The Passion for Pre-War Cars: A Life Long Obsession

I've been fascinated with pre-war cars since my youth, and it all started in the 1960s and 1970s. I was fortunate enough to be involved in some early rallying events, but unfortunately, due to the construction year, I struggled to win. However, this experience sparked a new passion within me - collecting and restoring pre-war cars. I began buying these vintage vehicles, and over time, my love for them only grew stronger.

One of the things that sets pre-war cars apart is their simplicity and ease of repair. Unlike modern cars, which are often reliant on electronic systems, pre-war cars have mechanical components that can be easily identified and fixed. This aspect of their design makes them a joy to own and maintain. As I always say, "mechanical things break, electrical things degrade." With a pre-war car, you can actually see what's wrong and fix it yourself, making the ownership experience incredibly satisfying.

My current project is restoring this particular car, which I acquired years ago. It's a unique piece of history, with its compact engine and narrow body design. Many people who meet me are amazed by its size and construction. They often ask questions about the manifold and how such a small engine can produce so much power. As I explain the intricacies of this car, it's clear that my passion for pre-war cars is genuine.

Living in Italy, I've had to navigate the complexities of car ownership, including high taxes and insurance costs. While these expenses can be significant, they don't deter me from pursuing my passion. Sometimes, it comes down to making sacrifices and putting aside funds specifically for buying and restoring these classic vehicles.

One experience that stands out was when I entered a rally with this very same car. However, during the event, an unexpected mechanical issue arose, forcing me to make an unscheduled stop. Fortunately, with my knowledge of vintage cars, I was able to diagnose and repair the problem quickly. Despite this hiccup, I continued to participate in the rally, determined to complete the course.

When it comes to traveling, I find that pre-war cars like mine are perfectly suited for long-distance journeys. They're designed for comfort and style, making them ideal for road trips. In fact, I once completed a cross-country tour in this very car, taking on both mountainous terrain and hot desert landscapes. The experience was exhilarating, with the open top offering breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape.

While modern cars have their advantages, there's something special about owning a classic vehicle like my Lambda. For one, it has a unique sound to its engine, which I find very soothing. Additionally, there's an undeniable charm to the way these cars handle and perform on the road. Whether cruising down the highway or navigating tight corners, this car is a joy to drive.

The cost of maintaining a pre-war car like mine can be significant, particularly when it comes to batteries. In fact, I recall one occasion where I searched for a replacement battery for hours, only to find that it was no longer available. This experience led me to explore alternative options, such as using Optimus batteries, which are known for their reliability and low maintenance.

As I continue my restoration project, I'm excited to share this car with others. Its unique design and rich history make it a rare gem, one that deserves to be appreciated by enthusiasts around the world. Whether you're a seasoned collector or simply someone with an interest in classic cars, I hope to inspire you to explore the world of pre-war vehicles.

Recently, I had the opportunity to take this car on a tour of America's West Coast, including the iconic Pebble Beach event. While driving through some of the most breathtaking landscapes, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the experience. From the desert sun beating down on us to the gentle mist of the Pacific Ocean, every moment was filled with wonder and awe.

