"Its a sign - a Lancia sign!"

[LanciAlan]

I do hope to own a Lambda before I die - I even have a particular car in mind - money is the only current obstacle but that can change...

To keep the dream alive meanwhile, I thought this interesting item currently listed on eBay might make a nice Cristmas present of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory "Golden Ticket" variety ...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320619304144&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

... or even a good place to start a Lambda "project"

Perhaps the chassis number it bears 17309 is of interest in Lambda register terms?

[johnturner]

An interesting sign.  Chassis 17308 was the 'Airway', designed by Joseph Emberton, which appeared at the 1927 Olympia show and subsequently went to Australia.  Though there are pictures of the car in different colours (at Olympia the car was finished in red and yellow) there has been much speculation over whether more than one was ever built.  So given the present approach to restoration I reckon that if you were to push off and build a replica in a corner somewhere and stick this plate on it you could unveil it, ta-daa! as the lost second car.

Here are the illustration from the Curtis Automobile catalogue and a photograph of the car as it appeared.

[lancialulu]

How many Airway's were produced?

This one was at Turin 06.

Tim

[fay66]

How many Airway's were produced?

This one was at Turin 06.

Tim

According to La Lancia Albany Coachworks built "at least three and their lines were influenced by contempoary aeroplanes"


Brian
8227

[johnturner]

Pace Wim Oude Weernink, I'm not convinced that more than one car was produced.  The car that appeared at Turin in 1906 is 17308, then owned by the late Gary Byrd and now in California. There are photographs of what appear to be three different cars; the show car, a car which appeared at Croydon Airport in 1927 finished in a single colour and a car with a modified roof to accommodate two rear seats that appeared in 1928. But Bruce Lindsay, who is pretty knowledgeable about the Airway, reckons that this is the original car converted at the request of the Australian who bought it.  Certainly Curtis were finding it difficult to get rid of the show car, which was offered at a substantial reduction some weeks after the show, which might explain its subsequent respray/modification.

[lancialulu]

Its a shame about the modified roof which makes the whole car look weird.

If it were mine I would return it to the original concept.

Tim

[Richard Fridd]

fantastic!are there any pics of the croydon visit?richard

[johnturner]

Here is a picture that appeared in Autocar.

[fay66]

Its a shame about the modified roof which makes the whole car look weird.

If it were mine I would return it to the original concept.

Tim

Tim,
I'm not sure what you mean about the modifed roof as all photos I've seen of the airway, including the two, here seem to be the same?

Brian
8227

[Richard Fridd]

thanks for the Croydon pic.[have found it in Bill Jamieson's book now]looks like an exciting time for those which could turn up in an Airway and jump on one of those planes.i was wondering about the roof mod as well.richard

[DavidLaver]

I've always thought that roof blister looks like a great place for the tail gunner to work from.

David

[fay66]

I've always thought that roof blister looks like a great place for the tail gunner to work from.

David

The first photo show a round window and smaller extension to the roof, while the Croydon airport one looks as if it has a different shape rear window to the extension, but that mat just be the the different angle , so perhaps there was more than one as La Lancia suggests?
Here's more views of it from Turin.

Brian
8227

[lancialulu]

If John T is right then it is the only one and his theory of it being modified in order to sell it makes my comment relevant! I agree with David 'bout a rear gunner...

Other than that it must be the most eccentric Lancia produced (wait for the avalance of alternatives??).

Tim