Chassis No. 826232 002061
Engine No. 826200 2071

The Flaminia, unveiled at the 1956 Turin Motor Show, marked the inaugural Lancia design under stewardship of Chief Technical Director Antonio Fessia, filling the sizable hole left by Vittorio Jano in 1955. The new grand tourer featured modern technology such as double wishbone front suspension, while maintaining the proven, all-alloy 2.5-liter OHV V6 engine and sophisticated De Dion rear transaxle with inboard brakes.

Among the Flaminia's varied coachwork options, the Sport and Super Sport variants featuring Zagato's unmistakable touch ranked at the top. The introduction of a more potent, triple Weber-carbureted 2.8-liter powerplant in the Super Sport of 1964 elevated the Flaminia to true grand touring status and stands as the zenith of Flaminia design in the final Series III evolution featuring Zagato's trademark “double-bubble” roofline.

This spectacular triple-carburetor Zagato Super Sport boasts great pedigree in terms of history and restoration. The consignor - a renowned California-based Lancia aficionado - acquired the car in 1976 from Paul Reichert, a Lockheed aerospace engineer living in Pasadena, CA at the time, who had imported the car from Italy in the early 1970s. The consignor used to drive the car to his work at Beale Air Force Base, where he worked as a tanker pilot. Anecdotally, he and his colleagues all agreed the sleek Zagato-bodied Lancia looked great parked next to the SR-71 “Blackbird” as they were fueling them up at Beale. In 1985 the consignor sold the Flaminia to Dr. Richard May of Santa Monica, CA, a fellow Lancia aficionado, who also owned the ex-Gloria Swanson Lancia Casaro Roadster and a Aurelia Spider America among others. Dr. May embarked on a restoration of the Flaminia, although didn't finish it, and then sold the car back to the consignor in 1991.

Focusing on other exceptional Lancias in his collection, the Flaminia Super Sport was tucked safely away in the consignor's collection for the next few decades, until 2018, when he began a serious restoration. Doing his research, the consignor photographed many original and unrestored Flaminia's in order to restore his car accurately. The car was fully disassembled, and specialists were hired for various aspects of the comprehensive restoration. The alloy Zagato body was fully stripped by American Strippers of Sacramento, CA before being prepped and painted by experienced painter Hector Ramirez. Master trimmer Don Higgins, whose work has been shown in many cars on the Pebble Beach lawn, did the interior. The engine had been rebuilt by Dr. May with new pistons and bearings and was thoroughly checked and refurbished. Even the leaf springs were disassembled and then refitted with new neoprene spacers, while all original hardware throughout the car was correctly refinished as Lancia did it in period.

Upon close inspection today, it is evident that the work was done to a very high level, with thousands of hours invested to properly restore both mechanical and cosmetic aspects of the car. Finished in the period-correct Zagato color of Grigio Cascine with neatly contrasting Burgundy leather interior, the Flaminia retains its matching-numbers engine together with its original Zagato coachwork and chassis. A recent outing at the 2024 Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance saw the rare Lancia appropriately awarded the major “Best Postwar Closed Car” award.

For the discerning collector, this Lancia Flaminia Super Sport Zagato represents a rare opportunity to acquire an exquisitely restored, coachbuilt Lancia that has been cherished, preserved, and reunited with an owner who truly appreciates its significance. It stands ready to grace the most prestigious concours fields or to provide its next caretaker with the incomparable experience of driving one of Italy's finest grand tourers.