1960 Lancia Appia

Description

A pleasingly original and nicely patinated example of this top quality sporting saloon;  driven to the sale; lots to like

The Lancia Appia was introduced in 1953 as a replacement for the ageing Ardea which dated from before the war. The new Appia had a larger 1,090cc version of Lancia’s characteristic V4 engine but in a clean-sheet design by Vittorio Jano which borrowed elements from the sensational Aurelia.

The new engine was coupled to a four-speed gearbox with rear-wheel drive. The independent sliding pillar front suspension and pillarless doors were a long-standing Lancia tradition which also carried over to the Appia.

The car was beautifully made, as were all Lancias at the time ('the thinking man's Alfa Romeo') but quality costs and a high price tag compared to a rival Fiat or Alfa's new Giulietta meant initial sales were slow. Good reviews and a succession of detailed improvements made the Appia increasingly appealing, and sales soon improved. In Third Series form (1959-63), over 55,000 Appias were sold from a total production run of 98,000.

Performance was good for the time and the 40bhp engine could propel the car along at nearly 80mph, with 30mpg economy, at a time when the Ford equivalent struggled to exceed 60mph. Although the Lancia was not sold in this country, it cost the equivalent of £780 while the Ford cost just £400. Engine power also went up to 48bhp and the front brakes were improved with dual circuit hydraulics for added safety.

This delightful little 1960 Appia is a Series Three with a wide, horizontal grille inspired by the flagship Flaminia. One of the sweetest and most stylish cars in the auction, it is presented here in a fabulous pale metallic blue, with nicely contrasting and well patinated cream cloth and vinyl interior.

It comes with a large history folder containing maintenance booklets, photographs, specifications for components and a good helping of invoices, the most recent from Omicron Engineering which include new steering arm ball joints, trunnions and pins in January 2022. In June 2021 a timing chain kit was supplied along with a front crankshaft seal, and November 2017 saw a brake master cylinder rebuild.

A quick look online reveals an advisory-free MOT was undertaken in April 2018, the odometer showing 56,824 miles at the time and it has covered just over 3,000 miles since (now 59,834 miles).

Our vendor informs us that the car has recently undergone a service including fresh oil, oil filter and spark plugs. Driven to the sale, this sweet Lancia has been starting promptly and running very nicely on site.

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