The history of sports car racing is full of “specials.” Those are the one-off racers sourced from a mixed bad of drivetrains, bodies, and chassis. They might boast familiar running gear –an Alfa Romeo engine here, a Jaguar chassis there—but the end result is always unique and collectible. This 1952 Lancia Eigenbau, now listed on eBay for $175,000, is the perfect example of early racing ingenuity where the results were more important than the sum of the parts.
Built and campaigned by Hans Fischaber, it ran for three years from 1951 to 1953 in a baker’s dozen of German races—including events at famed tracks like Eifelrennen, Nürburgring, and München-Riem, placing as high as second and generally putting in a competitive run every time it hit the track.
In its full glory on the Avus Circuit in Germany, 1953, shortly before the crash that would put an end to its racing days.
The Lancia Eigenbau is an interesting mutt, what with its Lancia Aprilia engine, transmission, and differential (complete with inboard rear brakes) combined with a custom Italian-built fiberglass body, and German-engineered interior, gauges, and steering wheel. The engine is listed as a 1.1-liter four-cylinder unit, likely producing between 40 and 50 horsepower (enough to keep its lightweight design fun and nimble).
A 1953 wreck at Avus in Germany effectively ended the car’s competition career, but it was later resurrected, given a windshield from an MG and a top—and then put back on the road as a daily driver. More than a decade later, the car made it to the United States and then sat, undisturbed, for 42 years until it was pulled out of a barn specifically for this sale. According to the current owner, it’s ready to be restored back to its former glory, and despite its conversion to a road car, it fully qualifies for vintage racing.
The simplicity of its instrumentation stands in stark contrast to today’s high-tech cockpits.
That $175,000 asking price is hefty for a car that requires a complete head-to-tail restoration. However, considering it’s a one-of-one sports car with a documented competitive history, and a clear trail of ownership since it was first constructed, collectors might want to look twice at a car that’s still significantly cheaper than many Ferrari, Jaguar, and Bentley racers of the same era.
