Beschrijving
Lancia Lambda Capolavoro, the Design, Development and Production of the Lancia Lambda. 2nd edition.
The second edition of the book “CAPOLAVORO – The design, development and production of the LANCIA LAMBDA” by Bill JAMIESON, now available in Italian and English, has been presented at the very right time. In 2021 the LAMBDA CENTENARY will be celebrated, and this painstaking work of research and documentation covering every aspect of this innovative model allows the Lancia enthusiast to have a point of reference and an indispensable tool for a possible restoration, or for the technical commissioners of the bodies in charge of verifying the conformity of the models under examination to obtain certification. It is strange that for a car so important to the world motoring progress (self-supporting body, independent front suspension), before this, there was only one other book dedicated to the Lambda, published by the Lancia Club d’Italia 20 years ago.
To get into the subject, the author traces the genealogy of Vincenzo LANCIA and the early years of the company he created. In the chapter dedicated to the prototype, there are the ingenious ideas behind the project, the fortunate choice of designers made by ‘Monsù’ Vincenzo, together with technical drawings, patents and photographs of the tests the car underwent. The presentation of the Lambda is treated with a wealth of detail and precious sepia-toned images of the three models exhibited at European shows. This is followed by four chapters devoted to the nine series of Lambda produced, subdivided according to the most important advances and modifications, duly documented with technical drawings, photographs of the cars, the celebrities who used them, advertisements of the time and the most important mechanical components. Individual chapters are dedicated to the engine, the suspension and the electrical system, accompanied by useful elements (photos and drawings) to identify the specific parts of each series. In the eleventh chapter there is a moment of pause from the technique with a discursive text dedicated to the activity of the factory in the decade between the ’20s and ’30s. This is followed by the chapter on tools, spare parts and accessories with photographic documentation and a beautiful drawing of the tool bag by Biscaretti. The penultimate chapter, which deals with the bodywork, is one of the most substantial and, starting from the production model, traces the activity of the external coachbuilders who created so many custom-built models. Lastly, the Lambdas in competition with their results, pictures of the drivers and star cars as well as the entry forms for the 1927, 1928 and 1929 Mille Miglia with chassis, engine, gearbox and rear axle numbers. The entire work is accompanied by six appendices of great interest and practical use, in particular, numbering systems, production data year by year, the general data table, new car prices and agents and dealers.
This volume, which as soon as it is published will become the collectors’ “bible” on the Lambda, is presented in a graphic layout of considerable value, printed in Bodoni ITC 11 typeface, on fine paper in an elegant black/sepia combination with refined small details such as the numbering of the pages within the LANCIA emblem.
Engels, hardcover met slipcase, 2020, 230 pagina’s, Bill Jamieson.
ISBN 1ste edition; 9080649619.
ISBN 2nd edition; 9788887651799.
