Lancia Aprilia Francis Lombardi Woody

How not to be astonished and charmed by this very stylish Lancia "Woody" estate?

This one-off Lancia Aprilia was built by aëronautic constructor & carrozzeria Francis Lombardi in 1948 for an aristaucratic vineyard owner near Sienna.

Choosing the Lancia Aprilia, Vincenzo Lancia's last masterpiece car design, as a mechanical basis and aircraft manufacturer Francis Lombardi, a I-st WW aviation hero, as coachbuilder can certainly be qualified as a testimony of good taste!

The very clean lines and luminous appearance set this Aprilia "Woody" very much apart from the rather heavy coachbuilding tradition typical for those immediate after war years (the back-side of this Francis Lombardi design reminds me of the AMC Pacer of the 70-ies!).

Discovered by Italian Lancia enthusiasts in 2004, and being aware of the unique character and unusual styling, a nut & bolt restoration of this Aprilia was undertaken without hesitation. This restoration is very well documented with lots and lots of photographs showing clearly every step of the body restoration and every piece of wood which needed to be replicated of this voluminous and meticulous job.

The final result simply is an amazing beauty!

So much so that the model car manufacturer ABC Brianza decided to make a 1/43 model of this very car, correct in every detail.

This unique Lancia Aprilia immediately conquered a place in my hart as 'once in a lifetime' classic, I am sure she will easily do the same with...you?