Lancias were always vehicles ahead of their time, the Flaminia being no exception. The flagship of the range from the late 1950s until 1970, three versions of the two door hardtop variant were offered by three different styling houses: Pininfarina, Touring and the car we see here, the Zagato. Known for its flamboyance, Zagato's influence on this particular car was rather restrained, yet still sleek for the time. The faired in headlamps and signals, single circular tail lamps and curious C pillar treatment were signs of things to come for this Carrozzeria. This example for sale in California was recently restored by a noted Italian car specialist in Boston.

1967 Lancia Flaminia Zagato Super Sport

1967 Lancia Flaminia Zagato Super Sport
s/n 826232002116, Engine No. 828200*2121*
Dark Blue with Tan Leather

Thanks to their pedigreed racing histories and innovative and unconventional technical features, few cars captivate the motoring world as Lancias do. Zagato coachbuilders are responsible for the dramatic and masculine styling of the Aston Martin DB4GTZ, Fiat 8V Zagato, and Maserati A6G 2000 and many other cars of the era that now command into the millions of dollars. Zagato bodies tend to be made entirely of alloy and are thus much lighter than those bodies designed by Pinnin Farina and Bertone. This, together with their “swoopy” aerodynamic traits, made Zagato bodies an obvious choice for competition use. Indeed, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Fiat, Lancia, and Maserati all commissioned Zagato to build bodies for their racecars of the era. Because of their alloy construction, Zagato bodies were expensive, and were therefore rare, even when new. Lancias also tended to be quite rare because of the high prices that their advanced technology commanded. Thus, a Lancia with a `double bubble` body by Zagato is an extremely rare find, and today, they have finally become the sought after and valuable cars they deserve to be.

At the time, the Flaminia was the flagship of the Lancia line, and incorporated numerous sophisticated features, including an aluminum V6 and transaxle with inboard disc brakes for excellent weight distribution and low unsprung weight. While the sedan and PF coupes were more lushly furnished, the Zagato was the most sporting version of Lancia’s top-of-the-line model. This particular Flaminia Super Sport bodied by Zagato was built in 1967, is the most advanced of the Flaminia line, and was fitted at the factory with the desirable triple carburetor set up known as “3C”, and the updated 2.8 liter engine, enlarged from the 2.5 liter cars built during the first and second series of production. In total, less that 600 Zagato bodied Flaminias were built during the three production series.

This particular example appears to have been originally delivered to a Barbara Weiner in Italy, as documents on file show service work performed in Firenze in July of 1968. Shortly thereafter the car appears to have been imported to the US, and was sold to the Mackaman family. By 1974, the car was owned by a Dr. Bukovnik, who retained car until 2002, with it mostly remaining in static storage. The current owner purchased the car in 2002, and shortly thereafter embarked on a full restoration with Lancia expert John (Giovanni) Tataglia at Motorsports Garage in Boston, Massachusetts.

The restoration work was as comprehensive a job as can be imagined, and was performed in a no expense spared fashion. A detailed photoset of the restoration process reveals a rotisserie, bare metal up finish, complete engine and transaxle rebuilds, among many other works. The current cosmetic and mechanical condition of the car is superb. The visual presentation is fresh, with very correct detailing, and the car runs and drives as Lancia intended- a smooth, high quality, well balanced feel- typical of their engineering masterpieces.

At over a quarter million dollars, this car is for the serious collector. The level of work put into this restoration reflects that figure. I'm a firm believer that Italian cars produced between the 1950s and 1970s have been some of the most gorgeous automobiles to grace the roads. The attention to aesthetics is unmatched. The Italians even devised small, delicate looking front license plates, so as to not mar the front clip with too much adornment. This Flaminia truly puts the grand in grand tourer.

-Paul

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