Description
Vincenzo Lancia founded his automobile business in 1906 at the ex-Itala factory in Turin, and in September 1907 his first car was ready. Launched at the 1908 Turin show as a bare chassis, the 12 HP was later renamed ‘Alpha’ when Lancia moved to naming models after letters from the Greek alphabet. It’s successor, the 15 HP was similarly renamed Beta and so on.
In 1911 the company relocated to larger premises just outside Turin where the successful, all-new, Theta was conceived and built. The new model had a fixed-head, four-cylinder engine of 4, 940cc capacity and produced 35 HP. The Theta was first shown to the public at Olympia, London in November 1913 and the display chassis showed off Lancia’s patented transmission brake which used a chain to push the brake lining onto the brake drum. The model also featured an adjustable steering column and electric starter and was a success for Lancia with around 400 examples built.
Lancia introduced the Kappa in 1919 which was essentially an improved Theta with the same four-cylinder engine but with a detachable cylinder-head and central gearchange rather than outside the car.
Commercial vehicles were an important element to the Lancia company and the Iota was the first mass-produced Lancia truck. Mechanically the Iota was similar to the Theta and Kappa with a gearbox derived from the roadgoing Eta model.
Today, the Theta is a very rare car with only six examples recorded in the UK by Lancia Motor Club members in 1992. Our example was built to Theta specification from a collection of contemporary parts purchased by arch-Lancia enthusiast Don Williamson in March 1992 from Oliver Gray, who had accumulated parts as spares for his 1914 Theta.
The parts included a rolling Kappa chassis with four road springs and an original scuttle/ bulkhead with chassis plate no. 3990. 3990 was a Theta originally supplied by UK sole concessionaire W. L. Stewart & Co. Ltd of London. Other parts included a Theta front axle with hubs and original hub caps, a Theta rear axle casing (numbered 3990), diff-gear, a disassembled Lancia Iota engine (no. 5650) of the correct design, Iota gearbox (no. 761), a lightened flywheel, foot pedals, complete clutch with shaft, complete transmission brake, torque arm, complete steering column, half-shafts, brake drums, back-plates and shoes, Lancia radiator with badge, dashboard instruments, original fuel tank, steering wheel centre controls and a fuel pressure pump.
Remaining parts to complete the build were either fabricated or sourced from various Lancia contacts and suppliers. The build was undertaken by O. J. Gray & Partners, restoration engineers of Alcester, Warwickshire.
The engine was rebuilt with new pistons and rings and the bearings were white metalled before line boring. The crankshaft was cleaned and rebuilt with new plugs and the steering box received new bearings. The Lancia four-speed gearbox has an external gear-lever as per Theta specification and is mated to a multi-plate clutch. A Zenith/ Lancia carburettor and Bosch ZU4 magneto were also sourced.
The running chassis was complete by the end of 1995 when thoughts turned to a body design. Williamson was inspired by a 1914 SPA with a lightweight, boat-tailed, two-seater roadster-style body, so it was decided to create something similar for the Theta.
The body was constructed with alloy panels over an ash frame and included a hood, windscreen and spare wheel carrier. Period headlights were sourced and reproduction side and rear lights were fitted. Seats were built-up and upholstered.
An original starter was unobtainable so a chain-driven Hudson Dynastart unit was installed which acts as both starter and a dynamo when the engine is running.
A dating application was made to The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain in 2004 and the committee assigned a date of 1917 to the Theta.
In 2006 progress was sufficient to fit new wings, floorboards, running boards and rewire the car with new braided cables. In August 2007, after fifteen years the Theta was finally completed and registered with the period number BF 4172. The car received its first MOT on the 26th August 2007.
Since completion, the Theta has been enjoyed by Don Williamson and remains in excellent order.
The Theta is now offered for sale at below the cost of its construction and represents a unique and exciting opportunity to acquire a very rare Lancia indeed.
