Lancia’s Augusta of 1933 had “made many friends in this country”, so we were excited for its Aprilia successor. The pillarless saloon set a new record for aero, at 0.47Cd, which combined with an “astonishingly low” weight of 890kg, thanks to its unitary body (a 1922 Lancia invention), for “decidedly brisk” performance, despite a humble 45bhp coming from the 1.4-litre V4 – an engine so smooth and refined that it felt like a six. Another rarity was its fully independent suspension, which gave it both “exceptional comfort of riding” and “most satisfactorily safefeeling” handling. It was Vincenzo Lancia’s final car – and what a car.