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Here is the sleeper of the Amelia Island Auctions - 1932 Lancia Dilambda


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Ticks all the boxes as a survivor car to be shown and then ticks all the boxes for a restored car as well !

 

Cool car in trim items - great details in such as running boards and lamps. 

 

It is a shame the sidemount spares and metal tire covers were piled in the corner - would have liked to have seen them on the car as to how it looks. 

 

And, LHD = Left-Hand-Drive too

Edited by John_Mereness (see edit history)
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1 hour ago, md murray said:

Yes we agree- they've been discussing it over in the CCCA forums. Very handsome car. Very cool car.

Glad AJ started a page - I PM's him yesterday with my lack of focus interest in this CCCA Lancia (lack of focus in the legal sence of "frolic and detour" as I am currently in the middle of an Auburn restoration and need to stay focused - which I intend to do) - AJ knows I have a 7th series Lambda on my brain. 

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6 minutes ago, John_Mereness said:

Ticks all the boxes as a survivor car to be shown and then ticks all the boxes for a restored car as well !

 

Cool car in trim items - great details in such as running boards and lamps. 

 

It is a shame the sidemount spares and metal tire covers were piled in the corner - would have liked to have seen them on the car as to how it looks. 

 

And, LHD = Left-Hand-Drive too

 

There are only 4 of us interested,  so we can go back and forth,  although this is probably a good place to have a dedicated discussion on this car.   

 

Feels like a screaming deal at estimate on one hand,   but on the other hand I posted a full restored double rear spare coupe for 96k  which gives me pause.   Then there is the 400k restoration to think about.

 

But,  the good news is you can probably bring it to Pebble no problemo as soon as you are finished dumping huge amounts of cash in to it.

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10 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

There are only 4 of us interested,  so we can go back and forth,  although this is probably a good place to have a dedicated discussion on this car.   

 

Feels like a screaming deal at estimate on one hand,   but on the other hand I posted a full restored double rear spare coupe for 96k  which gives me pause.   Then there is the 400k restoration to think about.

 

But,  the good news is you can probably bring it to Pebble no problemo as soon as you are finished dumping huge amounts of cash in to it.

Please take a picture or two of its neat features if you happen to see it on your journey - would be fun to post them over to the NEW Lancia CCCA page.

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2 minutes ago, John_Mereness said:

4 of us that have great taste and "take a licking and still keep on ticking" - very much agree that mechanically anyone faces a challenge. 

 

John,  are you trying to say there are only 4 guys on this forum with taste!!!!!

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1 minute ago, John_Mereness said:

Please take a picture or two of its neat features if you happen to see it on your journey - would be fun to post them over to the NEW Lancia CCCA page.

 

Not gonna make it to Bonhams,  which is too bad cause I'm interested to see how much of a blood bath the no reserve 500k is gonna go for.

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45 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

I always like it when someone says to me:  "Well, if anyone can figure it out you can."  

Unfortunately, many of my the friends now "run for cover" when they see me coming - I have saddled a lot of people with serious problems and responsibility, matched to very little room for error. 

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5 minutes ago, vintagerodshop said:

The fold in rear trunk rack and the rubber extrusion for the running boards are fantastic. I wonder what it would be like to drive?

 

Kirk,  why don't you step up and then I can ride with you on the Pebble tour and find out.

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59 minutes ago, 1950panhead said:

Estimate $35k to $45k - no reserve

 

This should zip down the road.

 

 

24955871-1-9.jpg

 

Was this display for used the passenger to communicate with the driver?

Odd there are no pictures of the rear compartment.

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Sleeper.........Yup, puts me to sleep! Interesting yes,  Market is smaller than AJ’s bank account...........

 

Whats it like to drive? Simple.............great ride on the back of a tow truck. 
 

It does check all the boxes.......needs too much work, not very visually appealing, small underpowered engine, and......ect.

 

They should have sold it thirty years ago when someone wanted it............

Edited by edinmass (see edit history)
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25 minutes ago, 3macboys said:

Beautiful car, way out of my league.  Just curious if those 4 holes on the left side of the block are where you keep inserting the $1000 bills?  


yes, but not only that, you have to fold the bills up to get them to fit through the holes... this car will make extra work out of throwing away thousands of dollars. 

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5 hours ago, BucketofBolts said:

I believe the auction house's estimate on hammer price to be low by about $10,000 or more.  Such a magnificent beast. How many units have survived of this vintage? Anyone aware what happened to the sidemounts? 

They are by the right front wheel, as well as the metal covers for them too. 

