“Lancia Classic Weekend”: a unique tour on the Lancia flagships of today and yesterday

Lancia is organising a special event for the European launch of the new Lancia Thema at the Frankfurt Motor Show. "Lancia Classic Weekend" will be starting off from Turin on the morning of 16th September and is expected to reach Monte Carlo in the afternoon where the cars will be attending the "10th Monaco Classic Week-La Belle Classe" at the Yacht Club de Monaco.

Stars of the event will be thirteen vintage Lancias and two brand-new Thema to prove that the concept of travelling in style runs in the brand's blood. On everyday's roads the new Lancia flagship turns the concept of simple "means of transport" into an exciting travelling experience because travelling is not only starting off and getting there but rather a sequence of emotions and discoveries that unfold as time goes by.

These are the very sensations that the great Lancia salons - like those involved in the "Lancia Classic Weekend" tour, which gave life to the concept of "Granturismo", a word which means travelling in style at the wheel of a powerful, comfortable, elegant car which is never over-the-top - have secured to motorists for one century. Just like a Lancia. The Lancia style is chosen by motorists who seek discretion and loathe showing off and the mechanics are designed to offer the best performance for top safety and driving pleasure. They are expressions of ideas that do not chase fads but are trend-setters, suggesting unprecedented solutions, sometimes even revolutionary, capable of anticipating likings and technical evolutions.

Belonging to vintage car collectors and to the Lancia Collection, some of cars on the tour are absolute rarities, like the Lancia Alpha (1908) owned by Corrado Lopresto, probably the oldest Lancia still in existence, which was sent to America to have its coach built by Miller Bros. This rare vehicle has won many important Concours d'Elegance worldwide has only recently been returned to Italy after having been part of a large collection in the USA for many years.

It will be sharing the spotlight with a 1931 Lambda IX "Torpedo Lungo", owned by "Lancia Club" conserver Guido Lamperti, which once belonged to the Maharaja of Kuala Lumpur, who received it directly from the hands of Vincenzo Lancia, and two Astura with a remarkable history. The first is a 1938 Coupé Pinin Farina created personally for Count Galeazzo Ciano, who sent it to England before the war, where it was salvaged and maintained before being purchased by celebrated musician Eric Clapton. It returned to Italy in 1980. The other is a 1938 Lancia Astura IV Series Stabilimenti Farina saloon that was owned by Baroness Kenemy di Bolzano, seized by the Allied Forced and retrieved from an ARAR war surplus camp. 

The Turin-Monte Carlo tour will also feature two Dilambda, the biggest car ever made by Lancia and powered by a V8 engine: the first belongs to the Lancia collection and was restored for the occasion and the second is an extremely rare car with a special body made by the British coachbuilder Mulliner. Equally special is the 1928 Lambda VIII Series saloon with six lights built on a patent by Weymann: the particularity of this car is in its perfectly preserved body despite being made of wood covered in pegamoide, a sort of imitation leather.

The remarkable train will be completed by two Aurelia B22 (1952 and 1953) and a Lancia Aurelia B56S Florida (1955), which is a one-of-a-kind of extraordinary beauty made by Pininfarina on a Flaminia chassis. This prototype brought about a new concept in automotive design passing from the round shapes of the 1950s to the taut lines of the 1960s and introduced a new horizontally developed from grille. It was the forerunner of the standard Flaminia, of which three will be taking part in the "Lancia Classic Weekend" tour: a 1964 Flaminia Berlina, a 1961 Flaminia Berlina and a 1959 two-door Flaminia made by Pininfarina.

Driven by their owners with important international journalists in the passenger seat, the 13 vintage and classical cars and the two new Thema will be meeting up on Thursday 15th September at the renewed National Automotive Museum of Turin. From here, they will be setting off to Monte Carlo the day after along A roads and stopping at the Grand Palais Excelsior in Limone Piemonte. Built during the early 1900s the hotel was appointed as summer residence of the Princesses of Monte Carlo who brought the splendour and style of the court to Limone with them.

The tour will resume at 2 p.m. crossing Colle di Tenda and the breathtaking Val Roya. They are expected to reach the Principality of Monaco at 5 p.m. Here, they will drive along the well-known route of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix and cross the Casino Square to reach the Yacht Club. Here, the Lancia event will be joining the exclusive "10th Monaco Classic Week-La Belle Classe" contest, which is one of the most prestigious classic yacht and automobile competitions in world.

A fascinating setting which confirms the partnership sealed three years ago by Lancia and the prestigious Yacht Club de Monaco and on the other hand allows Lancia once again to express the brand's values of style, tradition and sophistication and to share them with the Yacht Club de Monaco, renowned worldwide as one of the most exclusive world capitals of yachting tradition and the spirit of elegance which is associated to all events staged here.

The "Lancia Classic Weekend" tour will be a homage to the 100-year-old Rallye de Monte Carlo, a competition which has always been closely bound to Lancia, that debuted here in 1925 with Mertens coming in second at the wheel of a Lambda. Organised in 1911 at the bequest of Prince Albert I, from the start the Rallye de Monte Carlo proved to be an important test for any car that aimed at tackling particularly difficult conditions. Lancia triumphed 13 times on the Monegasque roads: 4 times with the Stratos, 3 times with the Delta HF Integrale, twice with the Delta HF 4WD and once with the Delta S4, 037, the Fulvia Coupé HF 1.600 and the Aurelia GT B20.

Finally, on Saturday 17th September, the "Lancia Classic Weekend" participants will enjoy an exciting experience aboard the La Signora del Vento, a classical 85 meter sailing ship that was been sailing the seas of the world since 1962. It has over 3000 square metres of sail surface when fully unfurled, a deck capable of accommodating up to 200 people, a 200 square metre restaurant, a large solarium and 27 luxury cabins. From here, the guests will attend the Sailing Ship Concours d'Elegance and the Ship Owner Regatta.

Eighty vessels will be taking part in the yachting event in three classes: motor boats, motor yachts and sailing yachts. The newcomers will be Chris Craft and Hacker Boats. Following the past edition that celebrated the 100 years of the Tuiga, the flagship of the Y.C.M., fifty or so of the most prestigious yachts will be meeting once again in the principality of Monaco to celebrate another centenary: that of the magnificent 38 meter long cutter aurico Mariquita (1911). Finally, the recently restored Hispania (1908) is expected for the first time in the waters of the Principality. This 15 metre vessel, once property of King of Spain Alfonso XIII and sister ship of the Tuiga, will commemorate the kings and queens who regularly came to Monte Carlo and the Riviera during the golden age of yachting. After having been separated for nearly 100 years the last four 15 metre vessels of a fleet which originally counted 19, designed by the unrivalled master William Fife, will be meeting up in Monaco for a unique event in yachting history.  

Turn, 15 September 2011