In 1931, just when the Lancia Lambda’s production ceased, the Italian carmaker unveiled the then-new Artena.
In contrast to the Lancia Labmda’s unibody construction, the Artena featured a body-on-frame construction, a good basis for different coachbuilders to work on.
The 1933 model was the series III and lasted until 1936, with 2,040 units produced.
The third series came with deeper changes such as a new bodywork and a new slanted grille. The Artena was offered in two different wheelbases, a short and the normal.
While the short chassis offered seating for 4, the normal could accommodate up to 6 people.
While Lancia offered the Astura with a saloon body style only, the model was offered as a cabriolet, a coupe, a torpedo and a sport saloon by coachbuilders such as Pinin Farina, Carrozzeria Touring and Stabilimenti Farina.
The Artena also served as an ambulance or a van.
Under the hood, the Artena Series III came with a new engine that developed 54 HP. The new powerplant was mated with a 4-speed transmission with a single-plate dry clutch.
A top speed of 115 km/h was achieved while tested.
Interestingly enough, the engine was not attached to the chassis, being suspended via two leaf springs in order to avoid vibrations.