Lancia shaped the original Aprilia in a wind tunnel back in the 1930s, working with Battista Farina to land a drag coefficient of just 0.47 — remarkable for the era.
Median 59 hp across 95 similar cars
Lead trim: Aprilia 1,352 cc V4 (47 PS)
Lancia Aprilia first series, model 238238 · 1937–1939
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Lancia Aprilia first series, model 238 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactLancia shaped the original Aprilia in a wind tunnel back in the 1930s, working with Battista Farina to land a drag coefficient of just 0.47 — remarkable for the era.
The Lancia Aprilia, Vincenzo Lancia's last design, went into production in February 1937 — the month its founder died — as one of the first cars developed in a wind tunnel (with Battista Farina and the Polytechnic University of Turin), reaching a record-low drag coefficient of 0.47, with four pillarless doors; the berlinetta aerodinamica was first shown in 1936. The first series (model 238, 10,354 units, 1937–1939) had a 1,352 cc V4 engine of 47 PS, in a 4-door saloon or 2-door cabriolet on a 2,750 mm wheelbase. Lancia kept right-hand steering even in markets others treated as left-hand drive (customers outside the UK and Sweden increasingly chose the optional left-hand-drive version). It was also assembled at Bonneuil near Paris (Lancia's first plant outside Italy) from 1937 to 1939 as the Lancia Ardennes, on sale from Autumn 1936 — indistinguishable apart from slightly larger headlights, overshadowed by the Citroën Traction, only 1,620 built — and it appears in the Tintin story Land of Black Gold. The second series is catalogued separately.
Collectors Spotted in the Lancia Aprilia Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Lancia Aprilia yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aprilia 1,352 cc V4 (47 PS) | 1937–1939 | 1.4 L V4 | 46 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The second-series Aprilia stayed in production a full decade — World War II included — yet still built fewer cars (9,728) than the shorter-lived first series (10,354) had managed in barely two years.
Lancia shaped the original Aprilia in a wind tunnel back in the 1930s, working with Battista Farina to land a drag coefficient of just 0.47 — remarkable for the era.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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