This car is the only known survivor of the nine cars that Lancia prepared for the 1928 Mille Miglia. According to the consignor, it retains its original body, engine and special Mille Miglia features; it also has a continuous history from new. The special features include a cut-down driver’s door; long, flowing wings; high running boards different from the standard Torpédo; additional adjustable rear shock absorbers; twin Autovac fuel-supply units; a Pirotta cylinder head; and 120-liter fuel tank with a large external filler. Available records do not show which of the factory-prepared cars was driven by which driver and co-driver; however, a certificate from Lancia confirms that this is a genuine Mille Miglia car, confirmed by its history and special features.
After the 1928 Mille Miglia, the car was sent by Lancia to its English subsidiary at Alperton on the outskirts of London. Lancia England then sold the car to Fred Bird, an American who divided his time between London, Switzerland and Cabris in the south of France, circa 1930. Mr. Bird added an astonishing 250,000 miles to the car before eventually retiring it. Circa 1960 it was acquired by Edmund Tory, a U.K. Lancia club stalwart, before coming into the hands of Gerald Batt circa 1970. Mr. Batt was a well-known English Lambda enthusiast who at one time had no fewer than 17 examples.
Years later and after much patience, the present owner managed to buy the car from Mr. Batt. Following a gentle recommissioning, the present owner and his wife embarked on the 2019 1000 Miglia retrospective, on which the car performed faultlessly. Immediately after the finish of the 1000 Miglia, they took the car to the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where the judges fully appreciated the car’s history, originality and recent historic-exhibition use. The Lancia received the FIVA Award for best preserved and most original prewar car.
On returning to England, the Lambda was taken to noted restorer Jonathan Wood. He carried out a full assessment of the car and undertook the work necessary to return it to proper running condition in all departments. The work included overhaul of front and rear suspension, new wheels and tires, manufacture of a new 120-liter stainless-steel fuel tank, overhaul of the electrical system — including installation of hidden coil ignition — and realignment of the engine, gearbox and prop shaft.
(Introductory description courtesy of Gooding & Company.)
