Happy Birthday, Lancia! 119 years of style and innovation
(+) 119 years of Italian innovation and identity: since 1906, Lancia has combined technical ingenuity, clean lines and a distinctive attention to detail.
(+) A story of icons: from the early 12 HP, Lambda and Aurelia to Flaminia, Fulvia and Ypsilon, the brand has crossed the decades with advanced solutions, unmistakable elegance and a proven ability to anticipate trends.
(+) The new Lancia era: the New Ypsilon introduces a more contemporary design language, intuitive technologies such as S.A.L.A., and an expanded line-up with Ypsilon HF and Ypsilon HF Line, bringing the spirit of the red elephant into the present.
(+) The return to competition: after a legacy of 11 World Rally Championship Manufacturers’ titles, Lancia is back in motorsport with the Ypsilon Rally4 HF and the Trofeo Lancia, leading up to the unveiling of the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, which will make its WRC2 debut at the 2026 Rallye Monte-Carlo.
On 27 November, Lancia celebrates 119 years — an anniversary that reflects a story shaped by innovation, style and technical solutions that have influenced the evolution of the automobile. Since 1906, the brand has built a clear identity — clean lines, original ideas and meticulous attention to detail — giving life to models that have become benchmarks in design, motorsport and Italian culture.
Today, this heritage forms the foundation of a new chapter for the brand, defined by a renewed design language, more intuitive technologies and a return to competition that connects continuity with the future.
The origins of an iconic brand
The brand was founded in Turin on 27 November 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and his partner Claudio Fogolin, both coming from Fiat and already deeply immersed in the world of racing. Vincenzo, a successful driver, had already collected numerous victories before giving his name to a new automotive company.
In 1908, the brand launched its first model, the Lancia 12 HP: an avant-garde car for its time, featuring a low and lightweight chassis, a cardan shaft instead of traditional chains, and a series of technical solutions that contributed to its success, with more than 100 units produced — a remarkable figure for that era.
Lancia’s reputation grew rapidly. The brand made it through the First World War and, in the post-war years, introduced refined models such as the Lambda, Augusta and Aprilia. After the Second World War, in 1950, the Aurelia was unveiled — the first production car in the world to feature a V6 engine. Its racing successes encouraged Gianni Lancia, son of the founder, to create a dedicated racing division, Scuderia Lancia, designed to highlight the dynamic qualities of the brand’s cars.
By the mid-1950s, Lancia shifted its focus toward higher-end vehicles. The 1960s saw the arrival of icons such as Flaminia and Flavia — the latter being the first Italian car with a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. In the early 1970s, the brand revived its motorsport programme in a structured way: with the Stratos, 037 and later the Delta, Lancia dominated the rally scene for more than 20 years, entering the motorsport Hall of Fame with 15 World Rally Championship titles, 3 World Endurance Championship titles and victories in legendary events such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Carrera Panamericana.
Outside the world of racing, 1985 marked the debut of the Y10 at the Geneva Motor Show, a small yet sophisticated model that redefined the concept of a stylish city car. From there, the story of Ypsilon began, becoming over time a true pillar of the Italian market: more than 37 special series, 4 generations and a long-standing leadership in its segment.
More recently, the baton has passed to the New Ypsilon, which officially opens the brand’s new era: fluid lines inspired by the models that shaped Lancia’s history, round rear lights that pay tribute to the Stratos, and, above all, the debut of S.A.L.A., Stellantis’ first virtual and intelligent interface designed to deliver easy, intuitive and effortless technology. The New Ypsilon is available both as a 100% electric vehicle and with a hybrid powertrain.
Completing the line-up are the Ypsilon HF — the high-performance version that brings back the legendary red elephant and introduces a renewed sporty attitude for Lancia — and the Ypsilon HF Line, a design-driven variant that brings the aesthetic codes of the HF family into everyday driving, making them accessible to a broader audience.
Timeless Design
Lancia design has always stood for much more than pure aesthetics: it is the most authentic expression of “Italian style” — a unique balance of elegance, creativity and restraint. Lancia models are born from a rigorous pursuit of formal purity, where every superfluous element is removed to leave space for clean lines and technical solutions conceived with intelligence and sensibility.
It is no coincidence that models such as Aurelia, Flaminia, Fulvia, Beta HPE, Gamma, Delta, Stratos and 037 have become cultural touchstones, each with a distinct personality — sometimes refined, sometimes essential or even bold — yet united by a timeless style that has retained its freshness decade after decade.
Lancia has often shaped innovation before it became trend: from the “wardrobe-style” doors without a central pillar introduced as early as the 1930s, to the Aprilia, which applied advanced aerodynamic principles to a compact production car. Craftsmanship and attention to detail have always been hallmarks of the brand, visible both inside and out. The most iconic example remains the Aurelia B24 Spider, with its essential silhouette, free of external handles, designed to preserve the purity of its line.
Lancia has also interpreted a more sophisticated and distinctive approach to high-end design with models such as the Thema 8.32, powered by a Ferrari engine and finished with fine leather and real wood veneer.
