1937 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet (coachwork by Stabilimenti Farina)
- Engine
- 1.35L (later 1.49L) narrow-angle V4, overhead camshaft, twin carburettor Nardi setup
- Colour
- Black
The 1937 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet, bodied by Carrozzeria Stabilimenti Farina, is one of the pioneering examples of Vincenzo Lancia's final design — a car celebrated for its aerodynamic bodywork, all-independent suspension, and advanced V4 engine. Its documented Italian ownership chain stretches from 1945, passing through several Veneto and Padua-based custodians before reaching a noted Bolognese collector who commissioned a thorough restoration, returning the car to its original black finish and upgrading the mechanical specification with a Nardi twin-carburettor kit. The car retains Italian registration and ASI homologation.
Ownership
- 2022-11-18Auction saleEstimate €110,000 – €130,000
- 1945-08-06 → 1946-09-21Acquisition unknownFrancesco Pescefull documentation
Resident of Vittorio Veneto; first recorded postwar owner per official chronological extract.
- 1946-09-21 → 1946-12-14Acquisition unknownGiulia Inusmerfull documentation
Based in Padova; ownership confirmed by the estratto cronologico.
- 1946-12-14 → 1948-08-14Acquisition unknownAttilio Gambarofull documentation
Also resident in Padova; documented in the official registration extract.
- 1948-08-14 → 1948-09-04Acquisition unknownGiuseppe Artusofull documentation
Brief ownership per the chronological registration record.
- 1948-09-04 → 1949Acquisition unknownDomenico Monteleonefull documentation
Ownership documented in the estratto cronologico.
- 1949 → 1985-01-07Acquisition unknownLuigi Gianfrancescofull documentation
Registered from January 1949; held the car until the next documented owner took title in early 1985.
- 1985-01-07 →Acquisition unknownDomenico Paterlinifull documentation
Lived near Brescia; retained the car for roughly two decades before selling it in the early 2000s.
- Date unknownPrivate saleMr. Mandellipartial documentation
Noted collector based in Bologna who acquired the car in the early 2000s and commissioned a full restoration, including a repaint in original black and mechanical upgrades by Officina Gamberini.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
Full restoration undertaken on behalf of the Bolognese collector Mr Mandelli: the bodywork was stripped and repainted black — confirmed as the original colour by traces of black paint found beneath later blue paintwork — and the tan leather cabin was refitted to correct factory specification.
Commissioned by Mr Mandelli following his acquisition in the early 2000s.
- —MechanicalOfficina Gamberini
Engine tuned with a twin-carburettor setup, a Nardi inlet manifold, and a British-sourced multi-branch exhaust manifold, producing a measurable gain in performance.
Carried out by the Bologna-based Officina Gamberini as part of the broader restoration; work confirmed by a subsequent test drive referenced in the catalogue.
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