The Lancia Theta Speedster Runabout with a body by Hayes and Miller. For those people who know Lancia only from the cars’s they have brought to market in the last 10 years, it must come as a huge surprise that Lancia used to be a pure powerhouse. The Theta was a car that fully lived up to Lancia's strong reputation. The Theta was equipped with a 4-cylinder side-valve engine with a swept volume of 5 liters. The engine produced no less than 70 hp and was coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission and mechanical brakes on two wheels, quite groundbreaking for the time. Depending on the bodywork, the car reached a top speed of no less than 120 kilometers per hour and was ééone of the first cars’s to have access to an electric starter. As you will understand, the Lancia Theta was an expensive car. Despite its hefty price tag, the Theta was a hit in the United States. In order to make the cars’s even more attractive for the American market Lancia decided to supply the Theta as a “rolling Chassis”. In this way American coachbuilders could produce a body and the cars were priced even more attractively. Lancia sold a total of 1,700 Theta’s. According to experts, only about 25 have been preserved. Most likely, not ééone is in the same condition as this specimen. This example also came ashore as a “rolling chassis” and was then fitted with this Speedster Runabout body by coachbuilders Hayes and Miller. This example has never been fully restored and is still very original. Thanks to decades of continued good care and proper maintenance, this car never needed a body-off restoration. The result is most likely ééone of the most original Lancia Theta’s in the world. Even the running boards are still original. For years the car was part of various collections and was used regularly but never for very long trips. Standstill is decline so we can only be grateful to the previous owners that the car was used regularly. The body is still largely original with nice thin sheet metal and neat fits. The paint has obviously been repainted once already and looks neat. The interior is very original. The dashboard is still exactly as the car left the factory in 1913 and the seats and carpets have already been renewed once but have now developed a nice patina. The engine is very powerful for a car from this period and the handling of the Lancia is still very good. Not entirely surprising for a car that was leading in terms of handling at the time. The transmission can be precisely controlled and uses a very long fourth gear which keeps the revs nicely low and contributes to the quiet driving characteristics. The Lancia Theta has grown in popularity in recent years as collectors begin to see that a Lancia from this period is an excellent vehicle for competing in rally’s such as Peking to Paris. This car is robust and fast for its age so you will enjoy taking on the monster ride. In short, not only a very original but also well cared for Lancia Theta Speedster Runabout with Hayes and Miller body, but also an excellent base to be able to drive ééone of the most prestigious rally’s in the world.