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The 1927 Mille Miglia was Lancia's first motor sport race and they used a specially prepared version of their innovative Lambda passenger car to contest it. Called the Lamdba MM, only a couple of these purposeful cars were made, and even less survive to this day.

What made the Lambda particularly appealing for racing was its unitary body which did without a frame and instead had a lighter, more rigid, superstructure. Furthermore, novelties such as independent front suspension and four wheel brakes were very much an exception in the mid-twenties and contributed to the car's potential.

In preparing the Lambda for the Mille, Lancia turned to Carrozeria Zagato who had no trouble converting the tourer into a lightweight, two-seat design. Accordingly, the distinct V4 engine was also enlarged to better suit the three liter class.

At the Mille, these cars always placed in the top ten, but often trailed the experienced Alfa Romeo team, losing the overall victory and instead taking first in the 3.0 liter class.

During these formulative years, Lancia gained plenty of noteworthy victories and earned the confidence to develop future sports cars. As an example, our feature car placed 4th at the 1929 Mille Miglia driven by Gildo Strazza and Attilo Varallo, winning its class.

Story by Richard Owen for Supercars.net