Lancia Cars and Autos

The Lancia motor car company
This section provides access to the cars and autos manufactured under the name of the Lancia motor car company. An online guide for auto enthusiasts covering old and new cars and autos. If you like car talk then you will love this website! A free, online resource with facts and company information about the cars and autos made by the Lancia motor car company.

Founding of the Lancia motor car company
The Lancia motor car company was founted on the 29th of November 1906 in Turin, By Vincenzo Lancia and his friend Claudio Fogolin, both Fiat racing drivers, became Lancia & C.

History of Lancia motor car company
Lancia's first automobile was the Tipo 51, prototyped in 1907 and produced from 1908. In 1937, Vincenzo Lancia died from a heart attack, leaving his wife Adele Miglietti Lancia and son Gianni Lancia who took over the firm. They managed to persuade Vittorio Jano to join them as Lancia's chief engineer, Vittorio Jano had made a name for himself already, he had constructed the likes of the Alfa Romeo 1750 sport Alfa Romeo 6C, 2300, 2900, Alfa Romeo P2 and P3 Alfa Romeo P3, some of the most successful race cars of their time.

During Lancia's time, the company was made famous for it's many automotive innovations, such as the 1913 Theta with the first complete electrical system as standard, cars with monocoque-type body's, Sliding Pillar independent front suspension with the spring and damper in a single unit, the first 5 speed gear box in a production car, the first full production V6 engine, and the first company to produce a V4 engine, they also pioneered independent suspension on production cars.

Until the late 1960's, Lancia was not really associated with any other manufacturer, but in the late 1960's, the company's expenses and high standards of production became unsustainable. Lancia had sacrificed cost effectiveness to allow the car to be of the highest quality, this meant in 1969, when Fiat launched a take over bid, Lancia accepted. Fiat proved they wished to preserve the image of Lancia with models such as the Stratos, Gamma and Beta.

Lancia suffered greatly in the UK in the late 1970's and 1980's, this was mainly due to Lancia's cars being prone to rusting, culminating in the Lancia Beta rust scandal. With the Beta getting a reputation for being rust prone due to poor rust prevention and inefficient water drainage channels on cars built  between 1972 and 1975. The corrosion problems affected most first series saloon models and the coupe, HPE, spider or Montecarlo versions. At the time, the UK was Lancia's largest export market, to try and save there image, Lancia commenced a campaign to part exchange or even buy back cars with rust related sub frame problems. After an inspection from Lancia, If the customers vehicle's sub frame had been affected, they were given the option to part exchange for either another Lancia or a Fiat, any cars that failed the inspection were scraped.

Lancia tried to recover consumer confidence by giving a six year anti corrosion warranty on later cars. The situation was made worse by an unfounded widespread  rumour that Fiat and Lancia used Russian Steel which rusted easily!
In April 1980, the Daily Mirror and some TV programs embarked on a humiliating campaign against Lancia and Fiat, claming the rust problems were not over, they showed pictures of early 1 series saloons claiming they were newer than 5 to 6 years. Other manufacturers cars also suffered from rust but were not placed publicly under a media spotlight.

1994 saw the last right hand drive Lancia model sold, Lancia withdrawing from all right hand drive markets. It was however announced in September 2006 that the Lancia would return to the UK with a right hand drive version of the Delta in 2009, but due to the economic depression, reintroduction was postponed.    

What models and types of cars and automobiles does the Lancia motor car company produce?
The models and types of cars and automobiles produced by the company include those detailed on the following list. Whether you enjoy comparing cars and autos, want to conduct some research before you buy a new car or a used car or finally an automobile enthusiast who loves fast, cool, new, old, vintage, classic, antique, sports, top, muscle or exotic cars we have the info you are searching for! Select the automobile you are interested in and click the link for access to an online overview of this Lancia vehicle with car guides, online facts, information, statistics, specs, specifications, design details and ratings of cars and autos.