1971 Lancia Flavia

When Lancia introduced the Flavia in 1960 at the Turin Motor Show, it came equipped with a 1,500cc four-cylinder engine and was introduced to major European markets during the twelve months that followed (in the U.K. in 1961). It had been developed by Antonio Fessia during the close of the 1950s and was initially offered as a four-door saloon. Its 1.5-liter aluminum boxer engine with overhead valves breathed through a single carburetor and offered 77 horsepower. It had Dunlop disc brakes at all four corners and an unequal-length wishbones suspension in the front. The engine was placed in the front and powered the front wheels. A two-door coupe body style was soon added to the lineup with styling by Pininfarina and resting on a shortened platform. The two-door convertible wore coachwork by Vignale and 1,601 examples were built. Zagato built a lightweight two-door 'sport' version with 626 examples produced, plus three prototypes. Of those, ninety-eight were equipped with the 1500cc engine, while the remaining 512 were powered by the larger 1800cc engine.

Around 1963, a larger 1,800cc engine became available with a single or double carburetor and fuel injection. The single-carbureted version developed 91 horsepower, while the double-carb setup boosted power to 104 horsepower. The 1800 Iniezione mechanical Kugelfischer fuel-injected version produced 101 horsepower and was backed by a five-speed manual gearbox.

In May of 1967, Lancia introduced a re-bodied version of the Berlina with a new interior known as the Series II (model number 819). With the introduction of the Model 819, the Zagato and Vignale versions were discontinued. Initially, the Model 819 used the same engines as the earlier cars, including the 1500, 1800, and 1800 with fuel injection, and all had a stroke of 74mm. In 1969, the stroke increased to 80 mm resulting in the new 2-liter 820 series engine.

In March of 1969, Lancia introduced a new coupe version at the Geneva Motor Show equipped with the 2.0-liter engine in either carbureted or fuel-injected guise, backed by either a four- or five-speed gearbox. Available body styles included either the Lancia sedan or the revised Pininfarina coupe.

After Fiat took control of Lancia, the 'Flavia' badge was discontinued and replaced by the '2000.' The 2000 was built from 1971 through 1974 and was similar to its predecessors, but came with stainless steel bumpers, Girling disc brakes instead of the Flavia 2000's Dunlops, and a Bosch D-Jetronic Analog-electrovalve fuel injection system (on fuel-injected versions of the engine).

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2021