Lot 033: Lancia Flaminia Coupe

Launched in 1957 to replace the legendary Aurelia, Lancia's Flaminia was a very different car aimed squarely at the luxury end of the market. Initially only available as a saloon, it was also available in coupe form from 1959 onwards. Hand-built to the highest possible standards, it quickly became the car of choice for Italians of any substance, from the prime minister to the Pope. Austere and elegant, the coupe is widely regarded as Battista Pininfarina's finest work and the Florida which it so closely resembled is the car in which he famously said he wished to go to heaven. As with all Lancias of this era, the Flaminia was a technical tour de force with features like Dunlop disc brakes all round (inboard at the rear), a De Dion axle, independent front suspension and perfect 50:50 weight distribution by virtue of its all-synchro gearbox being mounted in unit with the rear axle. Contemporary road testers universally admired the engineering excellence of the car, its superb brakes and tremendous ride and handling qualities which imparted uncanny stability at all speeds and on all surfaces. All the more amazing then, that the cars are so hugely undervalued today.Imported from Italy in 2001, this 1961 car has had just one UK owner since. Powered by a 110bhp 2.5-litre single carb V6, it is said to be a good runner that drives well but is now in need of some cosmetic restoration, mainly to the paintwork which is now very flat. As a file full of bills makes clear, it has had much money lavished on it since it arrived on these shores, starting with a full service and generalgoing over by Lancia specialist Richard Thorne in July 2001 at a cost of �1,569. In January 2002 it had the inner sills repaired and new outer sills fitted and had some localised repairs to the floors (all the work being photographed). The steering was also overhauled, the carb stripped and rebuilt and the engine tuned, all at a cost of �2,234. In May 2006 a further �1,015 was spent on a full overhaul of the braking system.The interior has been retrimmed in red velour at some point, but it would be interesting to see what shape the original (pigskin?) upholstery is in underneath. The outer panels all appear to be wholly original and are remarkably straight and damage free. The doors still open and shut beautifully, a testament to the superb build quality of these cars in the first place. Due to have a fresh MOT before the sale, this would appear to be a good driving car that can be enjoyed as it is and gradually improved over time. We will leave the last word to Doug Blain of Sports Car World, testing the coupe in January 1961: "What's the difference between the Flaminia and a comparable sporting car from, say, Great Britain? The Lancia chassis is a precision thing, a piece of engineering so well carried through it takes your breath away. Yet for all its cost and its quality, the Lancia lets you feel you can race out the garden gate, wrench open the door, then simply flop in and get going with never a worry about breaking anything or upsetting the mechanism. The Flaminia is such a rugged car, such a reliable, omnipresent, adaptable, placid, pliable sort of car you can never think of it as being prone to wear or depreciation. Certainly, once you owned it, you could never think of selling it except to buy another Lancia."