As we concluded our journey, I reflected on the countless memories made possible by this car. Whether it's a scenic drive or a thrilling rally, my Lambda has been an extension of myself, a trusted companion that never fails to deliver. As I look to the future, I'm excited to share more stories and adventures from behind the wheel of this magnificent vehicle.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: envery smooth motor yeah it's perfect for like long travels yeah yeah and these are the perfect roads nice you know not too crowd over Highway well the Lambda finally met uh the right roads right you were made for now you get very used to this car very relaxing pretty nice welcome to another episode of Jay Leno's garage today a very rare car a car that was ahead of its time in its time 1930 Lancia galamda this has a V8 engine uh which is very unusual for Italy I think back in the day four liter narrow angle I've always been launching a fan I've got an Aurelia I just think they're just fantastic cars sometimes get overlooked by Ferrari and some of the other big names this car has a rather storied history my friend Felipe he's from Italy he was driving this across the United States and you know an Italian guy just waving and smiling at people all the way gets all the way across the United States he's three miles from the ocean you're on Sunset Boulevard you're almost to the coast and boom that's where you got nailed isn't it that's what right on Sunset Boulevard we he's coming to me the next day to film the car the car was well not damaged Beyond repair obviously but pretty bad it took this long to get it back together and let's find out the story for example come on in where in Italy are you from what part from Milano from Milano there you go from Milano very Italian guy yeah very cool well this is just a beautiful car and this car you've traced the history all the way back right been through World War II I think it was damaged in that yes the car has been damaged in 1939 while she was in England and then we lose her tracks until 1970 where somebody found parts of this car and rebuilt it in a completely different way then when I bought it like five or six years ago it was very different I wanted to make not a restoration but to repaint it right and to fix something and I started started some researches and I found out that the car was completely different when she was born right so I had to to do a complete restoration was it re-bodied in England or was the chassis Center England was bodied with is this your first body yeah okay so it was this style yes it was meant to be an English body on an Italian chassis yeah right right day one yes which is unusual isn't it it's unusual but consider that the first owner who is a baronet he was coming back from a trip in Italy that was told to me by by the the family right he really liked Lancia and so he wanted the lunch about to be budded in England but right the strange thing about this car is that you can see it's not completely like a British you can see USA Great Britain Italy because Carlton used to to make bodies for uh cars from Italy from uh United Kingdom and France and everywhere and this is quite an advanced car for 1930 had the V8 which is unusual that was right big engine right in Italy because Italy anything over two liters there is a reason because being chainsaw lancha started this the the Lambda project to make something for the United States market then there is a long story about this field they produced just some de lambdas because of this reason but the concept was for the United States market and this was a fast car in 1930. I think top speed was about 85 90 miles an hour is that more or less yeah which was which was very fast in 1930 because in 1930 don't forget a Model T topped out it 41 miles an hour or something like that model A's weren't much better you know speed limit was 40 to 45. so traveling and you went across the country and it fine until you got the Sunset Boulevard ugh yes I can't imagine how that must have hurt when he got hit on Sunset Boulevard yes but you know I was so happy that we we finished our trip and like we did it and I'm taking this car to a show in a week now and I knew there was enough time to fix it and you know I I I restore my cars myself with with some friends but right I know how much time does it take so it was okay and the worst thing it was that I promised you to come here and I I didn't know how to tell you we had an accident I was all right I mean I felt terrible man oh my God and with just somebody on a cell phone and not paying attention yeah yeah yeah a tired girl yeah I think he was coming from an Hospital probably a nurse because she was dressed right and probably texting and it happens you know yeah now this is a four speed or three speed it's a four it's a four speed okay can we open the hood let's take a look right yeah let's open the hood on this side oh look at that okay yeah well it's interesting because to somebody who didn't know they would think it was just a big four cylinder right yeah because it's really a narrowing and that's what uh they were famous for the narrow angle they had the V4 yeah so this is interesting and four liter which is huge but it's huge yes Italian by Italian it's very smooth you can drive it and yeah yeah a very nice carbureted a little tricky to work on because you've got to take all these off too then it's because of the design of the body yeah you don't need to to work a lot on it what am