Lancia History: Engineering Firsts, Rally Titles and a Second Life

Lancia at a glance

Vincenzo Lancia and the first cars

Vincenzo Lancia was a works driver for Fiat when he set up his own company with Claudio Fogolin in 1906. The first car, the Tipo 51 or 12-HP, was built in 1907–1908 with a four-cylinder engine of 21 kW (28 PS). It was later named Alfa, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Greek letters became the brand's naming system: Beta, Gamma, Delta, Theta, Lambda and many more.

The Gamma 20-HP of 1911 was the first car to carry the company's badge. A year later Lancia Veicoli Industriali was set up for commercial vehicles, and the Jota of 1915 was the first truck from Turin. Trucks, buses and military vehicles remained part of the business until the early 1970s.

Engineering firsts from Theta to Aurelia

The Theta of 1913 was the first European production car with a complete electrical system as standard. Nine years later the Lambda (1922–1931) introduced two ideas that shaped the industry: a load-bearing monocoque body instead of a separate chassis, and sliding-pillar independent front suspension that combined spring and damper in one unit. The company is also credited with the first production V4 engine, a narrow-angle design that let a compact four-cylinder fit under a short bonnet.

Vincenzo died in 1937, the year the Aprilia went on sale. His widow Adele Miglietti and son Gianni took control, and Vittorio Jano joined as an engineer. The Ardea became the first production car with a five-speed gearbox in 1948, and in 1950 the Aurelia brought the first full-production V6 engine.

Gianni Lancia, racing and the Pesenti years

Under Gianni, president from 1947 to 1955, the company raced at the top level. The D24 sports racing car of 1953 won major road races, and the D50 Formula One car followed. The racing programme was expensive, and in 1956 the Pesenti family took control under Carlo Pesenti.

The 1960s brought the Flaminia flagship and the front-wheel-drive Flavia and Fulvia, which kept the brand's reputation for refined engineering. They were costly to build, however, and by the end of the decade the company was making heavy losses.

Fiat ownership and the rally era

In October 1969 Fiat's takeover offer was accepted. Fiat kept the brand alive with the Beta, the Gamma and, above all, the Stratos, a mid-engined car designed to win rallies. It used the 2.4-litre V6 from the Ferrari Dino, rated at 140 kW (190 PS) in road form. The Stratos won the World Rally Championship for manufacturers in 1974, 1975 and 1976.

The 037 added the 1983 title, the last won by a rear-wheel-drive car. The Lancia Delta HF 4WD and Integrale then won six manufacturers' titles in a row from 1987 to 1992. Over those years the road car grew from the 121 kW (165 PS) HF 4WD to the 158 kW (215 PS) Integrale Evoluzione II. The last version had 37 kW more than the first rally homologation car.

Compared with any other make, those ten WRC manufacturers' titles remain the record. The Lancia Stratos page covers a modern tribute to the original rally car.

The Saab partnership and shared platforms

In the 1980s the Turin firm worked with Saab. The Delta was sold in Sweden as the Saab 600, and the Thema of 1984 shared its Type Four platform with the Saab 9000, the Fiat Croma and the Alfa Romeo 164. The Thema 8.32 used a Ferrari-built 3.0-litre V8 with 158 kW (215 PS), making it one of the fastest front-wheel-drive saloons of its time. The story of the Swedish partner is told in the history of Saab.

From the 1990s, its models grew ever closer to Fiat designs, as the history of Fiat shows from the parent's side. Sales reached 300,087 cars in 1990 but fell to 97,757 by 2010, 67 % lower in two decades.

The Chrysler years and the Ypsilon-only period

In February 2007 Fiat created Lancia Automobiles SpA as a separate company. The Ypsilon of the period, a stylish supermini based on Fiat parts, became the brand's best-seller. After Fiat took a stake in Chrysler in 2009, Chrysler models were sold in Europe with Lancia badges from 2011. The Thema was a Chrysler 300, the Voyager a Chrysler Grand Voyager and the Flavia a Chrysler 200 convertible. In the UK and Ireland the opposite happened, and the Delta of 2008 and the Ypsilon were sold as Chryslers.

In January 2014 Fiat's chief executive Sergio Marchionne announced that the brand would concentrate on Italy. The Chrysler-based cars were dropped in 2015, leaving the Ypsilon as the only model, and from 2017 it was sold only in Italy. Even so, it remained one of the best-selling small cars in its home market.

Stellantis and the relaunch

The Stellantis merger of 2021 brought a ten-year plan for the brand. Luca Napolitano was named chief executive and Jean-Pierre Ploué chief designer. A new logo and the Pu+Ra design language followed in 2022, and the Pu+Ra HPE concept appeared in April 2023.

The fourth-generation Ypsilon was launched in February 2024, and first deliveries followed on 18 July 2024. The brand registered about 32,000 cars that year and opened showrooms outside Italy again, including in Paris. A flagship electric fastback named Gamma was announced for 2026, and a new compact hatchback is expected to revive the Delta name.

In May 2024 it also revived its HF performance division, whose Ypsilon HF has an electric motor of 206 kW (280 PS), the most powerful model in the current range. In 2026 the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale took the brand back to the World Rally Championship's support class and won its first WRC2 event in Croatia in April.

Landmark Lancia models

Current line-up and production

Older models, including the D24 and the Delta, are listed in the Lancia section of the 1cars catalogue. The D24's place among classic open racing cars is shown in the 1cars ranking of the most powerful convertibles, and the comparison tool can set a modern Ypsilon against its rivals.

Which classic Lancia to buy

The Fulvia coupé is the most approachable classic from Turin: compact, well supported by specialists and rewarding to drive. The Delta HF Integrale is the enthusiast's choice, but prices are high and many cars have had hard rally or road lives, so check rust, the four-wheel-drive system and originality. Pre-war cars and the Aurelia B20 are for experienced collectors, while a later Ypsilon is a cheap, stylish city car.

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