1961 Lancia Appia Zagato SWB Sport

The car we have here today is one of the rare Lancia Appia Zagato SWB Sport models. In 1961, Lancia approached Carrozzeria Zagato in Milan to source coachwork, a sound choice since they have been at the forefront of automotive design since 1919. The young Ercole Spada, the very man to ultimately design the fabulous Aston-Martin DB4GT Zagato was given the job. The result of this marriage was this very attractive Berlinetta style coupé. The "narrow angle' V4 1,100cc engine which is in the car today, produced a healthy 60bhp. It could be tuned to produce around 100bhp, even so, in standard trim the cars weigh in at around 820kgs making it a very sporty little machine. We believe the top speed was around 190 km/h which in those days was brisk by any standards.

This superb example, chassis number 1111, was built originally in 1961 and sold new to a Sicilian. The history is a little vague until the vendor acquired the car in 2006 from a Belgian gentleman. The owner of the car in 1975 was also Belgian and he was still with us in 2008. The car is currently registered in France. If you have a handy archive copy of the magazine Thoroughbred & Classic Cars, this actual car was reviewed in March 1975.

The vendor tells us that the car has been subject to a thorough six year restoration resulting in most of the car being refreshed or replaced with "new'...it has a new engine, transmission and gearbox and all the interior trim is new. It also looks the part with its aluminium coloured body and black interior. The coachwork is described as "very good'.

In line with its sporty heritage it is equipped with a roll cage, racing seats and full harness belts, however, the new owner would be wise to check whether they are currently eligible for motorsport use. The original interior is also sold with this Lot.

This is a rare little car, it is thought that only 200 were built and only some 30 are believed to survive. The Lancia Appia Zagato was a successful racing machine in its day, with ten class wins to its credit in various Italian Championships of the day. This is an unusual, pretty and very driveable classic which has been restored with great care. It also has competition potential ...we think it will be hard to resist.