Lot 220: 1968 Lancia Flaminia Super Sport 3C 2.8-Litre 'Double Bubble' Coupé
Coachwork by Carrozzeria Zagato

This striking Zagato-bodied Lancia Flaminia Sport 3C Coupé features the Milanese styling house's renowned 'double bubble' body form in which low overall lines and a rounded streamlined shape are achieved by the simple but ingenious device of convex head-clearance roof bulges above each front seat.
One of the oldest and most respected of automotive design firms, Zagato was quick to exploit the popularity of the new GT racing category after WW2, supplying factory teams and catering for the privateer scene with road-able cars that could be driven competitively on the racetrack come the weekend. The creator of some of the most memorable designs of this, arguably Zagato's most productive period, was Ercole Spada. Favouring soft fluent, aerodynamic lines, Spada introduced the sawn-off 'Kamm' tail on the Alfa Romeo Giulia Tubolare Zagato and was also responsible for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and 2600 SZs. His creations on Lancia chassis included the Zagato Sport/Super Sport variants of the Flavia, Fulvia and Flaminia.
Introduced at the 1956 Turin Motor Show, the Flaminia retained its Aurelia predecessor's mechanical layout, though Lancia's traditional 'sliding pillar' independent front suspension gave way to a more modern double wishbone arrangement. Aurelia carry-overs were the 60-degree, 2,458cc, overhead-valve, V6 engine and De Dion rear transaxle with inboard brakes. The Zagato-bodied Sport and Super Sport models shared a shortened wheelbase with the Touring-styled GT/GTL coupes and the Convertible, and all featured disc brakes and increased power. A 2,775cc engine was introduced for 1963, by which time the sportier Flaminias were capable of around 200km/h (130mph), and a '3C' triple carburettor option was available for those who considered even this performance too tame. Famous owners included Italian 'King of Cool' actor Marcello Mastroianni and the equally suave Duke of Aosta, both of whose Flaminia Super Sport Zagatos have achieved record prices at previous Bonhams sales.
This example of the last word in old-style Lancia design is one of the very last of only 187 Flaminia Super Sports made and was supplied new in Italy. The vendor advises us that the car has enjoyed only three owners from new, the last (well-known Lancia collector Edilberto Mandelli) for 31 years. Handsomely finished in cream with contrasting red leather upholstery, it is described as in very good, original condition in every respect, its odometer showing 38,000km. This elegant alternative to a Maserati or Aston Martin is offered with jack and Italian registration papers. Local taxes will be liable if it remains in Switzerland.