Lancia Flaminia Super Sport Zagato

Even if the Lancia brand is only a sad shadow of its former greatness, it remains in the best memory of many car fans. Various technical innovations first appeared in Lancia models. After World War 2, various vehicles were presented in extraordinary design, which today belong to the class of the sought-after classic cars. Thereby the drivetrain was rarely missed out. A good example is the Flaminia, which was produced from 1957. While Pinin Farina was responsible for the design of the sedan and also drew a first coupé version, the design houses Touring (Flaminia GT and Convertible) and Zagato also came into play. The latter created the Flaminia Sport Zagato, which debuted at the Turin Motor Show 1958 and went into production in early 1959. In contrast to the GT from Touring, Zagato produced a lighter streamlined version that also competed in some races. In the first 99 units, the headlights were under clear glass covers, which was no longer possible from 1960 onwards due to new registration regulations in Italy and some other markets.

Despite its original purpose in sports car racing, the vast majority of customers bought their Flaminia Sport exclusively as a private everyday or good weather car. It is therefore not surprising that most of them were delivered in muted colors such as silver, grey, dark blue or green, while Italian red remained rare. Over time the output of the 2.5-liter V6 engine increased from 119 to 140 and finally to 150 hp from 2.8 liters capacity. Finally, in 1964, the Flaminia Super Sport Zagato made its debut as the final version of the Flaminia model series. It got the most powerful engine, now producing 152 hp from 2.8 liters thanks to the use of Weber triple carburettors. Slightly modified bodywork showed headlights now with drop-shaped, chrome-plated surrounds, a small tear-off edge above the round taillights and an entire bodywork lowered by 25 millimeters. Thanks to the slightly improved aerodynamics, this model reached an official topspeed of 210 kph (130.5 mph) and was thus for a long time the fastest Lancia of the post-war period.

While 99 units of the normal Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato with covered lights were produced, 100 with open lights and 119 hp as well as 152 units with 140 hp and 33 units with the 2.8-liter engine followed. Of the Flaminia Super Sport Zagato, Lancia produced another 209 cars between 1964 and 1967. One of them is currently available for purchase from the classic car dealer Kidston SA. Presumably in 1965, it went to an Italian first owner who ordered a silver exterior paint with black leather interior. On August 17, 1970, the Flaminia was re-registered on the British Channel Island of Jersey, where it was owned by three different owners until 1978. Then the Lancia arrived in Lasswade, Midlothian, nine miles off Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1994 the coupé appeared in Switzerland at the Lancia expert David Read in Bettingen (Canton Basel Stadt). The current owner purchased the car in 2017 and had it extensively restored to concours condition by Thornley Kelham in the UK. This took two years, cost more than £ 330,000 and literally included every nut and bolt on the car.

Naturally, all the restoration work can be traced back to a comprehensive photographic documentation. This is just as much a part of the vehicle as various historical documents. Kidston SA will only provide further details of the purchase price of this Lancia Flaminia Super Sport Zagato on serious request.

Images: Kidston SA