Description
Chassis number. Lancia-Tipo-1-Z The Lancia 1Z and Lancia 1ZM are two variants of an Italian armoured car built during the First World War and which saw limited service during that war, the inter-war years and the Second World War. The name is often misspelt as Lancia IZM. The design: In 1916, the Lancia 1Z armoured car was built by Ansaldo in Italy. It was the most common of the early Italian armoured cars. Based on a Lancia truck, the armoured vehicle was an advanced design for its time. For firepower, the vehicle was equipped with two turret-mounted machine guns; the first ten vehicles were fitted with a small additional turret on top, with yet another machine gun. This gave the vehicle considerable firepower for its time. Following the experiences of the First World War, steel rails were installed on top of the vehicle to cut the wires. After good results with the first car, another production run of a slightly modified version (the Lancia 1ZM) or "Model 1918" was ordered. The main difference between the 1Z and the 1ZM was that the 1ZM did not have the upper turret with the additional machine gun. The Lancia 1ZM was the second batch of Ansaldo-Lancia armoured vehicles built. 110 cars of the improved model were ordered in 1917 and all were delivered by the end of 1918. Sometimes difficult to distinguish from the original Lancia 1Z ("Model 1916"), the most obvious difference was the removal of the upper machine gun turret. The 1ZM therefore only has a single, larger twin machine gun turret. Other useful features are that early 1ZMs usually have two spare wheels mounted on the right-hand side of the vehicle (on the 1Z, they were under the rear). The engine compartment has slightly different cooling vents and front armouring, and the armoured crew compartment has fewer viewing ports. The front bumpers have also been simplified. However, some examples of the original 1Z series were modified to the original 1ZM standard by removing the additional upper turret and modernising the chassis. It is therefore possible to find photos of 1ZM armoured vehicles with both 1Z and 1ZM features, and American troops on the Italian front during the First World War trained with and used some of these vehicles.
The vehicle shown here found its way to the Czech Republic and now Belgium. This chassis is clearly marked 1-Z without the later 'M', we think this indicates that it may be one of the only '6' chassis ever made!
The vehicle is fitted with a front and rear axle with spring and steering, an original engine and spares for at least one other engine, an original gearbox (dismantled), an original clutch, an aluminium bulkhead and a steel bulkhead, numerous spares and other assorted parts. No bodywork unfortunately. Price: 30 000,- Euro
