CMC-News 2017 - November 2017

Lancia D50

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good news is in the air for the CMC-collectors-community:
CMC’s replica of the legendry Lancia D50 will be available soon. We have invested a lot of efforts in the development and production of this new item -- a highly- detailed metal precision model handcrafted from 1,598 parts that features many functional components. Great importance is also attached to the use of premium materials, including top-grade zinc alloy, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, leather, rubber as well as resin. The selective choices of material alone contribute considerably to the innate value of the model, not to mention the amazing handcraftsmanship that makes this replica so unique.

The pictures below will provide you with an insightful peek into the production processes. We make it a priority to ensure that the replica will last long. Parts are mostly joined by screws or rivets, and use of glue is avoided as far as possible. This authentic replica may well serve to transport one back to the days when Scuderia Lancia was going all out in an attempt to leave its mark in the history of Grand Prix races.

Images out of the prodiction of the CMC Lancia D50:

Assembly of the axles

Assembly of the chassis

Assembly of the engine

Assembly of the body-components

Assembly of the body components to the chassis

Quality control

Final improvements

Final Quality check

Assembly of the accessory battery-trolley

History of the Formula 1 race car Lancia D50:

The D50 was supposed to be Scuderia Lancia’s trump card for Formula 1 races in the 1950’s, but many things did not turn out the way they were anticipated.

Lancia had contracted the famous engineer Vittorio Jano to develop a racing car that should be more modern, more beautiful, and, above all, faster than any competitor of the time. The primary goal was to prevail over the dominant Mercedes W 196. Jano came up with an original and highly innovative monoposto, which would debut publicly on February 20, 1954.

Vittorio Jano’s design was far ahead of his time. The 2.5 liter monoposto was equipped with a 90° V8-engine that was capable of generating 260 hp. It was installed off the center, with its longitudinal axis running a 12° angle to the left. By so doing, Jano was able to move the drive shaft sidewise to the left and make room for a significant lowering of the driver seat. As a result, the newly-built monoposto was of a very low height and blessed with aerodynamic advantages. Another special feature worth mentioning is that the engine was integrated into the overall structure of the chassis as a stressed member.

A further prominent feature is the arrangement of two pannier fuel cells. Between the front and rear wheels of each side, Jano placed a sleek fuel cell laterally, which added to the monoposto’s aerodynamic advantages. With a total volume of 200 liters, the two fuel cells could sustain an entire race without a single refueling stop. The idea was that the less a racing car was refilled anew, the more predictable and controllable its running would be by the driver. This is a big advantage against competitors who had to make do with conventional tail tanks.

Two renowned pilots signed up for Scuderia Lancia: Alberto Ascari, a two-time Grand Prix World Champion (1952 and 1953), and Luigi Villoresi, an outstanding race car driver. Later on more well-known pilots joined the Lancia team. Among them was Eugenio Castellotti, who was particularly noteworthy.

Born on October 10th, 1930, Eugenio Castellotti was registered in 1950 as an amateur pilot racing in a Ferrari. He was talented enough to manage a stunning second-place podium finish in the 1952 mega-sports-event of the Mille Miglia. From 1953 onwards, he raced sports cars exclusively and successfully. In the 1953 Carrera Panamericana, he finished third, next only to Juan Manuel Fangio and Piero Taruffi. He also won the 1953 Italian Bergrennen (Hill-Climbing) Championship. It was small wonder that Gianni Lancia, a motorsports enthusiast, signed up Eugenio Castellotti for his Scuderia Lancia.

The debut of Scuderia Lancia at the Spanish GP (the last event of the 1954 racing season) and then again at the Argentine GP (the opener of the 1955 new season) proved to be a disaster. None of its three team cars crossed the finish line, and scoring points for a championship title simply seemed out of reach.

Not resigned to the setbacks, Scuderia Lacia focused on the Grand Prix of Monaco, which took place on May 22, 1955, using the city streets of Monte Carlos as the race course. During the qualifying session, the Mercedes Silver Arrow W196 appeared to dominate the scene. But already it was clear that the Lancias driven by Ascari (starting grid 2), Castellotti (starting grid 4), and Villoresi (starting grid 7) stood a chance to keep up.

The race started with an early lead by Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fongio. But one by one, the Mercedes pilots fell victims to technical breakdowns. Alberto Ascari took the lead in lap 80, when Stirling Moss’ W196 -- the last Silver Arrow remaining on the track -- was also forced to retire. Up till then, Ascari had put up a brilliant and courageous race in his Lancia D50 with starting number 26 (limited CMC edition, itemized as M-176). His overtake of the dominance did not come as a surprise even if it did not last long.

In the heat of racing, however, Ascari failed to slow down for the harbor chicane – a driving error that forced him to run over the barriers beside the race track and catapult his D50 over half a dozen straw bales to make a devil-may-dare plunge into the waters of the Monaco harbor. Alberto Ascari survived this potentially fatal crash due to a cool-headed, timely release of himself from the sinking car. The Greek shipping mogul Aristoteles Onassis and his yacht crew came to the rescue of Ascari and provided the first aid for his bruises from the crash. His broken nose was treated ashore. Because of this unfortunte incident, a seemingly certain GP victory slipped away through the cracks of Ascari’s fingers.

His teammates Eugenio Castellotti and Luigi Villoresi did better. The novice Eugenio Castellotti finished second in his D50 with starting # 30 (CMC limited edition, itemized as M-177); he was only 20 seconds behind the surprise winner Maurice Trintignant, who raced in a Ferrari 625. Luigi Villoresi took the 5th place.

A few days later, motorsports fans all over the world were shocked and saddened to learn the death of their beloved and talented two-time world champion Alberto Ascari, who died in a test drive of a friend’s Ferrari in Monza.

With the demise of Alberto Ascari, the costs incurred by the development of the D50 and from the pursuit of victories in prestigious Grand Prix racing proved to be too much for Gianni Lancia to bear.

As the financial problem of Scuderia Lancia came to a head, Gianni Lancia decided to hand over to Enzo Ferrari his racing team, together with six of his eight D50 cars.

Ferrari engineers moved ahead to work on the D50’s throughout the summer and autumn of 1955. From 1956 onwards these cars were used in the GP races as Lancia-Ferrari D50. Juan Manuel Fangio won his fourth world championship in a Lancia-Ferrari D50.

	Item No.	Model	SRP	Available
	M-175	CMC Lancia D50, 1954-1955	497.-	Dec 17
Sold out	M-176	CMC Lancia D50, 1955 Monaco GP #26, Alberto Ascari	497.-	Early 2018
	M-177	CMC Lancia D50, 1955 Monaco GP #30, Eugenio Castellotti	497.-	Early 2018

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