I looking at down there is that oil filter uh so this is a joy filter yeah you just turn it and right right I see nice clean design very nice thank you how many did they build with this body just oh this is but uh each one is different completely different right right well this must have been very expensive back in I think so it's interesting though it has uh we call them cable brakes mechanical brakes it's yes by 1930 hydraulic brakes for almost just about everywhere so I'm surprised that they stayed with the cable yes there is I don't know how how you you call it in English it has cable breaks but there is a something that helps to break oh you have a Servo you have a vacuum Servo that helps repetitively but there's no fluid yeah okay which I kind of under you know Henry Ford used to say the safety of Steel from pedal to wheel because they have them right yeah and and the idea was what are you going to trust a little piece of copper with fluid in it or a nice piece of Steel what are you going to take that steel rod right yeah yes and they were pretty maintenance free unless the rod broke or got disconnected nothing they are um maintenance free yes sometimes when I when I feel that it's losing something I just uh tighten it up again that's right my 32 packet over there that has a a vacuum booster on a mechanical brake and it feels just like a hydraulic brake it's it's you go around you know so it's quite and if you keep using the car yeah uh it's perfect right of course if you if you store the car for a year and then you want to drive it you will spend some time just to right right it does look English yeah it doesn't look Italian really at all you know back in the day you could really tell German from Italian from French from now everything's kind of homogenized which is kind of sad I like the individual sort of look and feel of an automobile you know when you look at an American car from the 50s if you know nothing about I can't tell you it's America you know that's got to be American it's big it's loud it's got fins and Italians go you know so and the French it's so it's kind of fun so this is this would be and beautifully made I love the uh this oh this is ambogena burrow yeah which is which was quite common on uh um Bentleys and Rolls-Royce right uh it's quite rare and the dashboard is beautiful yeah it's white usually it's black on white this is silver on white with some black which is which yes it's actually so it it's been the the most difficult part to uh to be rebuilt uh so what you see is a is a solid silver plate AC dashed and this is a this is Ivory wow it was a it was quite tough no it's beautiful it's beautiful and let's see what else moves to the back here and your spare tire here and you got a full trunk yes oh there we go you can put a lot of stuff here oh yeah very nice okay I love the dual exhaust me too yeah that really makes it with the boy that's really English the Brooklyn's type science sir yeah yeah you wouldn't have seen that in Italy and the color very nice the color I I think the color is so American yeah I was going to say British to me uh you know Rolls-Royce did sand over Sable light gray over blue okay you know they used to do all that kind of yeah so but very nice well you just had a wonderful job how badly damaged was it after the accident well so uh we had to remove uh um the skin right because all the wooden parts so the wood the wood body right right broken right and also some mechanical Parts got broken because the exhaust was heated but let's say that the the most difficult thing to have rebuilt was the wood wood frame yeah fine if somebody can do that is difficult yeah yeah they did a great job yeah they did a wonderful job I can't tell it might even be better who knows and this goes like this one here we go so I received it just today they finished yesterday oh they finished just yesterday so this would be the first trip okay right wow but you drove it over here correct uh no it came okay by Chuck but yes oh okay it works all right so we're gonna drive it for the first time well this is fascinating off to the coast to coast yeah yeah and of course the windshield opens which is always great that's something you just can't get in modern cars anymore it's like going to a hotel you can't open the window you're like a fish you just look outside you know you can't can I get some fresh air no I'm sorry no fresh air I'm sorry you know uh but you know it's funny because when the speed limit was 35 or 40 driving with the windshield open it's like oh fabulous right you know yeah because when when American convertibles disappeared in the 70s because the highways this you know the super highways the speed limit went up to 65 70 70 and suddenly being the convertible was just getting you beat up all the time you know so people they stopped buying them for a while but but then of course it came back uh just beautiful what else is unusual about this um it's obviously body on chassis there's no monocoque to this it's no right just wood body uh so about the the front suspensions uh sliding pillar the sliding pillars yes and oh a curious thing is that this is the first model by lancha yeah that has the new design okay and you can see also the the front lights uh Vincenzo Lam Vincenzo launcher was uh very happy about this new design and he wanted to make the to shape the lights the same right you know this is such style here you know whenever they make replicas of old cars they never get it right because they never