1930 Lancia Lambda 8th Series cABRIOLET

In 1929, following a trip to Italy where he had admired Lancia cars, Sir Douglas Montgomery Bernard Hall, 2nd Baronet, ordered a Lancia Di Lambda 277 chassis. Sporting a 4.0-liter engine, the DiLambda could summon an impressive 100 horsepower. The Baronet commissioned the Carlton Carriage Company Ltd. to complete the car with a body designed to lighten the hefty chassis and grace it with a noticeably sporty aesthetic. The resulting Di Lambda is dubbed 'Blue Shadow' on its registration, referencing its shade-of-blue details over predominantly gray paint. The interior is blue leather, and customized accessories are set into the large dashboard, which was positively futuristic for the time. During the war, the car was stored at the 'Plug & Spanner Garage' in Ashford, Middlesex, until the garage was hit during an air raid in October 1940, at which point the coupe was sequestered by the Ministry of Supplies. The car currently resides in Milan, Italy.