Sadly severed all of his motorsport ties, and also the wider car industry links when he left the family firm. Moved initially to Brazil, and then for a long while, resided in France. Later worked in real estate and forged business links in that field for many years. Towards the end of his life, he moved back to Italy, where he died near his home town. Born Giovanni Lancia, Gianni grew up in Fobello, near Turin, following his father Vincenzo into the industry and the sport. Vincenzo raced in the very early days of the sport, winning the 1906 Gold Cup held in Milan. He then formed the Lancia company in 1907, before dying in 1937. Gianni took over the company from his mother after the Second World War, having been just 12 when his father died, and the two were also assisted by Vittorio Jano. Financial trouble and the death of Alberto Ascari led to Gianni leaving the sport. Gianni later married the French movie actress Jacqueline Sassard.

Biography last updated 11 Dec 2016