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image.thumb.png.d4e4264b7274c4b4b19575f1f6734d1f.pngimage.thumb.png.2c85a7749897748cad07bbc44d8bfa67.png

 

Narrow-angle vee-configuration engines were a Lancia speciality, the Dilambda's 3,960cc overhead-valve unit having cylinder banks disposed at only 24 degrees. With 100bhp on tap, the Dilambda in its short-chassis form was capable of 85mph, an exceptional performance at the time. 

 

No wonder it looks more like a 4 cylinder than a V-8

 

Here is a Lancia V-4 for reference 13 degree

Image

 

Edited by mike6024 (see edit history)
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13 hours ago, edinmass said:

Sleeper.........Yup, puts me to sleep! Interesting yes,  Market is smaller than AJ’s bank account...........

 

Whats it like to drive? Simple.............great ride on the back of a tow truck. 
 

It does check all the boxes.......needs too much work, not very visually appealing, small underpowered engine, and......ect.

 

They should have sold it thirty years ago when someone wanted it............


I’m totally with Ed on his assessment...........

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I think the estimate is on the high side of reasonable, although my gut says there's a better than average chance it'll fall on its face. On the other hand, if previous barn finds of unique cars are any indication, it may go nuts. On the other other hand, barn find fever is over and all the truly wealthy guys who just had to have a "barn find" to show their other wealthy friends with barn finds already have a barn find, so this particular car's moment may already be gone.

 

I think it's a handsome car, but it's a little town car with a little engine--I bet it's like a 3/4-scale 1931 Cadillac in the flesh. You think legroom is tight in the Cadillac? I bet this car was made with the typical Italian "gorilla" driving style in mind--long arms, short legs, and in the 1920s and 30s people were a lot smaller. Then there's the fact that "Lancia" in America has typically represented cheap, low-end, crappy cars with terrible reliability (never mind what they used to be when this particular car was built). The restoration will be extraordinarily expensive but I doubt that even in #1 condition that car could pull more than $70-75K, so it will have to find someone who truly loves that car. Add in a whole bunch of "believed to be" and "according to information supplied" and "assumed" and "understood to be" and its history is VERY vague. 

 

It's fascinating because this car ALMOST checks all the boxes but doesn't hit the mark with any of them (exotic brand (meh, tarnished brand at best), custom bodied (with the least desirable body style), great look (but smallish), interesting power plant (with very little actual power), history (all of it anecdotal)).

 

The good news is that if someone spends a lot to own it, then you know it'll get a high-end restoration. The bad news is that if it falls down, it will continue to languish as-is at the back of someone's shop until the next estate auction.

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48 minutes ago, mercer09 said:

so Ed, will this one sell for under 10k?

 

🙂

I say under 15 before fees.  We've seen some nice stuff,  that checks more boxes go for 1/2 what they were projected to recently. No reason a money pit won't follow suit. 

It's a neat car but I like my Auburn a whole lot more. Even before you factor in condition, which is alot worse on this than my car. 

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I can't disagree with anything that Matt or Ed are saying.    I'm also done with the restoration aspect of the hobby as it just makes no financial sense.   If I can't at least drive down the road in the car I'm planning on passing.

 

But....    If you want to have something nobody else has,  a real 1 of 1,  how many opportunities will you get?   Let alone for the price of an "ok" Corvette.   I see guys pouring their hearts and souls into mass produced mid market assembly line cars.   Wouldn't this be a better place to direct that energy?

 

Also,  I know a lot of guys here don't really care,  but this is a car you could get invited to Pebble Beach with.   That is not an easy car to find.

Edited by alsancle (see edit history)
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agree with all of the comments.........

 

I believe there is a fear factor with a foreign car here in the US. not so much with someone who has deep pockets and wants a 540k, but like Matt said, this is kind of a half the boxes ticked car.

 

funny because a Model A towncar holds value in the 125k range and doesnt go any faster down the road.

 

out of curiosity- wouldnt it behoove the new owner to bore this one out a bit and set it up to have a little more power, while remaining stock in appearance?

 

most European cars have been under powered due to fuel costs and road taxes.

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Ronn is an A towncar really worth $125k?  I might have said half that...

 

I also think Euro roads back in the day, like now were different.  I like the 3/4 scale analogy Matt used but agree exotic-ness at this level = parts nightmare.

 

Needs a marque fan less concerned with returns.  Maybe an experienced home restorer, someone willing to committ to one long term relationship...

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well Steve, in the past they have brought over 200k. With only 24 or so out there, try and find a real one. They are pretty much only in museums and dont exchange often.

 

I went looking for one a few years back and no, you wont find one for half........... please alert me first if you do! 🙂

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