Vincenzo Lancia (24 August 1881 – 15 February 1937) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

racing driver,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

and founder of Lancia. Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of

Fobello Fobello is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Vercelli. Fobello borders the following municipalities: Alto Sermenza, Bannio Anzino, Ca ...

on 24 August 1881, close to

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

; his family tree starts in Fabello around 1550. He was the youngest of four children (one sister and two brothers), his father being a soup canner who made his money in Argentina before returning to

to start his business. From an early age, Vincenzo showed a gift with numbers, and it was intended for him to become a bookkeeper, but developed an interest in machinery and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, and was fascinated with the new motor car. He eventually became an apprentice with Giovanni Battista Ceirano, a bicycle importer in

, and he was named bookkeeper in the company's brochure in 1898. He was also developing his skills at engineering, design and construction, and developed patience, perseverance and determination. Soon he could tackle most problems single-handedly. Once Lancia was sent to help Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia, who owned a Benz. When they met in February 1899 they quickly became friends. He was to become important in Lancia's later career, and was credited with the design of the now familiar Lancia logo (1911). Vincenzo Lancia 1905

Lancia, however, was now chief inspector at Fiat, and was also test driver, although only 19. His driving impressed the Fiat bosses, and he was invited to drive their cars in races, and his first success was in 1900, in Fiat's second race. Lancia led the first lap of first French Grand Prix at Le Mans with a time of 53 minutes 42 seconds. He was an exceptionally fast driver, often fastest of all, but often suffered a mechanical failure. In 1906, Vincenzo Lancia won the Gold Cup in Milan driving the Fiat 28-40 HP. His first car was built in 1907 - the 12 hp Alfa, which included much of the technology now taken for granted, and he produced groundbreaking models such as the

Lambda Lambda (}, ''lám(b)da'') is the 11th 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 Phoenician Lamed . Lambda gave ri ...

and the Aprilia. In 1930, with Gaspare Bona,

Battista Farina Battista "Pinin" Farina (later Battista Pininfarina; 2 November 1893 – 3 April 1966) was an Italian automobile designer and the founder of the Carrozzeria Pininfarina coachbuilding company, a name associated with many well known postwar ca ...

called Pinin, Giovanni Battista Devalle, Pietro Monateri, Arrigo De Angeli founded the

Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...

S.p.A. a car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy SpA.
He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on 15 February 1937 just before the Aprilia was put into full production. He was 55 years old, and he lies buried at

. His wife Adele Miglietti and their son Gianni Lancia continued the management of the car manufacturer (1937–1955).

References

Lancia Motor Club (UK)

Vincenzo Lancia
(VanderbiltCupRaces.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lancia, Vincenzo 1881 births 1937 deaths Sportspeople from the Province of Vercelli Lancia Lancia people Italian automotive pioneers Italian founders of automobile manufacturers Italian racing drivers