GRAFY-CAR™, Graphene paint for the restoration of vintage Lancia

The restoration of the first Lancia began at Simon Carr 2 in Abbiategrasso, craftsmen specialized in the restoration of vintage cars

It is not possible to write the history of the glorious Lancia in a few lines.

Lancia was officially founded on November 29, 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and Claudio Fogolin. The legendary coat of arms marked by the steering wheel and the flag, adopted with various modifications for over a century, was created by Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia.

The first Lancia car, the 12HP, was presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1908. Well finished and comfortable, it boasts a shaft drive and a 2.5 four-cylinder engine that allows it to reach a top speed of 90 km/h.

The Lancias took a short time to conquer the public and this allowed the Turin company to expand: in 1911 the new factory in Via Monginevro was inaugurated, later the Theta was launched. This highly appreciated model (the first of the brand to exceed 1.000 units built) is also the first car in history to be equipped with a complete electrical system.

The turning point for Lancia came in 1922 on the occasion of the debut, at the Paris and London Motor Shows, of the revolutionary Lambda. It was not only the first car in the world equipped with a load-bearing body but also one of the first with independent front suspension.

In 1927 it was instead the turn of the more luxurious Dilambda, aimed mainly at the North American market and characterized by a mighty eight-cylinder engine. It conquered the wealthy European motorists.

In the 1930's, Lancia made a series of particularly successful cars. The 1931 Artena proved to be one of the most reliable cars of the period, while with the Augusta, launched two years later (which won the Targa Florio in 1936), the supporting body was proposed on a more accessible model. Other interesting technical solutions make their debut such as: the narrow V-shaped (four-cylinder) engine and the doors with wardrobe opening without central pillar.

The 50’s began with the presentation of the Lancia Aurelia, the first production car in the world to be fitted with a V6 engine. However, this is not the only novelty of this car, which also features independent four-wheel suspension. The following year the seductive B20 coupé version made its debut, winning the Targa Florio with Felice Bonetto in 1952 and the 1954 Monte Carlo Rally with Louis Chiron. The Turin manufacturer won two more editions of the prestigious Sicilian race. The first one in 1953 (with a D20 driven by Umberto Maglioli), the year where Juan Manuel Fangio triumphed at the Carrera Panamericana with a D24, and the second one in 1954.

In 1953 it was the turn of the compact Appia sedan, while the following year it was destined to enter the history of the Piedmontese brand: the construction of the Lancia skyscraper began and also the victory in the Mille Miglia.

Today in Milan at the Simon Carr 2, specialized in the restoration of vintage cars of significant historical value, the restoration of some Lancias begins. The first one is a Lancia Appia III series using the GRAFY-CAR™ line made by Marchetti Tech, company based in Milan, which produces high-tech paints.

The paints used for the restoration of this Lancia Appia contain Graphene, the latest in technology. The Graphene treatment guarantees the bodywork a duration of 2500 hours tested in salt spray, as proven by repeated tests. The salt spray tests were carried out in Italy by MotivexLab of Avigliana (TO) is the Destructive Testing, Non-Destructive Testing and Tomography on Metallic Materials Laboratory for the Automotive sector.