The Lancia 3Ro was a 4×2 heavy truck introduced in 1938 and built until 1949. It was the best known of a family that started with the Lancia Ro of 1933, and it became one of the main trucks of the Royal Italian Army during the Second World War, serving in every theatre before it was replaced by the Lancia Esatau.
Lancia 3Ro at a glance
| Maker | Lancia, Turin |
|---|---|
| Production | 1938–1949 |
| Type | 4×2 heavy truck |
| Engine | 6,875 cc Tipo 102 five-cylinder diesel |
| Power | 93 hp at 1,860 rpm |
| Gearbox | four speeds plus reverse, with a low range |
| Chassis | ladder frame, leaf-sprung solid axles |
| Wheelbase | 4,300 mm military, 4,850 and 5,600 mm coach chassis |
| Payload | 6,390 kg or 32 equipped soldiers |
| Military 3Ro NM built | 9,490 |
| Civilian 3Ro built | 1,307, plus a modified 564C series |
| Replaced by | Lancia Esatau |
History of the Lancia 3Ro
The Ro family
Lancia began its line of 4×2 heavy trucks in 1933 with the Ro, also catalogued as the 264. It was built with either a three-cylinder petrol engine or a two-cylinder diesel, the latter a compact 3,180 cc four-opposed-piston two-stroke unit built under Junkers licence that produced 64 hp. The Ro was regarded as robust, reliable and easy to drive, and it was the first Italian truck to receive a four-speed transmission. A petrol military version, the Ro BM with a 5,120 cc side-valve four, and a longer-wheelbase three-cylinder diesel called the Ro-Ro followed.
The 3Ro
The 3Ro evolved from the Ro with a stronger five-cylinder engine, pneumatic tyres and an improved transmission. Its Tipo 102 6,875 cc straight-five diesel developed 93 hp at 1,860 rpm. The gearbox had four normal ratios plus reverse and a low range, giving eight forward and two reverse speeds, and the brakes were servo-assisted mechanical drums on all four wheels with a hydraulic hand brake. The military cab, supplied by Viberti, was set back with right-hand drive; part of the production for Germany used a standardised wooden Einheits cab to save metal.
War service
The Royal Italian Army took delivery of 9,490 3Ro NM trucks between 1938 and 1943 and used them on all fronts, alongside about 1,500 requisitioned civilian vehicles. The Wehrmacht had 772 in service in Italy and the Balkans, and after the armistice production continued for the Germans. The design was simple and functional and was considered the most reliable heavy truck of the Italian army. In Italian service the type stayed in use until 1965, when the survivors were retired.
Civilian and specialised versions
Besides the diesel military model, the 3Ro was built as a civilian truck with petrol and gas engines and as an extended-wheelbase coach chassis: 1,307 civilian trucks were made from 1938 to 1945 and 837 coach chassis from 1939 to 1949. In 1943–1945 408 petrol-engined 3Ro BM were produced with 16-valve heads. The Esaro of 1943 was a shortened 3Ro. Because the chassis was a separate frame, coachbuilders such as Viberti and Zagato could fit their own cabs and bus bodies, and the army used the type as a fuel and water tanker, mobile workshop, ammunition carrier, artillery tractor and tank transporter.
Design and features
- Five-cylinder diesel: a 6,875 cc engine of 93 hp, simple and tolerant of poor fuel.
- Eight speeds: a four-speed box with a low range for heavy loads and rough ground.
- Coachbuilt options: the ladder frame accepted tanker, workshop, bus and gun-carriage bodies.
- Long service: military use in Italy lasted until 1965.
Lancia 3Ro versions
- 3Ro NM: diesel military truck, 9,490 built.
- 3Ro civilian: 1,307 built, plus the modified 564C.
- 3Ro P and PL: long coach chassis for buses, 837 built.
- 3Ro BM: petrol military version, 408 built.
- Esaro: shortened 3Ro of 1943–1946.
- Lancia Ro and Ro-Ro: the 1930s predecessors with two- and three-cylinder diesels.
The 3Ro was replaced by the Lancia Esatau, and its smaller relative the Lancia 1Z was Lancia’s first military vehicle. More vehicles are in the Lancia collection.
Sources
- Lancia 3Ro, English Wikipedia: Ro family, specifications, production numbers
- Lancia 3Ro, Italian Wikipedia: service history, cab, versions
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