1950 Lancia Ardea series 4, the priest’s car shines again

This splendid 1950 Lancia Ardea series 4 had been inherited by a boy from Foligno (Central Italy), who then sold it to the author of the restoration. The young man had taken possession of it after the death of his grandfather, who had bought it from one of the town’s parish priests. The car was de-registered but complete with number plates and documents, so it can be registered again.

After a long restoration that lasted more than three years, carried out in the spare time, the specimen is now back in great shape. “Apart from the sandblasting, painting and interiors, everything was done in our garage where my father, a retired retired mechanic, and I have fun restoring vintage cars and other vehicles,” says the penultimate owner. “The original color has been recovered from the inside of the dashboard and doors. All rubber parts and gaskets have been renewed and the interior fabric checked with an ASI technician to be sure of its conformity before starting the upholstery work”.

Once the work was completed, however, the beautiful Lancia was gone in an instant. In fact, while the documents were still being renewed, an enthusiast who already owns another Ardea in the promisquetta version fell in love with it at first sight and immediately launched an “indecent proposal”. As a result, the car has become his. “Before delivery, I still managed to take it for a few test laps and some nice souvenir photos!”, smiles the former caretaker.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO BROWSE THE GALLERY WITH THE RESTORATION PHASES