1915 Lancia Theta

History

Introduced in 1913, the Lancia Theta was the successor to the Lancia Epsilon and was a much larger version. Featuring electrical lights and a starter motor, the Theta featured a 4941.72 cc straight-4 side-valve engine with a 4-speed manual gearbox transmission. It had a wheelbase of 122.0 inches, a length of 183.1 inches, and a width of 63.6 inches. The Lancia Theta had a curb weight of 2337 lbs and a fuel capacity of 21 US gallons.

Lancia's first really successful model was the Theta, and it came with a variety of very innovative and unique features. Lancia was the first European manufacturer to feature electrical circuitry as standard which included a foot-operated electric starter, two headlights, an American Kettering generator, two driving lights, dashboard lights, and a tail lamp.

The cranking handle was no longer fitted, though one was provided as part of the toolkit. The wheels were in sheet steel; or with steel spokes rather than wooden wheels that had been utilized on earlier models.

The Lancia Theta used a patented three-jet Lancia carburetor and featured an engine output of 70 bhp at 2200 rpm, and could achieve a top speed of 120 km/h. Either the 3100 or 3378mm wheelbase were offered, and it came with a chassis weight of 1060 kg.

The Theta was very successful in both America and the U.K. and continued to be constructed even after World War I, and a total of 1,700 units were produced during its lifetime.

By Jessica Donaldson