 Just back from a west coast Lancia reunion up in Oregon. Between wanting to see some other friends, hosted by friend Ed Godshalk (with his pal Rick Warner). It was good to see Chris and Anna Long, Paul and Vicki Tullius, Jeanne and Steve Katzman among others. Also to connect with Cory Youngberg and Hank Koenig, meet Jim Gillis. Saw some neat cars too, much we're known previously. Nice original 1.2HF, B24, Cory let me drive his lovely Appia Sport - a very sweet car. Simpler but still special. Other aspects included a ride in a t. 37 Bugatti too. An hour in that is pretty close to fundamental bliss. Very special. We visited a winery, the big aero space museums, saw the "Spruce Goose" up close. Pretty amazing bit of technology from the 1940s. Impressive. Ed asked me to give a Lancia presentation - showed Fobello images, and a quick run through Lancia history. Lots of things they had not seen before, and seemed to be enjoyed. The group went to the Forest Grove Concourse on Sunday, and the Tullius Casaro Lambda took home some glory. Well deserved. All in all, a lovely time. Not to mention some yummy oysters by the ocean.   
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 MAUTO is the rebranding of the National Automobile Museum in Torino, one of the best in the world. It has a wonderful (massive) collection of cars and a very good library. In the recent Lambda fest in Torino (2022), we had a celebratory dinner there, and were able to walk around and see displays. A couple of weeks later, I went back, worked in the library but also was able to see some rarities in the basement. Some highlights are shown here.
 Its been a long time since posts, apologies. Perhaps a brief update is due.
In the fall of last year (so long ago), Lynne and I went to Italy to join a Lambda fest in Turin, which then went up to Fobello and La Monta, the Lancia family home. We had a great time, saw lots of friends from all over the world, and got to hang out with die-hard Lambda friends. It was remarkable seeing the cars do so well, especially on the long winding road up to the lancia house. There was a Lambda chugging up a steep inclines, already with 6 people - we hopped on, making it 8, and the car didn't even notice. You begin to understand the world of Lancia when you see where the family lived. Following the rallies, seeing Trikappa V8 running, and other jewels, I returned to Torino and dove into the archives at both Centro Storico and MAUTO. Found some gems of ancient history, and have been working with that information ever since. Highlights include finding (finally, after 10 years of looking!) the drawings for the 1919 narrow V12 engine. There is one example on display (and has been for years), but it has never really been understood or examined in depth, as the drawings were unavailable. Back at home, work has focused on an early history of Lancia prototype engines, their first V engines - from 1914 to 1922, oddly starting with the aero engines, two V12s, three V8s, and then ending with the early Lambda. Its a history full of detail, but (for me) interesting to see their design thinking evolve. Its an unusual take, but it seemed needed - as there has been no explanation of how Lancia got from their in-line four cylinder engines (1907-1921) to the narrow V, introduced in 1919, and put into production in 1922. If anyone is interested in this, let me know. Happy to share thoughts. The draft text is well underway, but it takes time - lots of things one has to be sure about. Driving events have been minimal - a three day tour with the Flavia by the Mississippi River and the hills of southern Wisconsin, but not much else. Headed to the West Coast reunion in a few days (and a talk), then Castlemaine in October. Between some construction at home and family issues, a European trip seems to have been put on hold. More later... |
