1966 Lancia Flavia Coupe

Design by Ercole Spada, Zagato's main man of the era, it possessed some earlier Zagato motifs, such as the windows into the roofline, which harkened back to the Panoramic Fiats of the early 1950s.

About 32 Zagato-bodied 1.8-liter Iniezione Flavias were made; the rest were normally aspirated, two carburetor models.

Only 626 of the Zagato-bodied models were built, plus three prototypes. Ninety-eight were 1500s, and the remaining 512 received the larger 1800 engine.

Zagato worked primarily in aluminum, and the quest for saving weight carried over into the interior and even the paint. The paint was applied sparingly in two or three very thin coats. Needless to say, the paint did not survive long. The interiors were also thin, particularly the vinyl, for weight reduction.

The Flavia was named after Via Flavia, a Roman road leading from Trieste (Tergeste).

The Lancia Flavia was introduced in 1961 and quickly became one of the company's most successful and versatile line of automobiles. It was Italy's first front-wheel drive series-production automobile, offering outstanding interior space, a low center of gravity, and an aluminum 'flat-four' engine. Body styles initially included a Berlina followed by a Pininfarina-bodied coupe and Vignale convertible. Engine displacement later grew to 1800cc.

Carrozzeria Zagato designed and built a distinctive coupe known as the Flavia Sport Zagato, with 628 examples ultimately built including 32 with Kugelfischer fuel injection, yielding the Iniezione designation.

This particular Zagato-bodied 1966 Lancia Flavia Sport 1.8 Iniezione has been given a recently completed restoration. It is believed to have been the eighth from the last example built, its odometer currently displays 3,615 miles. The 1,800cc overhead valve Boxer four-cylinder engine with Bosch Kugelfischer Fuel Injection delivers 101 horsepower at 5,200 RPM. There is a four-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, and an independent front suspension with double wishbones, transverse leaf springs, and an anti-roll bar. In the back are semi-elliptical leaf springs, a Panhard rod, and an anti-roll bar.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2023