have the sense of style right the original artist like when you look at my Packard you realize the radiator is there to here is the same here to here is the same here right and you see a miniature it's but you have to look it goes all together yeah when you see it as a full thing you don't take it all in yeah so just beautiful but I have to admit this is driving me not to try to work on this engine from because you have to get them inside like that yeah I know very cool well just great and of course four wheel drums all the way around yeah which was not a given it was only well up until 23 and 24 some cars still only had rear wheel brakes the Lambda came with 1928 to about what 1935 36. more or less how many of these did they build any ideas so there are like three series and some thousand likes oh that many even three thousand yeah wow okay so it was it was a popular car was it a popular car in Italy uh it was a luxury car yeah yeah yeah those are tough Economic Times the Depression hit Italy pretty hard yeah I remember and look at I mean look at the detail here look at this just on this little fender light here and it's got is that just a reflectors this is a red light so you can see uh when you drive if they are turned off or on oh I see if they're working or not yeah yeah that's great well just beautiful which wheels are those oh they are rudge yeah oh yeah yeah yeah yeah right right would work nicely done well can we take it for a drive of course let's give it a shot hop in just jump in yes because I don't want to step on that oh no and I have yeah I have soft shoes I don't know okay so to turn on you just push uh push in yes and then foreign weather as usual California yeah what is it like Italy and then a little bit weather-wise and this here is a so so so hot yeah too hot all over the world to humid that right so many people are feeling really bad also the seaside is not like everything is changing but this guy is very nice very smooth and this would be the English equivalently Malika Bentley four liter one of the uh Rolls-Royce Bentleys you know this is almost a similar feel to that but yes many people went there and drop them told me it's a almost not the same feeling but so you drove this cross-country from New York to New York yes what was what was the toughest part of the journey crossing the desert over the mountains what was the toughest part no for me the toughest part the journey was the first days because it was really freezing yeah we had some issues with the water pump and something with the Electric System so we planned to to drive during the day and every time we ended up driving until two in the morning right really freezing and it's like overwhelming then when we got to Albuquerque that the good part started because I formed and also the the nature is amazing well it's funny when people come like I English people all the time and when I'm in England they say well we're going to go to America rent a car in New York and maybe take a drive to Los Angeles do you know how far it is I mean how far can it they go how far could it be really I really don't drive but I'm sure that uh I will do it uh every year yeah now with a different car and uh you know a different route because the good thing is that you have so so many ways to cross this country and you see different places different people I was uh surprised how people all around the country helped us yeah New York actually they really helped a lot yeah yeah well you know it's funny because like young people two kids call me go Miss Lana would would drive across country in an antique car and if we make it Los Angeles can we come by your garage I I said yeah okay how long ago was taking two weeks what kind of antique car you're driving I said 68 Cadillac a 68 Cadillac as my father did that every day that's not an antique car I mean I'm thinking oh a Model T or something you know like this 1930. I said it's got an air conditioning you got cruise control it's got a hammer so what's the what's the adventure you're just driving a car you know like young people I'm talking about Italy but young people don't even think about the pre-World cars no even I I was my passion where I cut from the 60s and 70s right then I started doing some rallies and I was not able to win because of the of the construction year you know that you have coefficient right right and so I started buying a pre-board cars and I started liking yeah Google cars it's something very very different well you can look at it and see what's broken right and you can fix it it's so simple it's like I always say mechanical things break electrical things degrade so it's great and you cannot see you cannot see what it is right yeah it's funny that this angle V I mean it's such a great motor it's Compact and everything I'm surprised they don't I'm surprised it didn't last longer grease it's very very very narrow it's incredible and you know many people that come to see the car just tell me oh this is a this is four cylinder no can you see the manifold oh yes all right everybody how can it be it's very expensive to own a car in Italy isn't it yeah you have a lot of taxes yeah I had a couple of sport cars but then I sold it because of the taxes and insurance right yeah but sometimes you're you just have passion and you save money and you buy a car right like this you know I I decided to restore this car because uh I really wanted to participate right right a good Italian show but then the court the copied happened uh and