LANCIA Ardea 1945-1953 Photos, engines & full specs

Born before WWII, the Ardea was the smallest sibling of the Lancia Aprilia. It was built in four series, and the second started right after the war ended. The Italians knew that they have to hurry.

While in some parts of Italy the ruins were still smoking and the cars were still a rare view on the roads, the workers returned to the Lancia factory, cleaned their tools, and started the production again. Lancia had to be reborn. And they did it with pre-war models and the Ardea was a perfect car for a ruined country.

The Ardea was ideal for those moments in history. Short, but with four doors, easy to run, and with body-on-frame construction, it was fit to run on unpaved or damaged roads. The headlights were mounted on the front fenders and, due to a new electrical system, allowing a better view during nights. The sloped back covered a decently-sized trunk, which was opened from the top side. On the rear panels, behind the doors, there was a side-indicator that was extended outwards when changing direction.

To access the interior, the car featured four doors. The rear ones were rear-hinged (suicidal doors) and there was no B-pillar. The metallic dashboard was simple, with a few rounded dials. As a styling cue, the steering wheel featured a three-spoke T-letter design. In the sloped back, the car featured a trunk with a lid that was opened from its upper side.

Under the short hood, there was a very small V4 engine. It's under 1-liter displacement that was enough to carry four people. It was mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox. The biggest improvement over the first series was the 12-volt electrical system.