This Lancia Lambda V8 “Mille Miglia” recreation is one of those cars that immediately raises the usual question: replica, special, or the most honest way to enjoy a piece of Lancia history without being terrified of stone chips and extra kilometres? In reality, it’s a bit of all three – and that’s exactly what makes it interesting.

The base is serious: a genuine 1930 Lambda chassis, re-bodied to resemble one of the four competition cars prepared for the 1929 Mille Miglia and the 24 Hours of Spa. Those works Lambdas, with their light spiders traditionally attributed to Zagato, were built to exploit what made the model so advanced for its time: unitary construction, sliding-pillar independent front suspension, and four-wheel brakes. In an era of separate chassis and cart-sprung axles, the Lambda already behaved like something from the future. Here, the reconstruction follows a surviving factory car, so stance and proportions are very much in period, without drifting into caricature. The real twist is under the bonnet: instead of the original narrow-angle V4, this car uses a three-litre Lancia Astura V8, paired with a five-speed gearbox. The result is a pre-war chassis with a smooth, torquey Lancia V8 and gearing that finally matches modern traffic and long-distance driving.

What really matters, though, is that this Lambda hasn’t been built for the trailer. It has covered thousands of kilometres, taken part in historic events and climbed a generous selection of Alpine passes. That kind of use is the best possible validation of the build. Purists may frown at the word “replica”, but we tend to see it as a key that unlocks an experience otherwise reserved to a handful of museum pieces: driving a 1920s Lancia as it was meant to be driven – on real roads, with real miles, and real commitment. Find it for sale at €230,000 (today $265,000) here in Wommelgem, Belgium.