Vincenzo Lancia died in 1937, suffering a fatal heart attack at the age of 55 just before his company’s Aprilla modal went into production. But with Italy suffering economically and facing sanctions for its invasion of Ethiopia, Lancia wanted to produce an even smaller and less expensive car model.
In 1939, the Ardea went into production, and it would become “the most popular” of all Lancia models.
With the founder of the company no longer living, it was his widow, Adele, who guided the development of the Ardea, a vehicle that in addition to sedans was produced in commercial van and even “truck” versions.
The 80th anniversary of the Ardea will be one of the focuses this fall of the Auto e Moto d’Epoca classic car show, Europe’s largest such event, at Padua, Italy, with a special showcase by the Lancia Ardea Club.
The show is scheduled for October 24-27.
Vincenzo Lancia was born in Turin, Italy, the youngest of four children of a wealthy soup cannery owner. His family wanted him to become a bookkeeper, but the youngster was more interested in engines and machines and became an apprentice, focusing on finances but soon working with Aristide Faccioli, who did designs for Giovanni Battista Ceirano, a bicycle importer and producer who produced motorcars from 1901-1904.
Ceirano sold out to Fiat and Lancia became an inspector, test driver and winning racer who, with support from Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia, launched his own car company in 1906.
Although Lancia’s son, Gianni, would take over his father’s business, he was only a teenager when his father died, so it was left to Adele (Miglietti) Lancia to lead the company’s development and production of the Ardea model, powered by a 30 horsepower overhead-cam V4 engine linked to a 5-speed transmission.
According to The Great Adventure of Women in the Turin Industry, “The day after her husband’s funeral, Adele was already behind the desk to follow the work of the workshop and ensure continuity of management, with her technical preparation and the wise administration of an important heritage.