1930 Lancia Lambda 8th Series Coupe

Vincenzo Lancia had many noteworthy achievements during his three decades as the head of Fabrica Automobili Lancia, but the Lambda is generally regarded as the most significant. Offered in nine series, or generations, between 1923 and 1931, the Lambda was powered by an unusual narrow-angle (13-degree) V4 engine, anticipating Volkswagen's VR6 by almost 70 years. A single overhead camshaft operated valves on both cylinder banks, and the block was aluminum. The initial displacement was 2121cc, expanding to 2375 with the Series 7 car, and to 2,569 in Series 8 and 9. Engine output increased correspondingly, from 46 horsepower with the original version, then to 59, and to 69 in the final iteration.

Just as unusual, the Lambda's chassis and body shell were unitized. Although, Lancia later backed away from this innovation (which has long since become universal in contemporary passenger cars) because it created problems for custom coachbuilders. Other cutting-edge features included fully independent suspension and four-wheel brakes.

The records are sketchy, but the original owner of this Lambda is thought to have been a navy man, a Commander Gage, whose home port was in the United Kingdom. The car began life as a sedan, with custom fabric-clad coachwork from Weymann, in Brussels, but in 1946 was re-bodied as a coupe by Airflow Streamline in Northampton, England. The current owner has campaigned his Lambda in Italy's modern Mille Miglia, and was the top Canadian finisher in 2010.