I wanted to use the car so I participated at the Millennia have we ever done this I have a Bentley with we call them suicide door yeah one day I brought along like this and I think it does let me shut it yeah I just had to step on the brake and slow down tonight but at 30 miles an hour it's like 10 men of pulling on oh man it's like you're sail yeah yeah exactly we are almost in the desert yeah well you are in the dollar south of California is the desert it's funny when you watch movies shot in L.A at night time they put in the sounds of crickets and you know you know at nighttime but there's none of that because it's a desert there's no bugs here nothing very smooth motor yeah it's perfect for like long travels yeah yeah and these are the perfect roads nice Super Highway well the Lambda finally met the right Road right they were made for how about the coach battery costs as much as the whole chassis with the engine doesn't it doesn't I mean the coach's body yeah probably cost more than the chest in the end yeah you can almost add another gear to this thing it would still bullet yeah could you put an overdrive unit no you couldn't just 12 volts or six volt it's uh 20 12. and uh it has the car has two places to put two six volts batteries right but I'm working with one well yeah I like those Optimas because they don't leak all right no there's no gas all sealed you know I was uh like I'll just say Maniac yeah Maniac about it yeah so like on this tour I was looking for the the right battery looking right but it doesn't last you know and they're like I think my next project what do you think I want to be about a restoration I want to build I see yeah that's it well that engine just comes along doesn't it very nice you get very used to this car very relaxing very nice every time no problem you just turn it on yeah when you did the cross country trip of this was the top mostly down or mostly up oh no mostly after the winter yeah yeah because the first part was Winter yeah and then in the desert was too hot right to keep it open right because of the Sun would you prefer to have the closed version of this car or the roof of the converter I like that you can open it so right you know like like evening you can try yeah well I'm glad we finally got to do this I felt so bad after that accident last night it has so bad because like I know that that was nothing for me as a Vine I just because you're in a foreign country and you don't know who's going to fix it you know not you know when you when you crash an old car near your garage okay you drag it home you know to be so far away so I'm glad it all worked out my friend thank you thanks for bringing this piece of History it's not something we see in America especially a one-off like this so I hope more Americans get a chance to see this car because you do all the shows you go to Pebble Beach and everything so we'll see you around so thank you my friend thanks to you see you guys next weekvery smooth motor yeah it's perfect for like long travels yeah yeah and these are the perfect roads nice you know not too crowd over Highway well the Lambda finally met uh the right roads right you were made for now you get very used to this car very relaxing pretty nice welcome to another episode of Jay Leno's garage today a very rare car a car that was ahead of its time in its time 1930 Lancia galamda this has a V8 engine uh which is very unusual for Italy I think back in the day four liter narrow angle I've always been launching a fan I've got an Aurelia I just think they're just fantastic cars sometimes get overlooked by Ferrari and some of the other big names this car has a rather storied history my friend Felipe he's from Italy he was driving this across the United States and you know an Italian guy just waving and smiling at people all the way gets all the way across the United States he's three miles from the ocean you're on Sunset Boulevard you're almost to the coast and boom that's where you got nailed isn't it that's what right on Sunset Boulevard we he's coming to me the next day to film the car the car was well not damaged Beyond repair obviously but pretty bad it took this long to get it back together and let's find out the story for example come on in where in Italy are you from what part from Milano from Milano there you go from Milano very Italian guy yeah very cool well this is just a beautiful car and this car you've traced the history all the way back right been through World War II I think it was damaged in that yes the car has been damaged in 1939 while she was in England and then we lose her tracks until 1970 where somebody found parts of this car and rebuilt it in a completely different way then when I bought it like five or six years ago it was very different I wanted to make not a restoration but to repaint it right and to fix something and I started started some researches and I found out that the car was completely different when she was born right so I had to to do a complete restoration was it re-bodied in England or was the chassis Center England was bodied with is this your first body yeah okay so it was this style yes it was meant to be an English body on an Italian chassis yeah right right day one yes which is unusual isn't it it's unusual but consider that the first owner who is a baronet he was coming back from a trip in Italy that was told to me by by the the family right he really liked Lancia and so he wanted the lunch about to be budded in England but right the strange thing about