1961 Lancia Appia

The Lancia Appia was introduced in 1953 and would remain in production for a decade. Along with the saloon body, the Appia was offered as a coupe by Pinin Farina, an aluminum-bodied GT by Zagato, and a convertible and two-door saloon by Vignale. Several light commercial vehicles were built as well. The majority were saloons, accounting for approximately 98,000 of the 107,000 Appias built. A total of 5,161 wore coachbuilt bodies, and 3,863 were commercial vehicles.

The Appia holds the distinction of being the last Lancia production car to use the sliding pillar front suspension first applied to the Lambda of the early 1920s. Its name - Appia - was for a Roman consular road, the Appian Way.

The Appia had a similar appearance to its Aurelia sibling, the company's first all-new postwar model, but while the Aurelia gravitated towards sophistication and luxury, the Appia favored conventional designs, affordable componentry, and a small engine. The Aurelia featured the first-ever V6 engine, a transaxle gearbox, and inboard rear brakes. The Appia had a very narrow 10-degree V4 engine, a four-speed gearbox in block with the engine, and a solid axle.

At the Turin Auto Show in April of 1953, where Alfa Romeo introduced its B.A.T. 5 Concept car, Lancia unveiled its Appia Berlina (saloon). Examples built with right-hand drive configuration had chassis code 'C10' while those with left-hand drive were 'C10S,' with the 'S' representing Sinistra, Italian for 'left.' A total of 20,025 first-series saloons were constructed from 1953 to 1956, with 10,257 examples having right-hand drive (9,768 with LHD).

The rear doors were aft-hinged suicide doors which eliminated the need for the B-pillar. The early examples (the first few thousand) had doors and rear fenders formed from lightweight aluminum. Aluminum bumpers soon gained rubber stripping to better resist denting and damage caused by impacts.

Mechanical Construction and Specifications
The C10 Appia rested on a 97.6 inch wheelbase, and had an overall length of 152.2 inches, a width of 55.9 inches, and stood 56 inches tall. It used unibody construction with a sliding pillar-type suspension at the front with hydraulic dampers, while the rear used a solid axle on leaf springs, with hydraulic dampers. Hydraulic drum brakes were at all four corners of the car.

Engine
The compact V4 engine had a 10.14-degree angle between the cylinder banks and a single head for all of the cylinders. The bore size of 2.7 inches (68 mm) and stroke of 3.0 inches (75 mm) resulted in a total displacement of 1,089cc. There were two in-block camshafts, with the left-hand one for exhaust and the right-hand one for intake valves. The cylinder heads, oil pan and crankcase were formed from aluminum in a single casting, and the cylinder block was cast iron. There were a pair of angled poppet valves per cylinder, actuated by pushrods and rocker arms. With a 7.4:1 compression ratio and a Solex 32/30 BI single-choke carburetor, the engine offered 37 horsepower.

The top three gears of the four-speed transmission were synchronized, and the clutch was a dry single plate unit that was mechanically actuated.

The second series Appia was introduced in March 1956 at the Geneva Motor Show and addressed the first series' shortcomings. Engineer Antonio Fessia joined Lancia the previous year in April and Jano left shortly thereafter. Thus, many of the changes applied to the second series were the work of Fessia.

A more powerful engine was installed which was offset by a considerable weight increase resulting from numerous updates made throughout. The wheelbase grew by 1.2 inches (3 cm) and the length by 5.7 inches (14.5 cm) which increased the rear seat room. The modernized body design included an enlarged boot (trunk), and the previous round turn signal lamps at the front were replaced by rectangular lamps. The lightweight but fragile aluminum pumpers gave way to steel bumpers with overriders. The fuel filler cap was now located on the exterior, under a locking flap on the right-hand side rear wing.

The interior accommodations were addressed, with the buck seats replaced by a bench seat, the steering wheel and switchgear now black (previously ivory), and the binnacle containing two round instruments.

