1936 Lancia Astura Series III Cabriolet 'Tipo Bocca' (Pinin Farina, short-wheelbase)
- Engine
- 2.9L narrow-angle V8 (replacement unit from a 1938 Series IV)
- Colour
- Silver with black hood
The Lancia Astura Series III chassis 33-5301 is a short-wheelbase Tipo 233C completed on 30 June 1936 and bodied by Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in the rare 'Tipo Bocca' cabriolet style — one of only six such examples, and the sole one exhibited at the 1937 Berlin Motor Show rather than road-registered. Featuring advanced pre-war engineering paired with aerodynamic coachwork styled by Mario Revelli di Beaumont, the car later resided in New York before a Swiss collector rescued it from deterioration in 1982, initiating a comprehensive restoration that took nearly four decades to complete.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate €1,200,000 – €1,600,000
- 1937 →Factory deliveryE. Uebel (German Lancia dealer)partial documentation
German Lancia dealership that took delivery of the car and had a Telefunken radio fitted; the car was exhibited at the 1937 Berlin Motor Show before passing through this dealer.
- 1982 → 2020Private saleNotable Swiss Lancia collectorpartial documentation
Rescued the car from deteriorated condition in late 1982 and commissioned a comprehensive restoration of the Pinin Farina bodywork, finished in silver with a black hood and red intrecciato leather interior; the work spanned nearly four decades.
- 2020 →Private saleCurrent consignorpartial documentation
Acquired the fully restored car in 2020; has not yet exhibited it at any concours event.
- Date unknownFactory deliveryVittorio Boccapartial documentation
Prominent northern Italian Lancia dealer who is credited with commissioning this style of bodywork from Pinin Farina; the design bears his name.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownAmerican owner who wrote for the American Lancia Club journalpartial documentation
US-based owner who described the car's original German delivery in an article published in the American Lancia Club journal during the 1970s; photographs show the car in New York by the late 1950s.
Competition
- 19371937 Berlin Motor Show
The car was displayed as a show exhibit rather than raced; it was the only one of the six 'Tipo Bocca' Asturas that was never road-registered, being sent directly to this event.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1938Engine rebuild
The original engine was replaced at some point with a unit numbered 41122 sourced from a 1938 Series IV Astura, retaining the same 2.9-litre narrow-angle V-8 configuration.
The date of this substitution is not precisely recorded; the replacement engine is from a slightly later production year.
- 1982Restoration
A full restoration was undertaken covering the complete refurbishment of the Pinin Farina coachwork, finished in silver with a black hood, and a richly detailed interior trimmed in red leather with a diamond-pattern intrecciato weave consistent with period Italian practice.
Initiated by the Swiss collector who acquired the car in late 1982; the work took approximately forty years to finish and is documented by photographs on file.
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