Addio Lancia

I take a small amount of melancholy comfort to hear that Lancia will be discontinued, according to a teleconference given by Sergio Marchionne today. The indignities it was forced to suffer over the past 10 years or more were greater and greater with each passing year of mismanagement.  When the final lineup of rebadged Chryslers was unveiled, it was a bridge too far.  Lancia will now join the all time great nameplates in the pantheon of disappeared grands marques.  It will be where it belongs, in the company of Duesenberg, Packard, Cord, Auburn, Delahaye, and yes even Pontiac.  Let's hope maybe someday the name will be revived and stand once again for technological innovation and beautiful Italian design.  Until then, let's try to forget its sad decline and remember the halcyon days of Lancia's remarkable racing history and their achingly beautiful road cars of the midcentury years.

Comments

[F1 Tommy]

Not 100% correct. Lancia will continue.....

http://www.autoedizione.com/marchionne-fully-explains-new-production-plan/


It also looks like Alfa will now be taken care of properly by FIAT, just like Ferrari and Maserati.


Tom Tanner/Ferrari Expo 2013-Chicago March 2013

[Bradley Price]

We'll see about that Tommy!

[F1 Tommy]

Well I am not holding my breath, but atleast it's the Italians running it still. We already have enough VW/Audi/SEAT/Skoda clone cars on the market.

Tom Tanner/Ferrari Expo 2013-Chicago March 2013

[F1 Tommy]

I am refering to Alfa in the above statement.....Lancia is pretty much dead, other than the rebadged Chryslers..........It's been dead since the early 1970's other than for a few very special race and limited production cars(one of wich you pictured).

[Noah Vale]

...and Delage and Mercer and Stutz, to define the comparison further.

[Noah Vale]

I would like to add that I think the D-24 sports racing car and the D-50 GP car were as great and as great looking looking as any
in their categories of any era. The B-20 Aurelia GT coupe was the inspiration for all GT cars thereafter and was the favorite off-track car of many of the top drivers of the day. A stunning showing at a Mille Miglia in the '50s was another example of Lancia's preeminence. As far as innovation goes, they had the first independent front suspension (1926, I think) and the first V6 (1949 or so). Lancia could well have been in the same category today as Lamborghini and McLaren.
https://www.google.com/search?q=lancia+d-24&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=FtGVUIb9NcWP0QH4qYGQAw&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1092&bih=533 and
https://www.google.com/search?q=lancia+d-24&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=FtGVUIb9NcWP0QH4qYGQAw&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1092&bih=533

[Ken]

Just please, let Lancia go; we should have put out of its misery 10 years ago. And leave it there, we have had enough of "revival failures": Maybach, TVR, Lagonda, Gordini...

Excellent choice for the 037. This is Lancia in all its glory in one picture. Fulvia, Stratos, Delta... you will be missed!


Anyway, thanks to the author for a true petrolhead website. Excellent work!