Lancia Astura Pininfarina At Louwman Museum Editorial Photo

The 1938 Lancia Astura Pininfarina in the Louwman Museum of Den Haag (the Netherlands). This Lancia Astura, with its beautiful Art Deco streamlining, was the most luxurious model in the Lancia range of the 1930s. The young designer Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina created this ‘Tipo Bocca’, which is equipped with an 85 hp, 3.0-litre V8 engine with cylinder banks at a narrow 17-degree angle. The engine is extremely silent, propelling the car to its top speed of 130 km/h with ease. The Astura model, named after the peninsula at Lazio that housed many Roman villas, was produced from 1931 to 1939. The Mussolini regime chose the Astura as its official government vehicle. The Lancia marque was founded by Vincenzo Lancia in 1906 and is known for its technical innovations. The 1922 Lancia Lambda, for example, was the first production car with a monocoque chassis. After the war Lancia introduced the Aurelia, the first V6 production car, which was also the first GT (Gran Turismo – a sports car suitable for long distances). Lancia has been part of the Fiat Group since 1969.