The engine was given a redesigned cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers, new pistons, a new carburetor, different camshaft profiles, and a new valve arrangement. With 7.2:1 compression and a Solex C32 PBIC single-choke carburetor, the 1,089cc V4 engine produced 43 horsepower and 56 lb.-ft of torque. With 8.0:1 compression and a Weber 36 DCLD 3 twin-choke carburetor, output rose to 52 hp and 63 lb.-ft of torque.

Lancia produced 22,425 examples of its 'second series' Appia saloons, with 3,180 having (C10) right-hand drive.

Lancia selected the March 1959 Geneva Motor Show to unveil its third and final iteration of the of the Appia. Right-hand drive cars were designated 808.808 and left-hand drives were designated 808.807. The majority of the 55,577 saloons produced had left-hand drive configuration.

Modifications include:
- a horizontal style grille similar to the Flaminia
- a more potent 47 HP engine (63 lb ft of torque)
- twin leading shoe front drum brakes
- a 'Duplex' dual hydraulic circuit brakes (1960 model year)

Second and Third series Appias were offered as a platform chassis and made available to independent coachbuilders. The Series One Appias were solely offered in factory body styles. Among the list of coachbuilders who bodied the Appia were Ghia, Aigle, Motto, Allemano, Boano, Zagato, Vignale, and Pinin Farina.

In total, independent coachbuilders created bodies for 5,161 Appia chassis.

812.00 and 812.01
Fourteen second-series chassis were built and supplied to the above-listed coachbuilders. Initially designed as tipo 812.00, five were upgraded with a more potent 53 PS engine and floor-mounted shifter, and the designation was changed to 812.01.

Five coach-built Appias were displaced at the April 1956 Turin Motor Show, just a month after the 2nd Series Appia's were unveiled in Geneva. Vignale displayed a two-door saloon and a coupe, and Pinin Farina, Boano, and Zagato each displayed a coupe.

Additional coach-built versions of the Appia were built with the 812.01 designation, bringing the total to thirteen (including the first five converted from 812.00).

Lancia selected the coupe built by Pinin Farina and the convertible by Vignale to be shown at the March 1957 Geneva Motor, shortly thereafter entering into limited series production. They were listed in Lancia's own catalog and regularly sold through Lancia dealerships. These were all designated 812.01, which also included other versions built by other coachbuilders, including Viotti's Giardinetta, Zagato's GTE and Sport, and Vignale's Lusso.

Pinin Farina
Pinin Farina created a four-seater coupe, similar to the Lancia Florida prototype, for the 1956 Turin Motor Show. Failing to impress Lancia's management, Pinin Farina reworked the design into a 2+2 and displaced it at the March 1957 Geneva Motor Show. With Lancia's approval, this version entered small series production under the Appia Coupe name.

The Lancia Appia Coupé by Pinin Farina rested on a 98.8-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 162.6 inches, a width of 58.7 inches, and stood 51.6 inches tall. Styling features included a wide grille, a V-shaped B-pillar, a wrap-around rear window, and a two-tone paint scheme. The bodies were created from steel and the boot lid from fiberglass.

At the back, the tail lights had a trapezoidal design and were inset in the rear fins. After the third series Appia entered production in 1959, the rear lights on the Appia Coupé were grouped into a single unit at the tip of the more vertical tail fins. The engine was now the slightly more potent 54 hp unit, and in the spring of 1960, output rose to 60 hp.

Between 1957 and 1963, a total of 1,087 examples were built, including 302 of the second series, all built by Pinin Farina. A total of 785 were third-series cars and were made by Pinin Farina and Viotti. Production transitioned to Carrozzeria Viotti later in the production cycle, and those built near the end of the run were based on the reinforced 812.04 chassis. These examples had steel boot lids and fiberglass (instead of aluminum) dashboards.

Vignale
Vignale created a coupe named the Appia Sport and a 2-door saloon dubbed the Grand Lusso for the 1956 Turin Motor Show. They later created a convertible to a design penned by Giovanni Michelotti and presented it at the 1957 Turin Show.

