Aprilia Cabrio - here we go again

[Sliding Pillar]

Simon, that's a very elegant pf Aprilia, I especially like the curved rear and the lovely rear lights. Are the wheels original? 
For aluminium trim try https://www.completeautomobilist.com/categories/complete-automobilist-coachbuild-and-body-parts-aluminium-strip or http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/

[the.cern]

Thank you Simon for the great array of photographs. That really does look like a very special car. I think that whilst I agree re the curved rear and the rear lights, for me the highlight has to be the steering wheel, simply gorgeous!!!!!

                                Andy

[stanley sweet]

I'd be happy just owning the steering wheel. What a beautiful Art Deco gem.

[fay66]

Simon,
What a magnificent find

I note the internal door release knob appears to be the same shape as the single tail light, by design?

Brian
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[Sarah Heath-Brook]

  Wow Simon! Hope to see this "in the flesh" tomorrow...  Tim hasn't mentioned it yet, since I arrived less than 24 hours ago, but I guess he was keeping it as a surprise for me   

Sarah

[josefewald]

Complimenti! This is an Aprilia convertible which kept most of the aesthetically pleasing aspects of the standard Aprilia berlina. It seems to me your car has the standard front grille, the standard headlamps, as well as a very nice treatment of rear and side body lines. Somehow most of the Aprilia convertibles look too baroque whereas this (I guess very) early 1st series car is very much the essence of Aprilia. Congratulations, I look forward to reading about your restoration efforts! Good luck! Best, Josef

[frankxhv773t]

That is gorgeous. No Lancisti with a soul could possibly resist it.

[DavidLaver]

Any thoughts on colour or two tone yet?

[davidwheeler]

Some 50 years ago I rescued a complete rear suspension and final drive from a cabrio in a scrapyard not far from Bristol.  A few months later the cwp in my sedan packed up and I swapped the whole thing over - it is still on the car.  Lower ratio cwp which gives better acceleration I guess at the expense of a somewhat busy engine at 70mph.  With my Nardi set up I am considering putting a higher ration sedan cwp (from Ben) on to see how it goes.   Alas, the reat f the rear suspension disappeared somewhere between Bath and Kendal (one was careless in those days).

[simonandjuliet]

David, interesting to hear what you say about final drives, I presume the higher (?) ratio (9:41 compared with 10:41) was to counter the increased weight of the final bodywork ?

General question - high/low ratio terminology ? - 9/41 = 4.56, 10:41 = 4.1 - so which is high/low ratio ?
So, for every 4.56 turns of the prop shaft the rear wheels will do one full turn if I understand correctly. 

Having said that, I think the early chassis cars are not that heavy - 650kgs vs 880 kgs for an early saloon and 950kgs for a 2nd series saloon. The later chassis are 670kgs. I will get mine weighed once it is finished for interest's sake

The chassis' gear ratios may be different as well , but I have read differing views on this

Re colours, not sure yet, but probably 2 tone. I am still researching original colour(s)

Another point, picked up by Ade, is that the bodywork is Pininfarina. I had some correspondence with a known authority who said:

"this car is a early Lancia Aprilia cabriolet, an officially catalogued model. It was built by Pininfarina but this company was subcontractor to Lancia for certain models, hence the lack of any PF badges"

In some ways, who made the bodywork is not too important, I agree with Josef, this bodywork retains the "aesthetically pleasing aspects of the standard Aprilia". What you cannot see from the photos to date is the lovely upward flare of the front wings compared to the much flatter profile of the saloon.

Planning to start taking the cabrio to pieces soon ........

[simonandjuliet]

A couple of pictures to show the different wing profiles of the cabrio and berline - horizontal stick to give a guide !

Now the Aprilia is off the ramp I will move her in

[simonandjuliet]

I guess that I'm not going to start a new thread .......

With the car up on the ramp I have had a really good look underneath - no nasty surprises which I am very happy about ! It doesn't mean that there is nothing to do, but it is nearly all flat plate with a couple of bends. The most difficult bit is the front of the chassis where the cross-member passes under the radiator.

Having attacked the floor with an angle grinder, there is plenty of the original to see how it was made.

Difficult to show until I cut out the offending patches, so please look at the diagram ! - the floor is a completely flat sandwich with cross pieces welded between the layers. The sides of the floorpan are made from a very heavy gauge S-section with the inner and lower floors welded to it.

I read an article in "The Motor" from 1936 that commented on the flat-floor arrangement

The outer cill and bodywork are then welded to this, with outriggers to add further support.

Once I can get photos I will post them, but I have bought the steel and new pipes for my oxy-acetyline, so Dog and I will attack the cills next week.

Plus, I dismantled a door panel, so as not to set light to it. Similarly, there is enough of the original to copy and return to an authentic look. The window winding mechanism is amazing .....

[stanley sweet]

That window cog isn't going to wear out any time soon - look at the size of those teeth. Is there anywhere that you are able to see inside the floor sandwich to check the interior condition? From the diagram it looks as though you couldn't see all the way across if you removed a sill, you would have to look from front to back - is that right? Do the floor supports run all the way from front to back? I don't think I've ever seen a floor like this. You could use it as a long range fuel tank.

[chriswgawne]

You could also hide contraband in the floor cavity for smuggling! On one Registro Aurelia trip some years ago, a thoroughly respectable  Italian gentleman who shall remain nameless told me wonderful stories about smuggling cigarettes in a 2nd Series B20 which was considerably faster than the police cars of the day and so when chased, he was never caught!
Early B20s use a sprocket and bicycle chain window winding mechanism which is unbreakable and thoroughly over engineered in true Lancia fashion.

[fay66]

That window cog isn't going to wear out any time soon - look at the size of those teeth. Is there anywhere that you are able to see inside the floor sandwich to check the interior condition? From the diagram it looks as though you couldn't see all the way across if you removed a sill, you would have to look from front to back - is that right? Do the floor supports run all the way from front to back? I don't think I've ever seen a floor like this. You could use it as a long range fuel tank.
[/quote
Stan
I would have thought that Simon would have one of these probes with a camera on the end, and if no suitable hole available would only need one smallish hole to be drilled rather that removing the sill.

Brian
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