The Aprilia is one of the great Lancias. In production from 1937 until 1949, over 26,000 were made. Rarely seen in the US, but much admired by those who have driven them, they are remarkable for their advanced engineering, innovative solutions, and a delightful aerodynamic and throughly modern monocoque. A separate chassis was made for coachbuilders, and roughly 7500 of these were produced.

Aprilias are not well represented on the web or in print. Below are some photos of a standard berlina, detail drawings or photos from the parts book, and finally, scans of a 1994 publication of maintenance tips by the English Lancia Club.

Notice the narrow engine, the delicate valve gear, and the IRS suspension. There are also two images of an experimental Aprilia motor where Lancia was trying out fuel injection c. 1937.

The Aprilia story is full of interesting aspects: early aerodynamic models, it is a true compact and lightweight sedan weighing some 880 kg, growing up to 950 kg for the sedans (coachbuilt examples were significantly heavier). Engine was a narrow angle V 4, originally of 1352 cc, and finally of 1486 cc. Finally, there is the little sister, the Ardea, almost identical in looks, a bit smaller in size, and with a 903 cc engine.