LANCIA APPIA GTE ZAGATO

Year: 1961
Country of Manufacture: Italy
VIN#: 812014888
Model Type: 2 Door Coupe
Body Designer: Zagato
Engine: V4 (1090 cc) Iron block, alloy heads
Horsepower: 60 bhp at 5400 rpm
Torque: 63 lbs at 4400rpm
Transmission: Torqueflight 3-Speed Automatic
Suspension:
Front-Independent, vertical sliding pillars and coil springs, internal hydraulic adjustable shock absorbers.
Rear-Asymmetric semi-elliptic leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers.
Brakes: Front & Rear-hydraulic drums
Top Speed: 100 mph

History: The Lancia Appia saloon was introduced in 1953 as a replacement for the long serving Ardea with its most significant feature being its narrow angle V4 engine developed by legendary engineer, Vittorio Jano. It was not until after the 2nd series was introduced in 1956 that a chassis platform could be made available to custom coachbuilders. Initially Pininfarina was selected to build a coupe and Vignale was responsible for a 2 +2 lusso and a convertible. Zagato began producing Appia bodies (GTZ in 1957, GT in early1958) based on chassis’s secured from Lancia by customers but did not become an official Lancia vendor until late 1958 with the introduction of the GTE Gran Turismo Esportazione) and the final SPORT model. Over this time power output rose from 48 bhp, then to 53 bhp and finally 60 bhp for the later GTE and SPORT models. The Sport model was built on a 6.5” shorter wheel base and was some 20 kilos lighter (1804 lbs vs. 1848 lbs for the GTE 111).

Production: Zagato built 550 Appia’s of all types. There were 39 GTZ’s and GT’s built prior to Zagato becoming an authorized Lancia coachbuilder. The styling on these early cars varied greatly from one car to the next. A few had “double bubble” roofs but nearly all had small fins mounted on their rear top fender edges. Some had flush mounted, open headlights while others had recessed, covered headlights. These initial cars were followed by 3 different series of GTE’s comprising of 167 covered headlight cars and 144 recessed open headlight cars (311 GTE’s in all). The final Sport version, of which 200 were built, was built on a shorter wheel base chassis, was slightly taller and had flush, open headlights. This particular car is a very late Series 111 GTE that was built alongside the new Sport model when production of the two models overlapped. Consequently it features some Sport features such as push button exterior door handles and interior trim.

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