Lancia D24

The Lancia D24 History, Exploits & Ultimate Guide

The Background

Vincenzo Lancia (1881-1937) founded the Lancia Automobili S.p.A. motorcar company in 1906. He had been a successful racing driver of Fiat cars, but his Lancia company concentrated on innovative sports and touring cars.

The Theta of 1913 was the first European production car to feature a complete electrical system as standard equipment. Lancia's first car adopting a monocoque chassis – the Lambda, produced from 1922 to 1931 - featured "sliding pillar" independent front suspension that incorporated the spring and hydraulic damper into a single unit (a feature that would be employed in subsequent Lancia's, up to the Lancia Appia that was replaced in 1963).

Lancia in 1948 produced the first 5 speed to be fitted to a production car (Series 3 Ardea). Lancia premiered the first full-production V6 engine, in the 1950 Aurelia, after earlier industry-leading experiments with V8 and V12 engine configurations. It was also the first manufacturer to produce a V4 engine. Other innovations involved the use of independent suspension in production cars (in an era where live axles where common practice for both the front and rear axles of a car) and rear transaxles, which were first fitted to the Aurelia and Flaminia models. This drive for innovation, constant quest for excellence, complex construction processes and antique production machinery meant that all cars essentially had to be hand-made. With little commonality between the various models, the cost of production continued to increase greatly, while demand did not.

Gianni Lancia

After the death of Vincenzo, his wife Adele took over and kept Lancia afloat during WW II. At the young age of just 24 years old, Vincenzo's son Gianni Lancia (1924-2014) took over the Lancia motorcar company in 1948. At the age of 25, he was appointed CEO of Lancia & C. SpA. His engineering degree from the prestigious University of Pisa provided a convincing premise despite his young age. Gianni Lancia was assisted by the brilliant engineer Vittorio Jano.

Contrary to his father Vincenzo, who happily left to privateers the job of representing Lancia in motor racing, Gianni was firmly convinced of the positive impact that direct involvement at the highest level of motorsport could have on Lancia’s sales and prestige.

With the expertise of Jano, Gianni Lancia decided to renovate the already existing Ardea and Aprilia and in doing so hit upon a new model, the Aurelia B10. The powerful Aurelia, with the first production 2 liter V6, was a powerful, superb-handling dream. It wasn't long before some clients begun using them in hill climbs and other competitions.

When the B20 version hit the market, it was an instant success. It had a 2 liter V6 engine, a short-wheelbase, and a Ghia designed and Pinnenfarina-built 2-door GT coupe body. The Aurelia B20 coupe, although designed as a sports touring car, was used by owners in racing.

The 2 liter B20 Aurelia GT coupe, driven by Bracco and Maglioli, finished second in the 1951 Mille Miglia (beaten only by the 4.1 liter Ferrari America of Villoresi). These class wins with lightly modified Aurelias only served to whet Gianni’s appetite for motor racing glory. The boss now wanted from Jano and his engineering team a full-fat racing prototype, able to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Jaguar for overall honors.

That process culminated in August 1953, with the D24 sports racer, whose star shone just over a year, but very, very brightly indeed.

The Lancia D24

This enthusiasm for racing led to the development of the Lancia D24, which was built regardless of cost. It’s hard to believe, but the D24 Sport was developed in an extraordinarily brief time frame. Initiated at the close of 1952, the project drew inspiration from the successful D20 Berlinetta. This led to the creation of the D23, sporting a tubular chassis and an eye-catching design courtesy of Pininfarina. Despite its promising debut, the car’s 60-degree, 3,000 cc V6 engine fell short in terms of power. In a remarkable display of agility, Lancia promptly rolled out a second version – the D24.

Introduced in 1953, the sophisticated design of the D24 was leagues ahead of anything produced by rival manufacturers at the time. The D24 had a steel tubular space frame and an aluminum body by Pinninfarina. The D24 featured large inboard front and rear drum brakes, a four-cam, twin-plug, dry sump V6 engine and a 5-speed rear-mounted transaxle.

The car had near-perfect weight distribution and low unsprung weight. It weighed just 830 kg and the 3.3 liter (229 cu in) engine produced some 265 bhp at 6200 rpm and a top speed of about 165 mph. Further development of the engine for the D25 included a dry sump and brought horsepower up to 305 bhp at 6500 rpm.