Today, the New Ypsilon carries this heritage forward, introducing a renewed design language: soft, flowing volumes inspired by Aurelia and Flaminia, sporty touches that echo Stratos and Delta, and a play of contrasts between smooth surfaces and sharper details. Key stylistic elements include the modern reinterpretation of the Lancia “calice” grille and the round tail-lights inspired by the Stratos. The interior confirms the brand’s Italian elegance through refined materials — such as recycled leather and ribbed velvets — and distinctive features like the central table, an emblem of hospitality and style.
The Evolution of an Italian Identity
The history of Lancia is also the story of how its emblem and model names have evolved — reflecting the brand’s attitude, personality and style.
The first logo appeared in 1907: simple, with the “Lancia” name on a dark background. In 1911, Vincenzo Lancia entrusted Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia with the task of creating a symbol rich in meaning: the steering wheel, the flag and the lance-shaped spear were born. This design accompanied the brand for decades, evolving in 1922 and again in 1929, when it was enclosed in the now-iconic blue-and-gold shield.
In 1957, with the launch of the Flaminia, the logo became cleaner and more geometric. In 1969, after Lancia joined the Fiat Group, it was redesigned with a more modern layout, adopted for the first time on the Beta in 1972. In 1981, designer Massimo Vignelli created an even more essential version, while in 2007 the shield was simplified further, maintaining the historical elements in a more immediate form.
The naming of the models also reflects Lancia’s identity. After the early references to fiscal horsepower (12 HP, 18/24 HP), in 1919 the brand moved to the Greek alphabet — Kappa, Lambda, Dilambda — followed in the 1930s by names inspired by ancient Rome: Augusta, Aprilia, Ardea. In the 1950s and ’60s came the names of Italy’s great consular roads — Aurelia, Appia, Flaminia, Flavia, Fulvia — and from the mid-1970s the Greek alphabet returned with models that became true icons: Beta, Gamma, Delta.
In the 2000s, this tradition continued with Thesis, Phedra and the new generation of Delta, up to the Ypsilon which, from 2020 to the current New Ypsilon, now introduces a fully redesigned logo. The wheel, shield, spear and wordmark return with a contemporary synthesis — a lighter, clearer sign that expresses today’s Lancia: not a search for luxury, but a distinct interpretation of Italian character, attitude and elegance.
Rallying: Between Heritage and Future
Lancia’s rally history speaks for itself: 11 World Championship Manufacturers’ titles and victories in the most prestigious competitions — from the Mille Miglia to the Targa Florio, all the way to the Carrera Panamericana. The 1970s and ’80s marked the golden era, thanks to three legendary models — Stratos, 037 and Delta — that dominated international rallying for more than two decades, establishing Lancia as the most successful brand in rally history.
Today, that tradition is not only remembered — it is alive again.
In 2025, but the brand also officially returned to motorsport with the New Ypsilon Rally4 HF, the star of the Trofeo Lancia, a programme that revived the spirit of the red elephant by involving private teams, young drivers and a renewed competitive attitude.
The next step came on 18 November 2025, when the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale was unveiled in Satory — the car that marks Lancia’s return to the world stage. Developed with Stellantis Motorsport, it is a project designed to compete at top level and to open a new phase in the brand’s sporting story.
The journey resumes from one of the most iconic events on the planet:
- in January 2026, Lancia will make its WRC2 debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo, bringing the Ypsilon name — and the red HF elephant — back to the most prestigious rally stage.
Lancia: Style on Screen and Among the Stars
Lancia has always embodied a certain idea of Italy: taste, care, understated elegance. It is no surprise that, from the very beginning, its cars appeared on film sets and beside personalities who defined their eras.
The relationship with cinema began with early silent films in Turin, where Lancia cars featured in the “telefoni bianchi” productions, symbols of modernity and aspiration. In the 1950s, during the Dolce Vita years, this connection became inseparable: Rome was the centre of international cinema and Via Veneto its main stage. Actors, models and artists chose Lancia as an extension of their own style. Claudia Cardinale, Anita Ekberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo drove Aurelias and Appias; Marcello Mastroianni preferred his Flaminia Coupé Super Sport Zagato; Brigitte Bardot travelled between Cortina and the Côte d’Azur with Aurelia, Flaminia and Flavia. Even Ernest Hemingway relied on an Aurelia B21 during his work for Life magazine.
In 1962, the Aurelia B24 Spider became part of cinema history as the co-star of Dino Risi’s Il sorpasso, still one of the most recognisable cars ever seen on screen.
Lancia cars continued to appear in the following decades: the Fulvia Coupé in Dario Argento’s Profondo Rosso, and the Delta driven by Alain Delon in Pour la peau d’un flic.
More recently, Lancia has returned to international productions, from Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love to Ron Howard’s Angels & Demons, where the Delta played a prominent role.
Lancia’s communication style has also been distinctive: the brand’s campaigns directed by Gabriele Muccino, set to music by Ennio Morricone, became true short films. Celebrities such as Stefano Gabbana, Richard Gere and Carla Bruni embodied the brand’s mix of elegance and personality, becoming “Very Ypsilon People.”
The most recent appearance on the big screen is Race for Glory, starring Riccardo Scamarcio, portraying the 1983 World Rally Championship season — the epic challenge of Lancia’s 037 under Cesare Fiorio against a much stronger rival on paper. A real story of sport, courage and determination that still resonates today.
Source Lancia