this car is that you can see it's not completely like a British you can see USA Great Britain Italy because Carlton used to to make bodies for uh cars from Italy from uh United Kingdom and France and everywhere and this is quite an advanced car for 1930 had the V8 which is unusual that was right big engine right in Italy because Italy anything over two liters there is a reason because being chainsaw lancha started this the the Lambda project to make something for the United States market then there is a long story about this field they produced just some de lambdas because of this reason but the concept was for the United States market and this was a fast car in 1930. I think top speed was about 85 90 miles an hour is that more or less yeah which was which was very fast in 1930 because in 1930 don't forget a Model T topped out it 41 miles an hour or something like that model A's weren't much better you know speed limit was 40 to 45. so traveling and you went across the country and it fine until you got the Sunset Boulevard ugh yes I can't imagine how that must have hurt when he got hit on Sunset Boulevard yes but you know I was so happy that we we finished our trip and like we did it and I'm taking this car to a show in a week now and I knew there was enough time to fix it and you know I I I restore my cars myself with with some friends but right I know how much time does it take so it was okay and the worst thing it was that I promised you to come here and I I didn't know how to tell you we had an accident I was all right I mean I felt terrible man oh my God and with just somebody on a cell phone and not paying attention yeah yeah yeah a tired girl yeah I think he was coming from an Hospital probably a nurse because she was dressed right and probably texting and it happens you know yeah now this is a four speed or three speed it's a four it's a four speed okay can we open the hood let's take a look right yeah let's open the hood on this side oh look at that okay yeah well it's interesting because to somebody who didn't know they would think it was just a big four cylinder right yeah because it's really a narrowing and that's what uh they were famous for the narrow angle they had the V4 yeah so this is interesting and four liter which is huge but it's huge yes Italian by Italian it's very smooth you can drive it and yeah yeah a very nice carbureted a little tricky to work on because you've got to take all these off too then it's because of the design of the body yeah you don't need to to work a lot on it what am I looking at down there is that oil filter uh so this is a joy filter yeah you just turn it and right right I see nice clean design very nice thank you how many did they build with this body just oh this is but uh each one is different completely different right right well this must have been very expensive back in I think so it's interesting though it has uh we call them cable brakes mechanical brakes it's yes by 1930 hydraulic brakes for almost just about everywhere so I'm surprised that they stayed with the cable yes there is I don't know how how you you call it in English it has cable breaks but there is a something that helps to break oh you have a Servo you have a vacuum Servo that helps repetitively but there's no fluid yeah okay which I kind of under you know Henry Ford used to say the safety of Steel from pedal to wheel because they have them right yeah and and the idea was what are you going to trust a little piece of copper with fluid in it or a nice piece of Steel what are you going to take that steel rod right yeah yes and they were pretty maintenance free unless the rod broke or got disconnected nothing they are um maintenance free yes sometimes when I when I feel that it's losing something I just uh tighten it up again that's right my 32 packet over there that has a a vacuum booster on a mechanical brake and it feels just like a hydraulic brake it's it's you go around you know so it's quite and if you keep using the car yeah uh it's perfect right of course if you if you store the car for a year and then you want to drive it you will spend some time just to right right it does look English yeah it doesn't look Italian really at all you know back in the day you could really tell German from Italian from French from now everything's kind of homogenized which is kind of sad I like the individual sort of look and feel of an automobile you know when you look at an American car from the 50s if you know nothing about I can't tell you it's America you know that's got to be American it's big it's loud it's got fins and Italians go you know so and the French it's so it's kind of fun so this is this would be and beautifully made I love the uh this oh this is ambogena burrow yeah which is which was quite common on uh um Bentleys and Rolls-Royce right uh it's quite rare and the dashboard is beautiful yeah it's white usually it's black on white this is silver on white with some black which is which yes it's actually so it it's been the the most difficult part to uh to be rebuilt uh so what you see is a is a solid silver plate AC dashed and this is a this is Ivory wow it was a it was quite tough no it's beautiful it's beautiful and let's see what else moves to the back here and your spare tire here and you got a full trunk yes oh there we go you can put a lot of stuff here oh yeah very nice okay I love the dual exhaust me too yeah that really makes it with the boy that's really English the Brooklyn's type science sir yeah yeah