images posted at the Cohort by Nicky D
A fun fact about the Lancia Flaminia: When they were filming The Italian Job (the one that actually was filmed in Italy with the particularly annoying ending, that is) and realized they couldn’t just crush an Aston Martin DB4 and hurl it off of a cliff; they decided that a Flaminia Coupe would do a very decent stand-in. Good thing it wasn’t one of these.
We are once again in the presence of something quite special. The beautiful Flaminia Super Sport that you see nonchalantly parked in front of an import garage, captured by Nicky D, is an extremely rare car. How Rare? At just 150 manufactured there are twice as many Mustang SVT Cobra R’s, more than twice as many Ferrari F50’s. The BMW M3 CSL is positively common in comparison at 1500 units. And yet someone has actually driven it out of its climate controlled garage and taken it for a spin.
He’s due for a very nice drive. The Super Sport is an evolution of the also Zagato-designed (and eye-meltingly beautiful) Flaminia Sport which was created when Lancia unveiled the final revision of their revolutionary drivetrain: The first production V6 engine. Lancia didn’t actually invent the V6, those go all the way back to 1905 in limited production numbers and applications, but they were the first to recognize the advantages and place it on a production car.
More specifically, this car: The 1950 Aurelia sedan, the predecessor of the Flaminia. On its first outing, it produced a modest 56-horsepower and displaced a little bit less than 1.8-liters. Well, I say modest, although that is actually not bad for the first version of an entirely new engine configuration for normal road use that was also made entirely out of alloys and bestowed with Hemi chambers. Especially so for 1950.
This was bleeding-edge engineering at the time and Lancia was not just going to leave new enough alone. They continued making revision after revision to the design and, 14 years of development later, they released the ultimate version on the Super Sport. It had grown from 1.8 to 2.8-liters and it was now fed by three carburetors. Perhaps unsurprisingly, power had almost tripled from the original version. The engine on the Super Sport produced 152-horsepower (the normal sport had to make due with 140). All of it wrapped on a beautiful Zagato body.
Underneath the body you were not lacking in features either. Forget about such stone-age technology like drum brakes or deadly swing axles. You would find nothing of the sort of one of the crown jewels of the Italian Motor industry. To this day the Italian government keeps a couple of Flaminia limousines for formal occasions. I believe they should also keep one of these.
I am even starting a new paragraph just so that I can have an excuse to show another angle of it to you. Newer Zagato efforts such as the Aston Martin V12 Zagato may be perhaps more divisive in concept (some may think it is beautiful, and others may think it looks like a V12 Vantage with Ferrari California taillights and a large mouth bass-inspired grill), but I think all of us can find something to like on this design. The extremely short front overhang and those bulging sides, or the squared-off interpretation of the Zagato’s signature double bubble roof. It pains me to say this however, but I think that the first version of the normal Flaminia Sport wins the beauty contest over this one. The slimmer covered headlights and the more petite rear-end compliment the basic shape better than the later revisions. If I am honest with you, I am not entirely keen on the Kammback of the super sport.
Here’s the earlier one, for comparison, what do you think?
Anyway, personal opinions aside, I am just glad that cars like this are still roaming the streets despite the risk of oblivious drivers, coal-rollers, teens keying cars for fun, speedbumps, potholes, construction and drunk drivers. Even if they are outside just for a little bit in between maintenance sessions; It’s usually enough for someone who has an interest to stop and just soak it in.
Annoying ending or not, at least the original movie was enjoyable and entertaining.
Unlike the remake which was nothing more than an infomercial for the (not to terribly) Mini.
It’s not often that Zagato got it right, but this is one of those times.
Years ago my attorney in NYC had a Lancia Flaminia coupe, but not the Zagato model. Just imagine it in NY traffic? Sadly, both he and the Lancia are no longer with us.
I’d never seen a Flaminia, and wondered what they looked like. In the novel “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, Tracy Draco’s Lancia Flaminia stayed ahead of James Bond’s car (Aston or Bentley, I can’t remember?) thanks to its independent rear, at least according to Ian Fleming. Maybe Tracy was just a better fast driver? 🙂
Bond was in his rebodied Bentley R-type Continental. Tracy was driving a (quote) ‘Lancia Flaminia Zagato Spyder’. Zagato never made a Spyder for this model and Fleming was known to get facts like this wrong, but given Tracy’s father was the head of the Unione Corse, she might have been driving a one-of-one delivered for an offer that couldn’t be refused.
Lancias are the aristocracy of Italian cars. (Ferrari and Lambo are just nouveau riche).
Beautiful in Zagato guise, but any Flaminia would do me fine.
I’m astounded by that claim about The Italian Job! Have a butcher’s at the video below, which is the relevant snippet from the film. Looking at it in slow mo, it could be right — a Lancia with DB4 styling added on. But I’m not 100% sure…
Apparently the giveaway is the bonnet (hood) opening as it falls down the mountainside. Lancias are hinged at the windscreen edge, and DB4s are hinged at the leading edge. A quick google suggests another (wrecked) DB4 had been earmarked to go over the side, but caught fire before filming happened, and that the hero DB4 is still in existence.
There is that, but also the Aston is right hand drive. Once it’s over the ledge you can clearly see the Lancia stand-in to be a left hooker. The wheel wells also are an easy give away; the Aston’s are smooth, the Lancia has a bit of a lip. They did a very good job hiding this fact, however.
Such a beautiful car. Not a bad line on it. A heck of a street find as well.
Zagato always get’s it right!
The public know shit!
What an insane curbside find! Nice read.
Rare Lancias like these command huge sums of cash. This Super Sport is likely worth $275,000-$325,000 USD in it’s current state. Which makes it all the more shocking someone seems to be driving it about.
I saw these pictures at the Cohort a couple of weeks back and was blown away. What a thoroughbred. And I meant to write it up, but other stuff kept intruding. Thanks Gerardo, for not letting this slip away and for doing it justice.
It’s disorienting to look at the Lancias of the past, especially my favorite the 70s Beta HPE, then look at their only offering today: the Ypsilon, with all the charm and panache of a Toyota Yaris.
https://www.lancia.com/ypsilon
What a beauty! My grandfather sold his Alfa 1900 ss Touring to buy the Flaminia Zagato 3C in 1962. It was dark blue, with red leather interior.
Good evening car friends!
It is my lancia and I just discovered this posting!
I had actually overheated driving back from the candy store and had to have it flatbedded back to mill valley. It has just come back from an engine rebuild and is stronger than ever! I don’t usually leave it out in the rain but I had a hell of a time finding a competent mechanic to do the work but happy to report valtellina in Sonoma did an outstanding job for me.
Thank you for the kind words and I look forward to seeing you on the road!
Ari
Bellissima Ari!
Ps. I like the kamm tail!