The Vignale Convertible was produced through 1962, initially as a two-seater and then as a 2+2 from the summer of 1968. The second series platform and 53 PS engine were used until the third series arrived in 1959, bringing with it a 54 PS engine. A more potent 60 PS engine became available in 1960.

Vignale created 1,584 examples of the convertible. They had a 98.8-inch wheelbase, a 163.4-inch length, a width of 59.4 inches, and a height of 51.2 inches.

The Lancia Appia Lusso (a.k.a. the Berlina Lusso) made its debut in 1958 at the Turin Motor Show. These two-door saloons were devoid of door frames and shared their bonnet and front wings with the convertible. They were built on the series three (812.02) chassis, but were longer (170.9 inches), wider (59.8 inches), and taller (54.9 inches) than the convertible.

Between 1959 and 1962, Vignale created 477 examples of the Appia Lusso.

Zagato
Zagato built four coupe versions between 1957 and 1962, all of which had aluminum coachwork over a boxed steel frame. A total of 721 lightweight and aerodynamic Appias were built by Zagato. Zagato's prototype (serial number 1005), nicknamed Cammello (Camel) for its double-bubble roofline, showcased the Appia's dual-purpose personality; after winning a prize at the Cortina Concours d'Elegance, it secured a 1-2-3 class sweep for Lancia at the Mille Miglia. The car was originally painted in two-tone blue and white but wore an amaranto (dark red) livery when it raced at the Mille Miglia.

Approximately 30 additional Appias were built by Zagato in early 1957 with a design similar to Cammello, but without the humps on the bonnet (hood) and boot lid. It had Plexiglass-covered headlamps, a new grille, and thin vertical fins. The Appia GTs that followed (approximately 150 were built) had similar designs but with open headlights and a 53 PS engine. The Appia GTS had a tuned 60 PS engine, faired-in headlights, and a more streamlined body. A wood-rimmed steering wheel and bucket seats were optional equipment.

Luciano Mantovani drove a GTS to a class victory at the 1957 Mille Miglia, followed by Enrico Anselmi in another GTS. The third-place finish went to Cammello, driven by Giorgio Lurani.

At the 1958 Torino Motor Show, Lancia introduced the updated Appia GTE, or Gran Turismo Esportazione. It was the first Zagato-bodied Lancia illustrated in factory literature and sold through authorized dealers. Deliveries commenced in January 1959.

The bodies of the Appia GTE were low-slung and streamlined, with a longer nose section mirrored by elongated Plexiglas covering the headlights. There were no humps over the rear wheels as seen on its predecessors. Numerous updates were applied to the GTE during its production lifespan.

It is believed that 167 examples of the GTE were built with the 53 PS engine and 134 with the tuned 60 PS engine. The final example was constructed in April of 1962.

The Appia Sport was built from 1961 to 1963 and wore styling designed by Ercole Spada. The total number produced is not known.

The Appia Sport rested on a shortened (92.5 inch) wheelbase and had an overall length of 157.1 inches, a width of 55.5 inches, and stood 48.4 inches tall. Styling was similar to the GTE, but with tail lights fully sunken into the bodywork, a fastback roofline, and a rounder rear section.

Carrozzeria Viotti
Carrozzeria Viotti created a 3-door estate near the close of 1958 atop the third series Appia. The production version was introduced in November 1959 at the Turin Motor Show and around 300 were eventually created.

Dubbed the Giardinetta (Viotti's trademark designation for estate cars), it used a modified chassis (designation 808.21) with a 98.8-inch wheelbase, a length of 160.4 inches, a width of 60.6 inches, and a height of 58.5 inches. Unlike the Appia saloon, the Giardinetta had a center pillar for added strength. It had a wider grille, windscreen, and new bumpers. The interior featured leatherette and rubber mats, and rear fold-down seats.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2025