1928 Lancia Lambda 7th-Series Faux Cabriolet, Coachwork by Stabilimenti Farina Registration no. DS 8110 Chassis no. 16092

* Present family ownership since January 1989
* Restored in the mid-1990s
* Winner of the Lancia Motor Club's Hugo Boyd Trophy for restoration
* Maintained in recent years by Peter Gerrish
* Engine rebuilt in 2007

One of the most gifted automobile engineers of all time, Vincenzo Lancia founded his own company in 1906 having previously been in FIAT's employ as chief test driver. Introduced in 1907, the first Lancia car showed an independence of thought and defiance of convention that would remain associated with the marque well into the modern era. Military vehicles, lorries, vans and aero engines followed, the latter enabling Lancia to accrue valuable expertise in the design and construction of 'V'-configuration power plants.

Apart from a solitary six-cylinder model, the relatively unsuccessful Dialfa of 1908/1909, all early Lancias had four-cylinder engines and were only supplied in chassis form, there being no in-house coachworks at this time. Lancia's very first offering, the 18/24hp Alfa, embodied the principles that its maker had come to consider essential: low weight, a high-revving engine, shaft drive, a pressed steel front axle and worm-and-screw steering. New models were introduced on almost a yearly basis – all named after letters of the Greek alphabet – and production increased sufficiently for Lancia to move to larger premises in via Monginevro, Turin in 1911.

Lancia's first V-engined model - the V8 Trikappa sports car - appeared in 1922 but it was the Lambda, launched soon after, that would prove to be of even greater significance. A milestone in automotive history, the revolutionary Lambda was the world's first car to have a stress-bearing body and the first to be powered by a V4 engine. The absence of a separate chassis meant the driver could sit lower, enabling a low aerodynamic body line to be achieved, while Lancia's patented sliding-pillar independent front suspension endowed the Lambda with ride and handling qualities unmatched by anything in its class.

The engine, an overhead-camshaft unit of 2,120cc, was progressively enlarged, arriving at its final 2,570cc, 68bhp configuration in 1928. Production of the Lambda lasted from 1923 to 1931 in nine series. Although not designed with competition in mind, the Lambda in modified form proved extremely capable in that role, one finishing 4th overall at the inaugural Mille Miglia of 1927, a class-winning achievement repeated the following year. By the time production ceased in 1931, a total of some 13,000 Lambdas of all types had been made.

A 2,370cc 7th-Series car, chassis number '16092' carries faux cabriolet coachwork by the Stabilimenti Farina Company - Farina specialised in the Weymann system of body construction. Right-hand drive, like all Lancias into the 1950s, the Lambda was purchased in Belgium in 1982 by Stephen Langton, who sold it to the vendors' father-in-law, the late Ron Amey, in January 1983. The Lambda was restored in the mid-1990s, following which Ron Amey won the Lancia Motor Club's Hugo Boyd Trophy for the restoration of this car and that of the Lambda tourer in this sale (Lot 92). There are photographs on file of this car 'as bought' and during restoration.

In recent years, 'DS 8110' has been driven by the vendors' mother and maintained by renowned marque specialist, Peter Gerrish, who rebuilt the engine in 2007. Unused for approximately the last five years, the car will require re-commissioning before returning to the road. Accompanying paperwork consists of a quantity of expired MoTs, numerous bills for maintenance, and a V5 registration document. A wonderful opportunity to acquire a fine example of one of the most outstanding automotive designs of all time.