1965 Lancia Flavia Sport Zagato

The most outrageous yet least acknowledged Lancia Zagato was the 1.8 litre Flavia. Designed by Ercole Spada, Zagato's main man of the era, it possessed some earlier Zagato styling cues, such as the windows into the roofline, which echoed the Panoramic Fiats of the early fifties. It was streamlined, but Zagato did not work with a wind tunnel, they worked by feel, drew the car up on a full sized board and then started hammering. Once on the road, it was tested with the traditional tuft-of-cloth method. Prior to the construction of a larger facility in the late 1960s, Zagato worked primarily in aluminum, and the quest for saving weight carried over into the interior and even the paint which was applied sparingly, in two or three very thin coats. The interiors were also thin, particularly the vinyl, dashboards were hammered out of slim aluminum, and often not covered with anything but crackle finish paint.

This Lancia Flavia Sport Zagato is much like all the other 576 aluminum body over steel frame coupés built, however, it's one of just 25 RHD models produced. Converted into a road /rally car by marque specialist Richard Thorne in the early 1990s, the car was used sparingly, and is thought to have been virtually unused for some 10 years as detailed in the MoT history which shows little to no use during this time.

It was then purchased by the previous owner in 2002 who, again, had Richard Thorne convert it, this time to a full- race circuit car. A number of modifications were carried out, including a fully race prepared engine, suspension, and running gear, and the car is accompanied by numerous invoices and history, detailing the extent of the race preparations/adaptations.

The car raced for approximately 3 seasons with the HSCC and supporting race records are present along with an FIA build specification and an old set of HTP papers dated 2004 which enabled the car to race at Spa in 2004/2005. However, a con-rod decided to make a bid for freedom through the side of the block at the Spa 6 hours in 2005. After this, it sat sadly waiting for repair in France until the owner decided to sell to the current owner to fund further projects. The car returned to the UK, where 'Omnicron', Lancia specialists were tasked with sourcing a new block and rebuilding the engine along with a full recommission. Subsequent rolling road tests produced 139 bhp at the flywheel and 140ftlb torque.

After extensive works, the Flavia returned to the Croft circuit in 2014, racing with the Classic Touring Car Club in pre-66. The car performed well, even in novice hands and had two further outings that season at Cadwell and Brands Hatch. After developing a charging fault, the dyno and regulator were rebuilt and a new electronic distributor was fitted.

The car has not raced since 2014 due to the owner acquiring a new race car for the 2015/16 seasons. At the end of 2015, it was serviced and recommissioned for use in 2016 and, as a result, the seat, belts and extinguisher are all in date. The car also has 4 Dunlop tyres that we are told have covered nominal mileage and are scrubbed in nicely, along with 4 virtually new Yokohamas and a total of 9 alloy rims. Furthermore this little Zagato comes with a spare 2-litre engine and all the original glass which has been substituted with a lighter polycarbonate.

Ready to race, the car could potentially be returned to FIA specification at additional cost should one desire, as well as being improved further aesthetically to really make it a show stopper on the track and in the pits.

Eligible for a range of popular series, this car is a great way to stand out from the crowd this season..