by a button on the right of the dash. The original button on the wheel has a complicated connection via a carbon contact, which is unreliable.
The one-shot lubrication system was disabled when the car was purchased. Former owners Messrs Brownbill and Shine both said it was messy and left oil patches under the suspension, etc. Lubrication is done using grease.
The car has been well maintained by our vendor, including semi-annual oil changes and regular expert inspections, maintenance and tuning. An accompanying file details much of the maintenance records including regular tuning of the carburettor, spark-plugs and timing. The sliding pillar front suspension of many Lancia models, including the Dilambda, can suffer from wheel shudder if the wheels are unbalanced. This has been solved on this car by patient on-car wheel balancing, top quality tyres inflated to 40psi when warm, and with the recommended toe-in.
The car has been used sparingly during the vendor's ownership, mostly on Lancia Register and VSCC Victoria rallies and has been on show a number of times, including at the Melbourne Motorclassica exhibitions in 2017 and 2024. According to the vendor: "This car handles well; I have kept up well with Aurelias, Fulvias and Flavias on difficult winding country roads during club events. The car handles city and heavy traffic well with good acceleration and excellent brakes."
The body and fittings are original, as evidenced by the contemporary photographs of the car (originals held in the Australian Lancia Register archives)'; a letter from Lancia; the reference to the coachbuilder in the newspaper cuttings; and the bill of sale. The Lancia letter confirms the engine, gearbox and differential are original. The original owner's instruction handbook and parts catalogue are included in the sale.
The car is currently registered in Australia and has a FIVA Identity Card; it is eligible for the Mille Miglia and other FIVA events. A file is included containing various contemporary and more recent articles on the Dilambda. The vendor's detailed starting instruction are on file also.
Please note that this vehicle is from outside the UK. Our customs agents, CARS UK, will manage all post sale customs administration. A fee of £350+VAT will be charged on the buyer's invoice to administer both import or export customs movements. If the buyer also chooses to ship with CARS UK, this will be quoted separately. If this vehicle is to remain in the UK, it will be subject to Import VAT at the reduced rate of 5% on the hammer price. This vehicle will not be available for immediate collection after the sale and will only be released on completion of customs clearance formalities. If you have any questions regarding customs clearance, please contact the Bonhams Motorcar Department.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.
