1957 Lancia Appia

The Appia was a small car that wore similar styling to its larger Aurelia B10 sibling. It premiered in 1953 at the Turin Motor Show and became the company's most popular model until the arrival of the Fulvia. The Lancia Appia had been expensive to develop, and it competed in the highly competitive small car market sector, resulting in Lancia being unable to realize the profits it so sorely needed despite strong sales.

The standard Appia Saloon was soon joined by a series of limited edition models produced on a separate chassis and bodied by leading carrozzeria. Pininfarina created the coupe, Zagato built the aluminum GT coupe, and Vignale the cabriolet and 2-door saloon. Additionally, light commercial variants were built.

During its production lifespan, lasting from 1953 to 1963, approximately 107,000 Appias were built, including 98,000 saloons, 5,161 chassis sent to coachbuilders, and 3,863 commercial vehicles.

Engineering and Mechanical Specification
Legendary automobile engineer Vittorio Jano had joined Lancia at the end of 1937, formerly with Alfa Romeo, and the Appia was one of his first post-war designs. The V-4 engine, tilted at a 10-degree angle, displaced 66.5 cubic inches and was rated at 43.5 horsepower. It followed the company's tradition of innovation, with an ultra-compact design, a narrow-angle, inclined overhead valves, hemispherical combustion chambers, and twin, block-mounted camshafts. The engine was paired to a four-speed manual gearbox, and drum brakes were located on all four wheels. Initially, the wheelbase measured 97.6 inches and the length was 152.2 inches. The 'Series 2' and 'Series 3' versions had a larger 98.8-inch wheelbase. The 'Series 2' had a length of 157.9 inches and the 'Series 3' was slightly longer at 158.3 inches. The 'notchback'-styled Series II cars of 1956 to 1959 had a more potent engine (from 38 to 43 bhp), while the Series III brought styling revisions and a 48 bhp engine.

The body style was solely a four-door sedan, with a convertible and a coupe following in the later 1950s. The styling was similar to that of the Aurelia, and Series I cars received aluminum doors, bumpers, and wings. Like the pre-war Augusta, the front doors were hinged forwards, the rears aft, and there was no central pillar.

The 1957 Lancia Appia (Second Serise)
Antonio Fessia joined Lancia as technical director in April 1955, quickly addressing the Appia's issues and birthing the 'second series' Appia. Lancia chose the Geneva Motor Show in March 1956 to unveil the updated Appia. Among the host of improvements was a modernized body that increased the amount of interior room and enlarged the boot. With a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase and an overall longer length of 5.7 inches, the additional weight was offset by an increase in horsepower. The bucket seats were replaced with a bench, the binnacle contained two round instruments, and the previous ivory steering wheel and switchgear were replaced with black units. Distinguishable exterior styling elements included rectangular turn signal lamps (rather than round) and steel bumpers with overriders. The rear section of the body had been redesigned, which resulted in an increase in boot (trunk) space.

The increase in engine output was the result of a redesigned cylinder head, new pistons, a new carburetor, different camshaft profiles, and a new arrangement of the valves.

Before the arrival of the Third Series in March 1959, a total of 22,425 Second Series examples were built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2013