As might be expected for an automaker founded by an engineer and racing driver, Lancia prioritized technological innovation, performance, and quality from its earliest days.

Naturally, when the company applied this same uncompromising formula to larger and more luxurious cars, the results were no less spectacular—and this breathtaking 1936 Lancia Astura Cabriolet Series III “Tipo Bocca,” with its unique bodywork by Pinin Farina, represents the very best of the marque’s ample pre-war capabilities.

At the 1931 Paris Salon, Lancia unveiled a new two-model lineup led by the single-overhead-cam V-8-powered Astura.

The model developed through four series built until 1939, the third of which was offered in two different wheelbase lengths and introduced a more highly developed engine with an increased displacement of nearly three liters.

But if one criticism might be leveled at the Astura, it was that the factory coachwork was too conservative.

By the mid-1930s, streamlining and Art Deco ...