Italian automobile company

Lancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...

was the first to manufacture cars with V4 and V6 engines in series-production. This started with a number of V4-engine families, that were produced from the 1920s through 1970s. The Lancia V4 pioneered the narrow-angle

V engine A V engine, sometimes called a Vee engine, is a common configuration for internal combustion engines. It consists of two cylinder banks—usually with the same number of cylinders in each bank—connected to a common crankshaft. These cylinder ...

design, more recently seen in Volkswagen's VR5 and VR6 engines. By using very shallow V-angles — between 10° and 20° — both rows of cylinders could be housed in an engine block with a single

cylinder head In a piston engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders, forming the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines the head is a simple plate of metal containing the spark plugs and possibly heat dissipation fins. In more modern ...

, like a

straight engine The straight engine (also called inline engine) is a configuration of multi-cylinder piston engine where all of the cylinders are arranged in a single row, rather than radially or in two or more cylinder banks. Design A straight engine is eas ...

. A determining characteristic was the use of

overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustio ...

s (either single or double), in which a

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition syst ...

would serve the same function for all cylinders — in ''both'' cylinder banks.

Lambda

The first V4 was used in the

Lambda Lambda (; uppercase , lowercase ; , ''lám(b)da'') is the eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiced alveolar lateral approximant . In the system of Greek numerals, lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is derived from the Phoen ...

from 1922 through 1931. It was a 20° narrow-angle aluminium design. All three

engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as an indicator of the ...

s shared the same long stroke, and all were SOHC designs with a single camshaft serving both banks of cylinders. Engines: * , at 3250 rpm * , at 3250 rpm * , at 3500 rpm

Artena

The Lambda engine was updated for the

Artena Artena is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It is situated in the northwest of Monti Lepini, in the upper valley of the Sacco River. It is approximately southeast by rail, and direct from Rome. The economy is based ...

. Bore was set at as in the 2.6 L Lambda, but stroke was reduced to a more conventional . Total displacement was , with produced at 4000 rpm.

Augusta

An all-new V4 was designed for the Augusta. Produced from 1934 through 1938, the Augusta's engine displaced with a bore and stroke. Power output was at 4000 rpm.

Aprilia

The engine was redesigned again for 1936's

Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle and Scooter (motorcycle), scooter manufacturer in Noale, Italy, founded by Alberto Beggio. History Early days Aprilia, named after the Pre-war automobile, pre-war Lancia Aprilia, was founded after the Seco ...

. The first-series cars used a version with a bore and stroke. Output was at 4300 rpm. A second series was unveiled for 1939 with an enlarged engine. It did not share its predecessor's dimensions, with bore and stroke now at . Power output was nearly the same at .

Ardea

A small V4 (''tipo 100'') powered the compact 1939 Ardea. It was a 20° narrow-angle engine displacing just . Bore and stroke were new again at , and output was just at 4600 rpm. For the 1949 ''tipo 100B'' power was increased to .

Appia

The V4 returned after the war with the 1953 Appia. It featured an even narrower 10° cylinder bank and just of displacement, fitting below Italy's 1.1-liter tax threshold. An initial of power grew to in 1956. was available in 1959.

Fulvia

Lancia's final V4 series were used in the

Fulvia Fulvia (; d. 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribo ...

, remaining in production up until 1976. Designed by Ettore Zaccone Mina, it used a narrow angle (13°) and was mounted well forward at a 45° angle. The engine was a true DOHC design with one camshaft operating all

intake valve A poppet valve (also sometimes called mushroom valve) is a valve typically used to control the timing and quantity of petrol (gas) or vapour flow into or out of an engine, but with many other applications. It consists of a hole or open-ended ch ...

s and another operating all exhaust valves. Displacement began at just with with a bore and stroke. A higher (9.0:1)

compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the maximum and minimum volume during the compression stage of the power cycle in a piston or Wankel engine. A fundamental specification for such engines, it can be measured in two different ways. Th ...

raised power to soon after. The engine was bored to to enlarge engine displacement to for the ''Coupé'' model. This, and some tuning, raised output to , further enhanced up to for the HF model. The engine was re-engineered with a slightly narrower bank angle and longer stroke for 1967. Three displacements were produced: bore, bore, and bore. The latter engine is most common, with the first unit only sold in Greece. Three levels of performance were available: for common 1.3 Liter (commonly imported in USA and described as "highly tuned" by ''

Road & Track ''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published 1947. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published six times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York City. History ''Road ...

'' at the time); for its 1.3s evolution and for the Rallye HF. The engine was redone again for a new ''HF'' with an even narrower 11° cylinder bank and longer stroke for its final incarnation. A bore of gave it a displacement of , and power shot up to between depending on tune.

External links

Lancisti.net - An Information Exchange and Support Community for Lancia Owners and Enthusiasts
* * {{Lancia V4 Gasoline engines by model V4 engines