Lancia D25

Lancia D25

Lancia D25 at Mille Miglia Storica in 1982. The race was 13 to 15 May 1982. This entry #117 was entered by Gino Valenzano and Lancia S.p.A.
Constructor	Lancia
Designer	Pinin Farina
Predecessor	Lancia D24
Successor	Lancia D26 (spiritual)
Technical specifications
Chassis	Steel multi-tubular frame
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, transverse leaf spring, hydraulic dampers
Suspension (rear)	De Dion tube, transverse leaf spring, hydraulic dampers
Wheelbase	2,450 mm (96.5 in) (2 built) 2,300 mm (90.6 in) (1 built)
Engine	D25 3,750 cc (228.8 cu in) 60° V6 Front longitudinal
Transmission	4-speed manual, limited-slip differential
Weight	760 kg (1,675.5 lb) (dry) 755 kg (1,664.5 lb) (dry)
Competition history
Notable entrants	Scuderia Lancia
Notable drivers	Alberto Ascari Luigi Villoresi Juan Manuel Fangio Eugenio Castellotti
Debut	1954 Grand Prix of Porto
First win	1954 Bologna-Raticosa Hill Climb
Entries Races Wins 3 3 1

The Lancia D25 was a sports racing car introduced by Lancia in 1954, and raced in the 1954 and 1955 seasons to improve on the already successful D24.

Development history

Between 1953 and early 1954, Lancia decided to upgrade the Lancia D24s with a new, more powerful engine to make them even more competitive. The engine was upgraded from the 3,284 cc D24 to the 3,749.69 cc D25. The Lancia D25 made its debut without much success on June 27, 1954, at the Grand Prix of Porto. The V6 produced 300 hp (224 kW) at 6.500 rpm, giving the car a top speed of 275 km/h (171 mph). The Lancia D25 was very similar to the previous Lancia D24, the differences besides the engine also concerned the chassis, modifications made necessary to accommodate the new larger and more powerful engine, furthermore the suspensions were also improved and the wheelbase also changed: of the three cars initially assembled, two had an extended wheelbase (245 cm instead of 240) and one, on the contrary, a shortened wheelbase (230 cm).

The development plans for the car, initially planned by Lancia, were interrupted in the second part of 1954, mainly due to Lancia's growing financial difficulties. The sales of Lancia Aurelia second series are proceeding slowly, while those of the more recent Lancia Appia are not reaching the expected numbers of sales, an obvious sign that the victories and performances of the Lancia D23 and Lancia D24 have not helped to increase the sales volumes of the production cars, and Gianni Lancia, already dealing with the issues related to the Lancia D50 Formula One car, begins to seriously consider the possibility of abandoning sports car racing and, as a first step in that direction, reduced the considerable investments that the development of the Lancia D25 seems to require. However, the Lancia D25 raced on September 11, 1954 at the RAC Tourist Trophy. Both Lancia D25 in the race are forced to retire. After the dispute of the Tourist Trophy, the development of the D25 comes to a stop: a week after the poor performances seen in the English race, a Lancia D25 is entrusted to Eugenio Castellotti to compete in the Bologna-Raticosa Hill Climb in Italy, a race later won. However, some believe that a Lancia D24 was used instead of the more powerful Lancia D25. The Eugenio Castellotti's #234 Lancia Spider was registered TO 158156. After that race won, the Lancia D25 is no longer used in racing by Lancia. On October 18, 1954, Lancia announced its withdrawal from motorsports to focus its now scarce financial resources exclusively on Formula One, in order to gain better international visibility and increase its poor sales. Despite Lancia's now well-known financial difficulties in 1955, Gianni Lancia was persuaded to build a Lancia D25 with a different bodywork – again by Pininfarina – featuring a lower and wider front grille, at the request of Alberto Ascari, who had wanted to participate in the Carrera Panamericana at the end of 1955. But Alberto Ascari's death on May 26, 1955 marked the inexorable and definitive end of the D25, which, almost complete, was somehow finished and immediately relegated to the Lancia Museum. Ascari's death marks the collapse of Gianni Lancia's certainties, who will first close all Lancia's motorsport racing and a year later, in June 1956, will leave forever the presidency of Lancia and will sell the Lancia company to Carlo Pesenti of Italcementi.