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Astura is a river south of Rome where the last battle happened between the Romans and Latins. It was later occupied by Roman aristocracy, the type that would fancy the best things that Italian life had to offer.

In the 1930s there was little transportation more prestigious than the Lancia Astura. Unlike the Alfa Romeo 2.9 which was Italy’s premier pre-war sports car, the Lancia Astura was more luxurious and featured formal bodywork. Lancia paid close attention to luxury by including a smooth running engine, hydraulic brakes and a centralized lubrication system.

Both the Astura and 2.9 came in short or long versions to suit the premier design houses that custom-crafted bodies and interiors. While the 2.9 was typically bodied by Touring, the Lancia was made in much larger numbers and had a much more wide-ranging scope of bodies.

The Astura was built alongside the Artena. Both used a similar chassis, with a body-over-steel design, but the Astura had an all new narrow-angle V8 engine. At an acute angle of just 19º, the block was very compact and could fit in the same space as the Artena’s V4. For the first series spanning from 1931 to 1933, this V8 initially produced 73 bhp from 2.6 liters. Second series cars called the Astura 233 increased displacement to 2.9-liters and horsepower to 82 bhp. In both sizes, the engine was meant for smooth power delivery and could propel any body a customer required. Furthermore, it had a flat torque curve unlike the Alfa Romeo 2.9’s high strung 8C which wound up to 5300 rpm.

From its onset, the Astura was designed to receive the best custom coachwork available. It came with no specific floor-plan and gave designers freedom to create any body type desired. Pinin Farina was one of the first companies to body the chassis and made a distinct design called Tipo Bocca for a dealer in Biella, Italy. These impressionable cars gained even more notoriety after the Mussolini regime made them official government transportion.

Produced from 1931 to 1939, the Astura was made in four distinct series. By 1933, the 3rd series debuted and introduced the Longo and Corto chassis lengths. In 1937, the final 4th series was made with distinctive Fergat-type steel wheels and was only offered with a long-wheel base. Throughout these years of production around 2900 Asturas left the factory.

The Astura wasn’t really replaced by any successor which left the model type somewhat orphaned. However, due to the elaborate and decorative bodies by Boneschi, Castagna, Pinin Farina, Stabilimenti Farina, Touring the Astura became the greatest pre-war Lancia.

Bonham's Sale of #3162 - The Pourtout Sports Coupe.

At their Les Grandes Marques a Monaco in 2005, Bonhams sold #3162, the blue and black sports coupe featured above. The top bid was 290 000 EU or 365 000 USD.

This car was commissioned by the then Duke of Montaigu, whose title was established in the 11th Century. His choice of chassis was interesting for he bought the latest (Series 4) version of the Lancia Astura.

For the coachwork, the Duke turned to Carrosserie Pourtout on the outskirts of Paris. Marcel Pourtout had established his concern in 1925 and had first made unexceptional bodies until the arrival of Georges Paulin, a man who understood both engineering and aerodynamics even though he had trained as a dentist. Together, they had space to play with, gave the car three very desirable features: a large boot, wide doors and a very long bonnet.

In the late 1930s, there was also the clash of political ideologies not far beneath the surface. Pourtout could take an Italian car and make it a Franco-Italian car which was a more ambiguous statement. Pourtout fitted bodies to 326 Lancia Augusta chassis, 36 Aprilia chassis and this single Astura chassis #3162, a unique creation.

As befitted a Duke with an ancient title, this body is more subtle than some of Pourtout's contemporary bespoke styles. The headlights set low between the front wings and radiator was a Pourtout trademark, as was the second pair of lights. A particular feature is the semi-razor edge styling of the roof which both contrasts with, and complements, the easy sweep of the wing-line. It also suggests that the Duke looked more to London than to Berlin, such nuances were important at the time.

Story by Richard Owen