This iteration featured an upgraded 3,300 cc engine, a host of significant modifications, and a dry sump to lower the center of gravity. The wheelbase was also notably reduced by 20 centimeters and incorporated a De Dion rear axle. The vehicle made its debut in August at the Nürburgring, putting on an exceptional performance. An early hiccup with the electrical system was quickly fixed by repositioning the batteries, and from that point on, the D24 proved to be highly reliable.

The entire technical design and project realization were completed by the Lancia team, who built the rolling chassis, engine, and gearbox, further solidifying the brand’s longstanding tradition of excellence. The technical leadership was under the capable hands of Vittorio Jano, who, after leaving Alfa Romeo, relocated to Turin. He would also spearhead the Lancia D50 Formula 1 project.

Racing Success

Lancia prepared its participation in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana down to the very last detail, sending four cars, two support trucks, and no less than thirty mechanics. After all, the roughly 3000 Km route was notoriously treacherous, crossing almost the entirety of Mexico, from the border with Guatemala up to Ciudad Juarez, close to the US frontier.

The D24 was driven to victory by the Argentinian champion Juan Manuel Fangio, but, as it was all too common in those days, the triumph was marred by tragedy, as another Lancia driver, Felice Bonetto, was killed in a crash while he was leading the race.

by then, Gianni Lancia had already shifted his attention to Lancia’s ambitious Formula One program

However, the success in the Carrera gave Lancia hope for the 1954 championship, whose first race was the Mille Miglia, the legendary road race from Brescia to Rome and back.

This time, the Italian Formula One world champion Alberto Ascari drove the D24 to victory, adding another prestigious trophy to Lancia’s lore. But, by then, Gianni Lancia had already shifted his attention to Lancia’s ambitious Formula One program, drawing more and more resources away from sports car racing.

Lancia’s Formula One car, the D50, first raced in October of 1954 in Barcelona. But that’s a story for another time…

A Legend

The D24 came out swinging, competing at the highest level in the grueling Carrera Panamericana. Finishing first with Manuel Fangio and second with Piero Taruffi and then in 1954, it clinched both the Mille Miglia with Alberto Ascari and the Targa Florio with Taruffi.

These powerful demonstrations could have continued had Gianni Lancia not shifted his focus to Formula 1 – a venture as demanding as it was laborious, ultimately leading him to sell his company shares and abandon the automotive world he loved so dearly.

Race Results

• 1953 1000 km Nürburgring (2 Cars Entered) (All retired)

• 1953 1° Gran Premio Supercortemaggiore (2 Cars Entered) (All retired)

• 1953 6a Bologna–Passo della Raticosa (2 Cars Entered) (1st (Felice Bonetto); 2nd (Eugenio Castellotti))

• 1953 5th Carrera Panamericana (3 Cars Entered) (1st overall (Juan Manuel Fangio); 2nd overall (Piero Taruffi); Felice Bonetto on the third D24 died in an accident)

• 1954 12 Hours of Sebring (4 Cars Entered) (2nd overall (Luigi Valenzano/Porfirio Rubirosa))

• 1954 14° Giro di Sicilia (1 Cars Entered) (1st (Piero Taruffi))

• 1954 6a Coppa della Toscana (2 Cars Entered) (All retired)

• 1954 21a Mille Miglia; (4 Cars Entered) (1st overall (Alberto Ascari); three retired)

• 1954 38a Targa Florio (2 Cars Entered) (1st overall (Piero Taruffi); ret. (Eugenio Castellotti))

• 1954 Oporto Grand Prix (3 Cars Entered) (1st (Gigi Villoresi); 2nd (Eugenio Castellotti); one ret.)

• 1954 14a Bolzano–Passo Mendola (1 Cars Entered) (1st (Eugenio Castellotti))

• 1954 16a Aosta–Gran San Bernardo (1 Cars Entered) (1st (Eugenio Castellotti))

• 1954 21st RAC Tourist Trophy (2 Cars Entered) (1st in class (Piero Taruffi/Juan Manuel Fangio); 2nd in class (Robert Manzon/Eugenio Castellotti))

• 1954 9a Catania–Etna (1 Cars Entered) (1st (Piero Taruffi))

• 1954 16a Treponti–Castelnuovo (1 Cars Entered) (1st (Eugenio Castellotti))

• 1954 5a Coppa d’Oro di Sicilia (1 Cars Entered) (1st (Piero Taruffi))

• 1954 2a Coppa Firenze–Siena (1 Cars Entered) (1st (Eugenio Castellotti))