1964 Lancia Sport Prototipo Zagato Coupe

This unique Zagato-bodied Lancia competition car is a unique car in the true spirit of Lancia's great racing tradition. In 1964, the Lancia Works team built this Sport Prototipo Zagato using a shortened Lancia Flavia platform with a lightweight body and other weight-saving features. Its first race was at the 1964 Targa Florio with Marco Crosina and Fernando Frescobaldi driving. Sadly, the car did not finish due to an 'un-planned off-road excursion,' and afterward, the car had a very short racing history. In 1967 works team driver Claudio Maglioli, the Italian champion with Lancia in 1965 and 1966, found this car and purchased it from Lancia's racing department. Majlioli kept the car in his workshop for 20 years, undertaking a careful and meticulous sympathetic restoration. Its current owner acquired the Lancia in 2012 and has further restored it. The 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was the first time the Lancia prototype had been seen in public since the Targa Florio 50 years prior.

The Lancia Sport Prototipo Zagato is a unique creation that was given a lightweight body and numerous weight-saving measures. The light alloy body was about 220 kilograms lighter compared to the standard Lancia Flavia Zagato body. It also was given a shortened wheelbase to improve handling. The low-slung body had twin air intakes on the bonnet for the long carburetor trumpets to reach and breathe. It has a lower roof line, deleted bumpers, a race-specific interior, and a more direct steering box for better response.

Power is from a boxer four-cylinder engine rated at 148 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.

Its inaugural race was in 1964 at the Targa Florio, where it was piloted by Marco Crosina and Fernando Frescobaldi, and wore race number 184. After an accidental off-road excursion, the car was forced to retire from the race. This would be one of the few racing events for the car due to limited funds. The Works team, instead, decided to race the standard road-going Flavia Zagato in the 'Turismo' category to try to help the sales of that car.

After the car's racing career came to an end, it was left in Lancia's Reparto Corse and stored for a few years. In 1967, Claudio Maglioli, who was the Italian champion with Lancia in 1965 and 1966, came across the car and immediately negotiated with Sandro Fiorio, head of Lancia's racing department, to purchase the car and any remaining spare parts. The car remained with Maglioli for two decades and was given a careful and meticulous sympathetic restoration. It remained with him until 1991 when it was sold to the current owner.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the RM Auction's Monaco sale. The car was estimated to sell for €180.000-€240.000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for €190.400 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2012