1967 Lancia Flaminia

The Lancia Flaminia came to market in 1957 as a successor to the Aurelia and flagship to the marque. Introduced at the 1956 Torino Motor Show, the Flaminia incorporated some of the Aurelia's mechanical components including its overhead-valve V-6 engine, and De Dion rear axle with inboard brake. Produced through 1970, the coachbuilt bodies included a coupe and convertible from several prominent Italian coachbuilders, including Touring, Pininfarina, and Zagato. A four-door saloon was also available, though not as popular as the coupe. During its thirteen-year production lifespan, a total of 12,633 examples were built.

The 2,458cc (2.5-liter) engine produced 101 horsepower with a single carburetor and 138 horsepower with a triple carburetor setup. In 1962, displacement grew to 2,775cc (2.8 liters) and developed between 126 and 148 horsepower with a triple-barrel carburetor, and 150 horsepower with a triple carburetor. The rear-mounted transaxle was a four-speed manual unit, and stopping power was initially by drum brakes or discs, while later models had discs only. The rear suspension retained the De Dion setup of its predecessor, while the front received double wishbones, coil springs, an anti-roll bar, and telescopic shock absorbers.

The saloon had a wheelbase size of 113 inches, a height of 58 inches, a width of 69 inches, and a length of 192 inches. The coupe had a 99-inch wheelbase, a length of 177 inches, a width of 65 inches, and stood 51 inches tall.

Pinin Farina created a design study named the Florida I in 1955, followed in 1957 by a two-door coupe with pillarless windows named the Florida II concept. Both were based on the Aurelia and both served as design inspiration for the Flaminia. The original two bodies of the Flaminia were developed by Pinin Farina, with the first being shown at the Turin Motor Show in April of 1956 and the second in Mary of 1957 at the Geneva Motor Show. The first Flaminia had a coil spring suspension and 'suicide' doors inspired by the Florida design study. The second example received a traditional door configuration.

Body Styles

Pinin Farina designed the Berlina (meaning saloon / sedan) and the Coupe. The Berlina was similar to the Florida I prototype while the Coupe had similarities to the Florida II prototype, but with a 2+2 layout. The Berlina was the only Flaminia body style to be built by Lancia, as all the others were built by independent coachbuilders. Additionally, it was the only body to last through the entire production period, with a total of 3,344 examples constructed with 599 fitted with the larger 2.8-liter engine with 128 horsepower, while the rest employed the 2.5-liter engine with 110 bhp.

Of the 5,236 examples of the Flaminia Coupe built, 4,151 had the 2.5-liter engine and 1,085 with the 2.8-liter unit. The front end styling was the same as the Berlina but it rested on the shortened wheelbase relative to the Berlina. Most of the coupes rested on 175HR400 Pirelli Cinturato CA67 millimetric tires.

Carrozzeria Touring designed and built a coupe named the Flaminia GT, a 2+2 version of the GT on a slightly longer wheelbase named the Flaminia GTL, and a Flaminia Convertible. Production of the convertible lasted until 1964 and a total of 847 examples were built, including 180 with the 2.8-liter engine. Production of the GT and GTL lasted through 1965, with 1,718 examples of the GT and 300 of the GTL. 168 of the GTs and 297 of the GTLs had a 2.8-liter engine.

The Touring-built Flaminias were constructed from aluminum and wore unique four-round headlamps. Pininfarina's Flaminias had two round headlights.

Carrozzeria Zagato built a two-seater coupe on the same shorter wheelbase chassis as the GT, with aluminum coachwork, pop-out door handles, a rounded/curvaceous body, and the Milanese design house's renowned 'double bubble' roofline. The early examples had flush-covered headlights, while later examples had classic round ones. Zagato had a reputation for lightweight construction and aerodynamic bodies, and the coachwork created for the Flaminia was at least 95 kg lighter than the other bodies used on the Flaminia chassis. They were known as the Flaminia Sport and were built through 1964 when they were replaced by the Super Sport with the larger 2.8-liter, 150 hp engine. A limited-slip differential and servo-assisted disc brakes were standard, while three Weber 40 DCN 12 carburetors were optional. Along with the larger engine, the Super Sport was given a Kammback rear end and tear-shaped headlight casings.

Zagato built 99 'preseries', 344 Sports, and 150 Supersports.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2022