This Week @ Coys: Lancia Lambda Torpedo

Ciao bella, desidera un giro nella mia Lancia Lambda Torpedo Lungo Series VIII ?

By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Coys

IT’S surprising that this car in no way reminds me of an MG TD. In no way, whatsoever. And certainly not a pre-war Alfa. Nor, mind you, a kit-car hot rod. Not an inkling of resemblance.

But that’s the Lancia Lambda Torpedo Lungo Series VIII for you. It just wasn’t engineered to be like anything else on the road, even if its uniqueness meant that others would copy in quantity in succeeding decades.

And to be sure, what makes this 1920s-era Italian four-door roadster so appealing – and marketable for Coys – is that it was engineered uniquely for its time.

Designed with nautical sensibilities in mind, the Lancia’s four wheels were connected to an independent suspension which in turn supported a steel monocoque chassis that contained a small, 2,570 cc engine. The car was far lighter than its Blower contemporaries.

This sweet car led Lancia to many happy days at the Mille Miglia and much commercial success in Italy – 11,000 units sold in total. And all these years on, with plenty of similar looking cars on the market, Coys wants to sell the original, (in old blue on red) to you for a tidy, but unmentioned sum.