1948 Lancia Aprilia

The uni-bodied Lancia Aprilia was introduced in 1937, ending shortly thereafter due to World War II, but resuming when peacetime returned. Power was provided by a V-4 overhead-cam engine. The early examples had a 1352cc displacement, but in 1939 it rose to 1486cc. The engine was tilted at a 17-degree angle, had solid valve lifters, and three main bearings, and offered nearly 50 horsepower. They had a four-speed manual gearbox, hydraulic drum brakes, and an independent rear suspension setup. The narrow-angle V4 engine was placed in a platform chassis, a precursor to unibody construction.

The first series was known as the Type 238 and was produced from 1937 through 1939, with 10,354 examples built. They were equipped with a 1,352cc V4 engine and delivered around 47 horsepower. The second series was the Type 438 Aprilia produced from 1939-1949 with 9,728 examples built, and rested on a 108.3-inch wheelbase. Other sizes included a 112.2- and 116.1-inch platform. The longer platform models were known as Lusso and accounted for 706 units. The second series engine displaced 1,486cc and produced approximately 48 horsepower. The total production was 20,082 vehicles and 7,554 additional chassis for Turin-based coachbuilders and around 700 for French coachbuilders. The list of coachbuilders included Touring, Ugo Zagato, Riva di Merate, Bertone, Vignale, and Luigi Pagani.

The design of the Aprilia was one of the first formed using a wind tunnel resulting in a record low drag coefficient of 0.47. It was created in collaboration with Battista Farina and Politecnico di Torino and was the final car designed by Vincenzo Lancia shortly before his death at the beginning of 1937.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2013