Lancia D50

The Lancia D50 History, Exploits & Ultimate Guide

After the Second World War, Lancia wanted to build a competitive racing car for Formula One. Lancia recruited Vittorio Jano, of Alfa Romeo and Ferrari fame, to aid in the creation of a new car for the Lancia marque.

Zaccone Mina states that: Jano was the leader of the team, but no one person was responsible for the overall design of the car, with its engine as part of the chassis and at an angle in the chassis and with the fuel tanks between the wheels. These things all came from discussions within the team and with Gianni Lancia making the final decisions.

When most designers were using engines in straight (inline) configuration, Jano chose to use the 'V' configuration due to its compact design. The resulting V8 engine was placed in the D50 and made its Grand Prix racing debut in 1954 at the Spanish Grand Prix. This was Lancia's first attempt at contesting a Grand Prix race and they were doing it with a totally new car and concept. However, the D50 proved to be more than capable, with Alberto Ascari driving it to pole position.

The Lancia D50 was very advanced technologically, with a very compact engine design, excellent weight distribution, and superior handling. Many of the F1 cars of the day were designed to slide through the corners. The D50 with its low center of gravity, short wheelbase and ideal weight distribution, did not slide through the corners; however, if the D50 did lose adhesion, it usually went into a spin rather than sliding.

The compact V8 engine was able to be placed directly between the wheels. It was shorter than the typical Formula One engines of the time, such as the straight six and straight eight engines.

The engine design allowed it to be used as part of the spaceframe chassis, providing structural rigidity as a stressed member, a significant advance in racing car design. The engine was offset at an angle of 8 degrees with the driveshaft running to the left of the driver to a five speed transaxle in the rear, allowing a lower seating position for the driver. By having the engine in the front and the gearbox in the rear, weight was evenly distributed.

The driver was positioned in-between these two components and there was little room left for the fuel tanks. In keeping with the weight-distribution concept, the fuel tanks were placed in large panniers alongside the vehicle, flanking the driver on either side, with the oil tank housed in the tail.

In traditional designs, the fuel tanks were located behind the rear axle, but in the D50's design weight distribution did not change as fuel was used during the race. The large panniers that held the fuel also improved the vehicle's airflow as they were positioned between the two tires on each side.

The front suspension consisted of a tubular double wishbone setup with a thin transverse leaf spring and with the upper wishbone operating an inboard telescopic damper. The rear suspension was a DeDion axle with a transverse leaf spring.

The total ensemble weighed a mere 1350 pounds and had a top speed of over 185 mph. The DOHC eight-cylinder engine had a capacity of 2489 cc with bore and stroke of 73.6 mm by 73.1 mm and produced an impressive 260 horsepower with the help of four Solex carburetors.

Ascari was signed as driver and tested the D50 as early as January 1954. In the Spanish GP, the last race of 1954, Ascari and Villoresi were entered in D50s. Ascari put his car on the pole, a full second ahead of Fangio's Mercedes. However, Ascari and Villoresi both retired with mechanical problems. In 1955, Ascari and Villoresi were joined by Eugenio Castellotti. Ascari won at Turin and Naples with Villoresi and Casetllotti finishing well.

Then came the Monaco Grand Prix. Ascari started on the front row between the Mercedes W196s of Fangio and Moss with a time equal to Fangio. Ascari eventually took the lead position when he overshot the chicane and crashed, sending himself and the car into the harbor. He had gained the lead, but it had resulted in a premature retirement from the race. Ascari survived; but later, he was testing a Ferrari sports car at Monza and crashed on the Curva di Vialone, a high-speed corner on the course. The accident claimed his life, bringing to a sad close the life of the two-time World Champion.

Lancia was in financial difficulty with their production cars which were built by hand and produced in small numbers at great expense. Lancia's prospects in the Formula One had gone bleak and the costs of the Formula One effort had brought Lancia towards the brink of bankruptcy. Lancia withdrew from racing in mid-1955 and offered to sell their racing cars and equipment.

Prince Filippo Caracciolo was president of the Italian Automobile Club and the father-in-law of Gianni Agnelli of Fiat. Prince Carracciolo intervened in the Lancia sale in order to keep the D50 racing cars and advanced technology in Italy. Ferrari was perennially short of money and had been fairly unsuccessful in 1954-55 with the Ferrari 553 Squalo and 555 Supersqualo Grand Prix cars. So the Italian Automobile Club arranged a deal whereby Ferrari received Lancia's D50 racing cars and spares and Fiat provided an annual contribution to Ferrari of fifty million lira for five years. The influx of cash and technologically-advanced racing cars essentially saved Ferrari.

Ferrari ran the D50 unchanged for the remainder of 1955. Ferrari made minor changes to the D50 for 1956 and with Ferrari badges on the nose it became the Lancia-Ferrari. With the withdrawal of Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari was able use the Lancia-Ferrari to win the 1956 World Championship and another driver's championship for Juan Manuel Fangio. The Lancia-Ferrari D50s won the Grands Prix of Argentina, Belgium, Britain, and Germany; and finished second to Stirling Moss at Monaco and Italy.