{"id":8705,"date":"2021-01-28T09:55:34","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T09:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=8705"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:19:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:19:00","slug":"1939-lancia-aprilia-lusso-project-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1939-lancia-aprilia-lusso-project-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"1939 Lancia Aprilia Lusso – Project Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italian cars don\u2019t speak to the sensible part of our brain. They appeal not to the rational part of our brain, nor the bit of that grey matter that can be objective. Instead, Italian cars speak to the heart, and to the part of our brain that is fed endorphins and all that good stuff when it is allowed to dream. You don\u2019t buy an Italian car because you need a car. You buy an Italian car because an Italian car is what you <\/span>want.<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

Cars from Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati and of course, Lancia, have never been made to fit in. Instead, offerings from these manufacturers are built with passion, soul and heart. They are exciting, they are usually a bit impractical or simply downright rubbish at being conventional cars, but that\u2019s fine. They don\u2019t conform to convention. They appeal instead on the basis of excitement and fun. Well, apart from the Alfa Romeo Arna. The less said about that, the better. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lancia,<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s perhaps somewhat ironic, that this blatant disregard for building the conventional has in fact been the point of genesis for what would go on to become the norm. Lancia, for example, has been a master of being first with what is now common. The twin-cam engine, electric headlights, independent front suspension and the monocoque were not just all Italian, they were all from Lancia. And that\u2019s why this week\u2019s project of choice is a 1939 Lancia Aprilia<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

What is it?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

What we have here is a 1939 Lancia Aprilia<\/a>, and if that sounds familiar it may be because we featured a <\/span>stunning example<\/span><\/a> back in 2019. This one isn\u2019t quite as beautiful, but it\u2019s all there and looks to be a good basis for a restoration. We\u2019ll get to that later, though. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Aprilia was introduced due to Lancia\u2019s desire to offer a family car that didn\u2019t conform to the traditional \u2018three-box\u2019 design. The Aprilia was introduced in 1936 and it brought with it every bit of Lancia\u2019s forward-thinking personality. It used a monocoque design, which gave passengers more internal space. And to make sure they could get to said space, Lancia made the doors on each side open away from one another, and they didn\u2019t build in a B pillar. Revolutionary stuff. <\/span><\/p>\n

The body was also clever, in that it was the result of wind tunnel testing. This was a radical approach for the time, but one that yielded spectacular results. The teardrop shape of the Aprilia is still as beguiling today as it was in the \u201830s. It was just a wonderful, characterful little car that captured the heart and the imagination. It was a design classic, and for that alone, this one deserves to be saved. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lancia,<\/a><\/p>\n

Why is it a project? <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Well, as we can see, it looks a bit sorry for itself. However, don\u2019t be put off, as there is a lot of potential here. For starters, with the exception of the rear decklid, the body looks to be reasonably solid. No scary dents, no gaping holes. It looks to have survived reasonably well. All the glass is there, as are the right wheels and hubcaps, the wing and all the lights. Then, moving to the inside, the cabin looks to be pretty complete and actually saveable. The door cards look okay, the seats too. The dash is tired, but it\u2019s complete. It\u2019s all there, or at least it seems to be. You would need to investigate the floors for rot and poor past repairs, of course. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lancia,<\/a><\/p>\n

The biggest problem this Aprilia<\/a> faces boils down to the engine. When the vendor took delivery of the car, the engine was seized up, and as such, has been removed from the car and dismantled. And that\u2019s about as far as it got. As such, it\u2019s still in bits and whether or not it can be rebuilt or reused remains to be seen. However, parts from Italy are out there, and there are specialists who can help. If you\u2019re not put off by the engine situation, this could be a worthwhile project. <\/span><\/p>\n

Five things to look for:<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

1) Rust<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an old Lancia, so of course rust is going to be a concern. And you\u2019re not going to be able to buy panels. The rear decklid is going to need specialist work, but what about the doors, the scuttle, the sills etc? <\/span><\/p>\n

2) Trim<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trim is going to be very hard to find for a car like this, so you need to check what\u2019s there. Can it be used going forward, or if not, can it be used as a template for a new part? If it\u2019s missing, can you overcome it? <\/span><\/p>\n

3) Engine<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Apparently, the engine was locked up when the vendor took the car on. It has since been removed from the car and dismantled. What sort of state is it in, and can it be saved? Parts aren\u2019t <\/span>too<\/span><\/i> hard to find from Italy, but they might be costly. <\/span><\/p>\n

4) History<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Being a UK car, and a rare one to boot, there has to be some interesting history for this car. If the vendor doesn\u2019t have it, it would be worth looking at contacting owner\u2019s clubs and the like. <\/span><\/p>\n

5) Floorpan<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Aprilia was an early adopter of the monocoque style of construction. It\u2019s had over eighty years to be damaged, to rot, to be poorly repaired and to fail. You need to get down and have a good, proper look at the underside of this Lancia. Repairs will have to be by a specialist fabricator.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lancia,<\/a><\/p>\n

A restored example to whet your whistle…<\/em><\/p>\n

What should you do with it? <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Given the rarity of this car combined with how good it looks in standard guise, the only real option here is to go down the restoration route. It looks to be largely complete, it seems to be free of any major rust or body issues and as we touched on earlier, the hard to find interior is all there, too. Buy it, go the whole hog on it – full strip and rebuild – learn about how this wonderful car is built, and then put it all back together. It\u2019ll be a fun, interesting journey and you\u2019ll have an exceptional car at the end of it. Perfect. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Italian cars don\u2019t speak to the sensible part of our brain. They appeal not to the rational part of our brain, nor the bit of that grey matter that can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":8707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[322],"tags":[48,2629,15,110,963,13,11,182,21,24,65,1097,525,14,325,108],"yoast_head":"\n1939 Lancia Aprilia Lusso - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Lancia name is one synonymous with grace, style and captivating design. Qualities this 1938 Aprilia has in spades. 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