Le Astura ministeriali.

[PG]

Just to avoid further tales about the Asturas owned by Mussolini and his family until the third generation again....i decided to share with everybody my last researches here and make a definitive point of the situation. In the future nobody could claim anything anymore!

I'm talking about the so called (in italian) ministeriali cars, better to say cars commissioned by the ministries, fascist organizations and state authorities connected with the fascist Party. No one of these cars belonged to Mussolini, he didn't order an Astura ever, he didn't pay one and he didn't drive one. So abandon all hope, you who are reading here: everything somebody told you until today is completely wrong.

The most important lot of the Astura ministeriali belong to the IV series. The specimens were two only: 5 or 7 seats sedan and 5 or 7 seats torpedo. Both the specimens were in three trimmings: standard, de-luxe and special (one-off). The data come from the official Lancia registers and they are irrefutable.

1938:
241-2921/2941 Ministero degli Affari esteri, 5 seats standard sedan
241-2924 Ministero dell'Aeronautica, 5 seats standard sedan
241-2925/2952/2953/2954/2957/2958/2959/2960/2961 Ministero degli Interni, 7 seats de-luxe sedan
241-2926/2927/2928/2929/2930/2931/2932/2933/2934/2935 Ministero degli interni, 7 seats de-luxe torpedo
241-2936/2937/2938/2939 Ministero degli Interni, 7 seats special torpedo (these are the cars commissioned in the occasion of the Hitler's visit in Italy)
241-3005 Ministero degli Interni, 7 seats special sedan
241-3087/3089/3105 Ministero degli Affari esteri, 5 seats standard sedan
241-3112/3151 Ministero delle Corporazioni, 5 seats de-luxe sedan

1939:
241-3145 Ministero dell'Aeronautica, 7 seats standard sedan
241-3154 Ministero degli Affari esteri, 5 seats standard sedan
241-3235/3256/3257/3260/3262 Ministero degli Interni, 5 seats de-luxe sedan
241-3270/3271/3292/3293/3294/3296 Ministero degli Interni, 7 seats de-luxe torpedo
241-3297/3304 Ministero degli Interni, 7 seats special torpedo
241-3295/3298/3300/3301/3302/3305/3306/3307/3308/3311 Ministero degli Interni, 5 seats standard torpedo

1940:
241-3154/3236/3242 Ministero degli Affari esteri, 5 seats standard sedan

1941:
2413247/3249/3261 Ministero degli Affari esteri, 5 seats standard sedan
241-3284/3285 Ministero degli Affari esteri, 5 seats de-luxe sedan

[Geoff]

Paolo -

Great information. Are these all IV series? Were there any before these dates?
Thanks,

Geoff

[PG]

Yes, those chassis are IV series. I update the list with the III series in the next weeks.

[Ed Levin]

Remarkable work, Paolo. Thank you.