1931 LANCIA Astura 2.6

Vehicle Overview

Lancia replaced the Lambda lineup with two models: the Astura and the Artena. While the latter was intended as a mass-production vehicle, the former was more exclusive.

The first world major economic crisis of the century wasn’t started yet, and the blooming Italian industry made room for wealthier entrepreneurs. Lancia was on the verge of improving its lineup and introduced the Astura as an executive sedan with a powerful engine.

Lancia sold the Astura as a complete vehicle or as a bare chassis, to be completed by independent coachbuilders. The four-door sedan was luxurious and featured rear-hinged front doors and regular ones for the rear passengers. Like most of the Italian cars built in that era, the driving post was on the car’s right side so that the driver could see better the road’s edge. One specific detail about the Astura was the slightly raked radiator, built to improve its aerodynamics.

Inside, there was room for five adults with plenty of legroom and headroom thanks to the car’s high greenhouse. The dash-panel featured center-mounted dials for speed, revs, oil pressure, ammeter, coolant temperature, a clock, and fuel level. In Pininfarina convertible body shape, the Astura still featured the same wheelbase as the sedan, resulting in a true four-seat rag-top.

Under the hood, Lancia installed a V-8 engine with just 17 degrees between the cylinder banks. It was a concept developed by the Italian carmaker since WWI, and it proved to be a good idea. The four-speed gearbox was not synchronized, but the car featured adjustable rear dampers via a turning knob under the dashboard. That was something unusual for luxury cars from that era.