you wouldn't have seen that in Italy and the color very nice the color I I think the color is so American yeah I was going to say British to me uh you know Rolls-Royce did sand over Sable light gray over blue okay you know they used to do all that kind of yeah so but very nice well you just had a wonderful job how badly damaged was it after the accident well so uh we had to remove uh um the skin right because all the wooden parts so the wood the wood body right right broken right and also some mechanical Parts got broken because the exhaust was heated but let's say that the the most difficult thing to have rebuilt was the wood wood frame yeah fine if somebody can do that is difficult yeah yeah they did a great job yeah they did a wonderful job I can't tell it might even be better who knows and this goes like this one here we go so I received it just today they finished yesterday oh they finished just yesterday so this would be the first trip okay right wow but you drove it over here correct uh no it came okay by Chuck but yes oh okay it works all right so we're gonna drive it for the first time well this is fascinating off to the coast to coast yeah yeah and of course the windshield opens which is always great that's something you just can't get in modern cars anymore it's like going to a hotel you can't open the window you're like a fish you just look outside you know you can't can I get some fresh air no I'm sorry no fresh air I'm sorry you know uh but you know it's funny because when the speed limit was 35 or 40 driving with the windshield open it's like oh fabulous right you know yeah because when when American convertibles disappeared in the 70s because the highways this you know the super highways the speed limit went up to 65 70 70 and suddenly being the convertible was just getting you beat up all the time you know so people they stopped buying them for a while but but then of course it came back uh just beautiful what else is unusual about this um it's obviously body on chassis there's no monocoque to this it's no right just wood body uh so about the the front suspensions uh sliding pillar the sliding pillars yes and oh a curious thing is that this is the first model by lancha yeah that has the new design okay and you can see also the the front lights uh Vincenzo Lam Vincenzo launcher was uh very happy about this new design and he wanted to make the to shape the lights the same right you know this is such style here you know whenever they make replicas of old cars they never get it right because they never have the sense of style right the original artist like when you look at my Packard you realize the radiator is there to here is the same here to here is the same here right and you see a miniature it's but you have to look it goes all together yeah when you see it as a full thing you don't take it all in yeah so just beautiful but I have to admit this is driving me not to try to work on this engine from because you have to get them inside like that yeah I know very cool well just great and of course four wheel drums all the way around yeah which was not a given it was only well up until 23 and 24 some cars still only had rear wheel brakes the Lambda came with 1928 to about what 1935 36. more or less how many of these did they build any ideas so there are like three series and some thousand likes oh that many even three thousand yeah wow okay so it was it was a popular car was it a popular car in Italy uh it was a luxury car yeah yeah yeah those are tough Economic Times the Depression hit Italy pretty hard yeah I remember and look at I mean look at the detail here look at this just on this little fender light here and it's got is that just a reflectors this is a red light so you can see uh when you drive if they are turned off or on oh I see if they're working or not yeah yeah that's great well just beautiful which wheels are those oh they are rudge yeah oh yeah yeah yeah yeah right right would work nicely done well can we take it for a drive of course let's give it a shot hop in just jump in yes because I don't want to step on that oh no and I have yeah I have soft shoes I don't know okay so to turn on you just push uh push in yes and then foreign weather as usual California yeah what is it like Italy and then a little bit weather-wise and this here is a so so so hot yeah too hot all over the world to humid that right so many people are feeling really bad also the seaside is not like everything is changing but this guy is very nice very smooth and this would be the English equivalently Malika Bentley four liter one of the uh Rolls-Royce Bentleys you know this is almost a similar feel to that but yes many people went there and drop them told me it's a almost not the same feeling but so you drove this cross-country from New York to New York yes what was what was the toughest part of the journey crossing the desert over the mountains what was the toughest part no for me the toughest part the journey was the first days because it was really freezing yeah we had some issues with the water pump and something with the Electric System so we planned to to drive during the day and every time we ended up driving until two in the morning right really freezing and it's like overwhelming then when we got to Albuquerque that the good part started because I formed and also the the nature is amazing well it's funny when people come like I English people all the time and when I'm in England they say well we're going to go to America rent a car