1939 LANCIA APRILIA CONVERTIBILE € 76.800

1939 LANCIA APRILIA CONVERTIBILE

This very rare Aprilia convertible was recently imported from Ireland with registration number ZV 11905 and belonged to Mr. ERIC BYRNE of Dublin (IR).

The previous owners were:

• Marc De Bruijn from Zandwoort with license plate DZ 03-13(NL)
• Lodewyk Duys Ugerlose with license plate KH 42361 (DK)

The car is in excellent mechanical condition and detailed invoices are available for all mechanical work carried out from 2015 to 2022.

During Mr. De Bruijn’s ownership, the car was the subject of an extensive editorial article in the Dutch magazine CORSA ITALIA in the February/March 2018 issue.

In this article, Mr. De Bruijn released an interview on the characteristics and history of the car which is transcribed below:

Aprilia Trasformabile (AT)

The Aprilia was the last design child Of Vincenzo Lancia.

The Aprilia Trasformabile was first listed in the Lancia catalogue as a cabriolet based upon the Aprilia model. So this makes it a factory model version. The Aprilia cabriolet had a different chassis Type 239.

Whereas the 4-door version had a chassis Type 238. The Aprilia was also built at Pinin Farina There was several photos of this model at the Pinin Farina without bumpers and Badge, but was

identified as an Aprilia. Totally only a couple of hundred Aprilia were built This article is about the only Lancia Aprilia Trasformabile in The Netherlands.

The AT is owned by Mare de Bruijn who has owned a total of 60 old motors of which SO were Lancia.

 One motor a Flavia Berlina ’63 Mare sold in ’76 to a Drummer of the band Pink Floyd from him heard stories of a Lancia AT.

Marc’s investigation into the whereabouts of this motor led him to Denmark and the owner was a Belgium resident of Denmark.

Marc was the 11th person to inquire about the motor but the owner didn’t want to sell it to Marc.

The owner offered to drive Marc to the Airport and at the Airport at the very last minute said: “OK you can buy it”

 The AT is from1939 (first Version) and has a 1352cc V4 engine.

 The engine is very compact and was helped in its development by Vincenzo Lancia. The design was Lancia’s first engine to have an Aluminium block. lt was only later in the ’60’s that we see this use of lightweight materials appearing.

 The AT was an extraordinary motor

The AT was using all the racing techniques, extra’s and style of that period.

Since the AT arrived in the Netherlands Marc has not changed its original condition except for alarm lights and a main power switch.

This AT has never been totally restored in all its 80 years.

In’47 this car raised its head in Munchen and was bought by Sonja Noore who shipped it to Denmark.

’49 The AT went back to ltaly, it was a mouse grey colour with blue leather chairs.

‘5O Crème colour with black wheel guards.

‘5O Niels Barlyng the then owner drove the car throughout ltaly (a world travel in those days) and

arrived at the factory in Turin, the steering was not functioning well and was happily repaired for him by the factory.

 Later Niels sold the car to an art dealer for three paintings by Egill Jacobsen of the then Cobra Group of Artists.

Later, he sold the three painting for 20000 Danish Kronen.

Sadly, the car found its self on a car breakers yard. Somehow the car was sold to another person who got and gave it as a wedding gift its colour was brown and beige.

 Later the car was dark red with light blue wheel arches.

Later in the ’90s we see the colour combination as we see today. What the originai colour was no one really knows.

However, this latest colour can bee seen in a French catalogue so its possible this latest colour is correct.

Between ’39 -’47 nothing is know about the car perhaps stolen during the war or used by an army.

When Marc moved the car from Denmark to the Netherlands, he found the spare wheel cover missing.

 Lucky far Marc the previous owner thought he still had it and would take it with him when he visited his son who lived in the Ardennes and could collect it there.

Marc was surprised to see it was painted army green colour and perhaps all the car had been painted army green as well.

 Who knows what happened to it during the war period?

Later on, Marc tried to start the engine with the Key on the dashboard.

Only to find the was another switch hidden under the dashboard and would only start by turning the Key and flicking the switch on. So, the V4 comes to life.

The roof was in need of repair and another Lancia collector in south France knew an address in Carcassonne where a new one could be fitted at a very reasonable price.

So it off to Carcassonne via route national

This car is trustworthy.

History of the car

Sometime between 1947 and 1949, Mrs Sonja Norre imported (to Denmark) amongst other cars, an Aprilia cabriolet which she had bought in Munich.

She kept the car for a number of years after she moved to Denmark in 1949. During that time the car was mouse grey with blue leather upholstery.

Around the middle of 1950 the car was changed to cream and black and the owner was Niels Barlyng.

Niels Barlyng was an incorrigible Lancia enthusiast and the car traded between a number of family members.

 His wife’s sister and her husband travelled to ltaly with the car and there they got the steering repaired for free at the factory.

Barlyng recounts that the engine worked well but there was hardly any floor in the car.

Finally he sold the car to the son of artist Borge Birch.

The payment was three paintings by Eigill Jacobsen, Barlyng later sold these for 20,000 Krone.

The car was further sold on to Arne Hugo Buch and then finally arrived in Kolind where it was bought and renovated by Hans Jorgensen. The car is now beige and brown.

His son, Kurt Dyrbye Jorgensen drove the car for about a year when it was then sold to a car dealer in Arhus.

Kaj Kjeldsen bought it in 1962.

Kjeldsen restored the car to new and now the Aprilia is back to its grey colour.

In 1965 his daughter Lis and her fiancé Cari Chr. Hansen received the car as a wedding present and they kept the car tor 12 years.

Eigil Sahl Rasmussen bought the car in 1977 and sold it two years later to Jorgen Hansen and he decided to keep the car for a very long time.

At that point the mudguards were painted light blue but the intention is that the car would be repainted, possibly in maroon.

Finally it was painted in the current light/dark blue combination.

Jorgen Hansen’s partner became ill and this forced him to sell

the car in 2002 when we then bought it.

TERMS OF SALE:

Because the adverts could have a late updating, the published price is to be considered indicative.

Please refer to the official list available in the showroom.

The information data and the characteristics of the vehicle are indicative and not binding, C.L. is not liable for any lack or discrepancy of the components with respect to the original production characteristics of the vehicles and it is therefore the responsibility of the buyer to carry out all the necessary checks before proceeding with the purchase. Therefore the description is purely indicative and has no contractual value.

As this is a vintage car, due to its age and mileage, it is not in perfect condition and has various defects that are seen and accepted by the buyer, with the express understanding that the seller is released from any liability and warranty regarding any defects. of the vehicle itself, overt or hidden, both if relating to the car as a whole, or to its parts, and if relating to its operation, and this without any reservation, also for all purposes of art. 1341 of the Civil Code. If the buyer collects the goods without making use of the right of inspection, the goods themselves are considered unconditionally accepted as seen and liked.