Wednesday 24th August 1881
Born on this day, Vincenzo Lancia, Italian pilot, engineer and founder of Lancia. He led the first lap of first French Grand Prix at Le Mans with a time of 53 minutes 42 seconds. He was an exceptionally fast driver, often fastest of all, but often suffered a mechanical failure. His first car was built in 1907 – the 12 hp Alfa, which included a lot of the technology now taken for granted, and he produced groundbreaking models such as the Lambda and the Aprilia. He died from a heart attack on 15 February 1937 just before the Aprilia was put into full production.