lancia belna éclipse

163 kb

description
in 1933 lancia decided to build a factory in france to produce the small augusta, which was renamed belna at this juncture / besides the regular monocoque sedan lancia also built a chassis intended for coachbuilders / the pourtout coachbuilding company benefited from its closeness to the factory to set up a relationhip with the carmaker : several hundred convertibles were produced along with more special bodies, like a roadster or this éclipse
this car is the first milestone in the coachbuilder's collaboration with designer georges paulin : it's the first éclipse car that has been made in a small quantity (4 or 5 as it is) / the accurate roof type is not known : according to different sources, it might be a power retractable hardtop (that may also be manually operated with a crank), or a bungee cord-assisted manual retractable hardtop / while the belna éclipse is not aesthetically revolutionary, the very talented georges paulin nevertheless achieved an extremely elegant, subtle and balanced design / the tapered side window frames are a highlight and the rear is amazingly slender, even though it's rommy enough to accomodate the roof
at least two cars have survived : one has been shown at the prestigious pebble beach concours d'élégance in 2004, in a special category dedicated to georges paulin, and another one is being restored in the netherlands

photos
click on the pictures to download the full-size ones

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data

identification lancia belna éclipse by pourtout
country italy + france
appearances 1934 paris salon de l'automobile
body 2-door coupé/convertible / power retractable hardtop
designer georges paulin
engine front-mounted v4 / 1196 cc / 35 hp @ 4000 rpm / overhead camshaft / 8 valves / carburettor
transmission rear wheel drive / 4-speed manual gearbox
suspension front : independent wheels + coil springs / rear : tough axle + semi-elliptic springs
brakes drums
steering unknown
wheels unknown
dimensions wheelbase 265 cm
performances unknown
production 4 or 5


photo 01/05 : rétroviseur / issue 20 / april 1990
photos 02/03/04 : supplied by ger hendriks
photo 06 : from motor trend's website
photo 07 : from motorsportscenter.com website
photo 08 : from car and driver's website
photo 09 : from msn autos website

last updated 16/01/2005