Lancia Aprilia Berlinetta Touring

The Lancia Aprilia Berlinetta Turinga, chassis 439-11512, is a coachbuilt coupé bodied by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan in the first months of 1945. The car is often referred to as a Touring-bodied Aprilia, but the original badges identify it as Turinga, the Italianized form of Touring used during the Fascist-era restrictions on foreign words. It may have been one of the last examples to use this name. The car used the Lancia Aprilia mechanical base, with a 1,486 cc narrow-angle V4 engine producing approximately 48 hp, a four-speed manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive. It retained its original engine, numbered 439-21091, and carried Touring body number 3033. The wheelbase was 2,850 mm. As with the standard Aprilia, the technical layout included independent suspension on all four wheels. Touring built the body using its patented Superleggera method, with a light tubular frame covered by aluminium panels. The body design followed the aerodynamic berlinetta theme already used by Touring on the wartime Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S Turinga Berlinetta. The same general teardrop concept was later connected to the Bristol 401, after Bristol acquired design and Superleggera-related rights from Touring. On the Aprilia chassis, the design was adapted with compact proportions, integrated wings, a low roof, a narrow cabin, and a tapered rear section. Chassis 439-11512 has a documented Swedish history. The car was rediscovered in May 2007 in central Sweden by Lorenzo Marzullo, a collector and Touring specialist. After checking that the car was complete, Marzullo acquired it. Shortly afterwards, Corrado Lopresto purchased the car for his collection, while Marzullo remained involved as a restoration consultant. Research later indicated that the car had been used by the Swedish royal family. It had been repainted in a light blue colour, probably connected with Swedish royal colours. A period photograph also shows the car competing on snow in the late 1940s with this blue livery. During restoration, the original paint was found underneath: chestnut brown, which was then restored. The small rectangular rear number plate recess also suggests a Scandinavian destination, possibly requested by Luigi Fallai, importer of Italian cars in Sweden during the 1940s. The restoration was carried out by Autocolombo Laco in Bareggio, with historical support from Giovanni Bianchi Anderloni and Franco Ronchi of the Registro Touring Superleggera. The interior fabric was conserved rather than replaced, using repair work and textile reintegration. One notable detail is the disc behind the steering wheel carrying the Touring emblem and the motto: “Il peso è il nemico, la resistenza dell’aria è l’ostacolo.” The car is part of the Lopresto Collection and won Best in Show at the Concorso d’Eleganza of Ludwigsburg in 2013.