Lancia Esadelta

The Lancia Esadelta was a medium heavy lorry built by the Lancia Veicoli Industriali division at the Bolzano works from 1959 to 1970. It came from the period after the Pesenti family took over Lancia in 1958, when the company decided to widen its business from cars to goods vehicles, and it was meant as a model between the smaller trucks and the Esatau B. Presented in 1959, the first version carried a six cylinder in line Lancia engine of 8,245 cc developing 115 horsepower, derived from the first Esatau engine, with a glass fibre engine tunnel in the cab and a four speed gearbox with a preselector reducer. At first it was sold only as a 4x2 or 6x2 tractor unit and truck. The 1962 version A raised power to 126 horsepower, the renewed 401 B series of 1963 added more layouts including an eight wheel 8x2, and the all new 402 C of 1967 had 9,469 cc, 176 horsepower and the Esagamma cab. Production ended in 1970, shortly after Fiat took Lancia over.