The Vincenzo Lancia’s discoveries
In the year marking the 120th anniversary of Lancia’s founding, it is reasonable to expect a number of publications recounting the entire history of the company or its glory years in racing, perhaps taking advantage of its recent return to rallying.
But for Dutch journalist Wim Oude Weernink, author of numerous books on the brand, including “La Lancia,” considered a veritable “bible” for fans of the Turin-based brand, the moment most deserving of being brought back into the spotlight is not that one, but an earlier one.
In his new book, “Automobili Lancia – Vincenzo’s Formative Era 1906-1925” Oude Weernink has chosen to examine Lancia’s first twenty years of activity, starting a little before the company’s foundation with the origins and racing experiences of its owner and continuing through the first emblematic models, from the Alfa to the Trikappa, the prelude and inspiration for the revolution that would come with the Lambda. He focuses, above all, on the innovative spirit and research that characterized those two decades, the real key to Vincenzo Lancia’s early success.
History, technology, and design blend seamlessly in the extensive collection of over 300 images, which includes a wealth of previously unpublished material from archives that have never been explored before. Vintage photos and publications, drawings, and technical diagrams are scattered throughout 134 surprising pages.
The narrative is structured in a dozen chapters, including those dedicated to engines and the origins of the famous narrow V architecture, the attempted American adventure and the first trucks, followed by brief technical data sheets on the nine car models examined in the book.
Datasheet
Automobili Lancia – Vincenzo’s Formative Era 1906-1925
Publisher: Simon Stevin, Division of Draaiboomken nv
Author: Wim Oude Weernink
Size: a bound volume measuring 28,4 x 21,7 x 3,5 cm
Pages: 134 overall
Text: english
Photographs: 345 in color and b/w
Price: 75 euros
