Lancia Loraymo
And the Loewy Logic of Industrial Design
By Brandes Elitch
First a caveat-writing book reviews is not one of my strong points but when Brandy asked me to do a review of his book on the Lancia Loraymo I readily agreed. I agreed because of the ALC connection which is a fascinating tale of coincidental discovery and the way good things can happen through communication shared between people who share a mutual passion, in this case, all things Lancia. It is this story that makes this book worthwhile for ALC people, especially who may be unaware of the story.
The first half of the book is a discussion of industrial design, primarily as it relates to automotive design, with particular emphasis on Raymond Loewy’s contributions. The second part starts with a brief background of Lancia which will be familiar ground to most of you. This leads briefly into the Aurelia Blue Rays then to what is less well known, and perhaps more interesting-the design and construction of the Loraymo, and finally its disappearance, reappearance and rebirth. The book ends with a short review of the Avanti, particularly in regards to those design features that were first embodied in the Loraymo
All and all, the book reads well, holds your interest and the larger than normal type is nice for those of us with older eyes. It’s not a “coffee table book” but the layout is well done, some great pictures and it gets my humble recommendation. It’s not cheap, 128pages at $59.95 but then no book is anymore. It can be ordered at www.lancialoraymo.com