Having established itself in the front rank of the world's finest cars with the Dilambda, Lancia further enhanced its exalted position with a succession of fabulous coachbuilt models on the Astura chassis in the 1930s.

One of the most gifted automobile engineers of all time, Vincenzo Lancia founded his own company in 1906, having previously been in FIAT's employ as chief test driver.

Introduced in 1907, the first Lancia car showed an independence of thought and defiance of convention that would remain associated with the marque well into the modern era.

The introduction of the Astura and Artena in 1931 marked a switch from a system of model designation that used letters of the Greek alphabet in favour of one using Italian place names, a move in keeping with the nationalistic spirit of the age.

One of Lancia's most important models, the Astura was powered by a new version of the company's familiar narrow-angle V8, first seen in 1922.

The latter was enlarged from 2.6 to 3.0 litres o...