in New York and maybe take a drive to Los Angeles do you know how far it is I mean how far can it they go how far could it be really I really don't drive but I'm sure that uh I will do it uh every year yeah now with a different car and uh you know a different route because the good thing is that you have so so many ways to cross this country and you see different places different people I was uh surprised how people all around the country helped us yeah New York actually they really helped a lot yeah yeah well you know it's funny because like young people two kids call me go Miss Lana would would drive across country in an antique car and if we make it Los Angeles can we come by your garage I I said yeah okay how long ago was taking two weeks what kind of antique car you're driving I said 68 Cadillac a 68 Cadillac as my father did that every day that's not an antique car I mean I'm thinking oh a Model T or something you know like this 1930. I said it's got an air conditioning you got cruise control it's got a hammer so what's the what's the adventure you're just driving a car you know like young people I'm talking about Italy but young people don't even think about the pre-World cars no even I I was my passion where I cut from the 60s and 70s right then I started doing some rallies and I was not able to win because of the of the construction year you know that you have coefficient right right and so I started buying a pre-board cars and I started liking yeah Google cars it's something very very different well you can look at it and see what's broken right and you can fix it it's so simple it's like I always say mechanical things break electrical things degrade so it's great and you cannot see you cannot see what it is right yeah it's funny that this angle V I mean it's such a great motor it's Compact and everything I'm surprised they don't I'm surprised it didn't last longer grease it's very very very narrow it's incredible and you know many people that come to see the car just tell me oh this is a this is four cylinder no can you see the manifold oh yes all right everybody how can it be it's very expensive to own a car in Italy isn't it yeah you have a lot of taxes yeah I had a couple of sport cars but then I sold it because of the taxes and insurance right yeah but sometimes you're you just have passion and you save money and you buy a car right like this you know I I decided to restore this car because uh I really wanted to participate right right a good Italian show but then the court the copied happened uh and I wanted to use the car so I participated at the Millennia have we ever done this I have a Bentley with we call them suicide door yeah one day I brought along like this and I think it does let me shut it yeah I just had to step on the brake and slow down tonight but at 30 miles an hour it's like 10 men of pulling on oh man it's like you're sail yeah yeah exactly we are almost in the desert yeah well you are in the dollar south of California is the desert it's funny when you watch movies shot in L.A at night time they put in the sounds of crickets and you know you know at nighttime but there's none of that because it's a desert there's no bugs here nothing very smooth motor yeah it's perfect for like long travels yeah yeah and these are the perfect roads nice Super Highway well the Lambda finally met the right Road right they were made for how about the coach battery costs as much as the whole chassis with the engine doesn't it doesn't I mean the coach's body yeah probably cost more than the chest in the end yeah you can almost add another gear to this thing it would still bullet yeah could you put an overdrive unit no you couldn't just 12 volts or six volt it's uh 20 12. and uh it has the car has two places to put two six volts batteries right but I'm working with one well yeah I like those Optimas because they don't leak all right no there's no gas all sealed you know I was uh like I'll just say Maniac yeah Maniac about it yeah so like on this tour I was looking for the the right battery looking right but it doesn't last you know and they're like I think my next project what do you think I want to be about a restoration I want to build I see yeah that's it well that engine just comes along doesn't it very nice you get very used to this car very relaxing very nice every time no problem you just turn it on yeah when you did the cross country trip of this was the top mostly down or mostly up oh no mostly after the winter yeah yeah because the first part was Winter yeah and then in the desert was too hot right to keep it open right because of the Sun would you prefer to have the closed version of this car or the roof of the converter I like that you can open it so right you know like like evening you can try yeah well I'm glad we finally got to do this I felt so bad after that accident last night it has so bad because like I know that that was nothing for me as a Vine I just because you're in a foreign country and you don't know who's going to fix it you know not you know when you when you crash an old car near your garage okay you drag it home you know to be so far away so I'm glad it all worked out my friend thank you thanks for bringing this piece of History it's not something we see in America especially a one-off like this so I hope more Americans get a chance to see this car because you do all the shows you go to Pebble Beach and everything so we'll see you around so thank you my friend thanks to you see you guys next week\n"