Lancia's Lambda at 100

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For a long time, Lancia has had a reputation for advanced engineering and intelligent design. Models like the Aprilia and Aurelia through to the Stratos of the 1970s have all contributed to this reputation, but it all started 100 years ago with the Lambda. With a unitary chassis, sliding-pillar front suspension and a V4 engine all in 1921, it made a few waves when it was new and the ripples are still being felt today.

With its unique character, the Lambda has won itself some dedicated enthusiasts, and with a reasonably long production run spanning nine years and nine different series, the discerning enthusiast may own several Lambdas and reel off the ways in which they are quite different from one another. Some of the most interesting variations are the Weymann saloons, like the very well-preserved Oily Rag example with bodywork by the Albany Carriage Co of Hanwell. The earlier models like the 1925 Third Series tourer seen here are also sought after, not just for their relative scarcity but also for their appealing details like the dogleg windscreen, which gives the illusion of a longer bonnet.

Mick Walsh meets one family of owners who have been running Lambdas since 1969, and tells his story in the October issue of The Automobile, on sale now.

Words by Zack Stiling. Photographs by Tony Baker.

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