1960 Lancia Other

Vignale Convertible Convertible

V4

Manual

812.01.3810

Clear

What Do We Have Here? On offer is a 1960 Lancia Appia Vignale Convertible. I’ve owned her for almost 20 years, having acquired her when she needed saving. Happily, the regard for Lancias, particularly coachbuilt cars, has increased significantly in recent years. My intent was to eventually restore her and to one day take her to Carmel’s Concorso Italiano. The plan made sense, as the car has spent most of its life in northern California, not far from the annual Monterey car week festivities. However, I still have other cars ahead of this one in my restoration queue, and with the years advancing it’s time to focus on a smaller collection of projects. This one will turn out to be a jewel for someone. About the Model Appia’s evolved over three series. The Convertible was one of several coachbuilt variants on the platform. Pininfarina built a traditional Coupe, Zagato built an aerodynamic Coupe, and Vignale built the Convertible. There were other variants, too, but the foregoing were the most widely recognized offshoots on the Appia platform. While sedan production exceeded six-figures, only 1,584 Appia Convertibles were produced, with sound, rot-free and complete examples quite rare today. Like all Lancias of the pre-Fiat era, the design, engineering and craftsmanship were superb. In 1960, Popular Mechanics’ “Car Facts 1960” reported that the price of a new Lancia Appia Vignale Convertible was $4,490, compared to the $3,882 of an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Super Spider , or the $3,051 base price of an Austin Healey 3000. The Appia Vignale was a true Lancia, the last of the famed “sliding pillar” front suspension cars, opulently equipped with fine leather, quality brightwork, monocoque construction, and engineering details that will captivate a technical enthusiast. The attention to detail must have horrified the program finance analysts back in the day. Power was by Lancia’s unique, diminutive 1.1 litre V4 engine, utilizing twin, mid-block camshafts to actuate inlet and exhaust valves via short pushrods, achieving hemispherical combustion chambers in a compact design. A floor-shifted, manual, 4-speed gearbox differed from the Appia sedan’s column-shift. From engine to brakes, alloy castings with artistic and functional cooling fins abound. The only conventional thing in the specification is a live rear axle on leaf springs, yet even that is typically over-engineered for the anticipated need. Differing from the faster aforementioned Alfa and Austin Healey as market entries, the Appia Convertible was a more opulent and spacious touring car built in far smaller numbers. The Convertible’s steel body is augmented by alloy bootlid and bonnet panels. The doors feature wind-up windows rather than side curtains. The convertible top stows in an area under the tonneau panel, behind a soft curtain, leaving a stowage area behind the front seats, and the frame includes the thoughtful feature of a lever to aid in raising the top. Despite the wind-up windows, the cars were still fitted with a tonneau cover (the original is still with the car). The battery is mounted in a rear compartment, under a lid in the boot floor. Exterior ornamentation was minimal, confined to bright trim for the faux bonnet/hood scoop, bright bumpers with over-riders, bright side mouldings, an “Appia Convertible” script badge on the rear wings/fenders and a crossed-flags emblem also on the rear wings. The driver’s side exterior mirror includes a unique pivoting design, and the exhaust terminates with a bright fish-tail finisher. The “Lancia” name appears in the grille, and “Appia” is echoed on the boot lid plinth. If one asked, “what would a baby Ferrari look like circa 1960”, the Appia Convertible would be an appropriate answer. About This Car Chassis 3810 is from the first-half of 1960. Stampings, data tags and the Lancia archives (Centro Archivio Storico, now part of Fiat Chrysler FCA) confirms that her chassis, engine and gearbox numbers are all matching originals. Close inspection reveals that she has had one re-spray over the original colour, with the original exterior/interior colour combination being grey over red. As shown in the photos, the current Silver looks to be over the original Grey. Appia Vignales were available in either Grigio Escoli or Grigio Epsom, and while I’m not sure which is which, one can see the original Grigio/Grey under the outline for the rear fender/wing badges. The Archivio Storico could not confirm the original colours because that information, if available, would be held in Vignale’s records (Archivio Storica did, however, provide a referral to Vignale so that the research can be pursued). She appears to have always been a California car, still wearing “black plates” first issued by the State in the early 1960’s and last renewed in 1976. More interesting is that she still wears an Italian rear plate with “EE” prefix, the “EE” denoting “Excursione Estere”, or “Foreign Tourist”, confirming that she was a factory tourist delivery car which enjoyed some time on the continent before being shipped “home” to California. The interior mirror still wears a “1960 ACI” decal from the Automobile Club d’Italia. Below is a copy of the note received from Centro Archivio Storico, confirming the car’s serial numbers and dates of manufacture (I’ve added the parenthetical translations where English is shown). The date sequence reinforces the level of craftsmanship and time required for these cars to go from chassis construction at Lancia (February, 1960), to completion of their coachwork and trim at Vignale, to final handover to the customer (June, 1960). On Jul 12, 2015, at 11:45 PM, Centro Archivio Storico (FCA) < centroarchiviostorico@fcagroup.com> wrote: Buongiorno, Di seguito Le invio I dati della sua automobile Lancia Appia ritrovati sul registro di produzione: Lancia Appia Numero di telaio : 812,01 3810 (chassis number) Numero di motori : 814.00 4059 (engine number) Numero cambio di velocità: 3240 (gearbox number) Data di montaggio: 22 febbraio 1960 (chassis construction) Data di invio rimessa: 22 febbraio 1960 Data di versamento a rivestimento finitura: 4 giugno 1960 (finished and invoiced) N. scocca: 2810 N. Differenziale: 99704 N. sospensioni anteriori: 43464 N. scatola guida: 43721 Carrozzeria: Vignale Cordiali saluti Fiat Partecipazioni S.p.A. Centro e Archivio Storico Fiat Via Chiabrera, 24 A 10126 Torino Details, Please This car is, to me, a little jewel in being virtually complete, rot-free, and with an apparently interesting history. Included are the many detail pieces that can prove problematic: pivoting exterior mirror, headlamp rims, wheel trim rings, all gauges, switches and handles, the fish-tail exhaust, bumpers and over-riders, convertible top and latches/handles, etc. The only pieces believed missing are the fuel tank, spare wheel, rear fender/wing script and badges, two hub caps and one side moulding. The fuel tank and spare wheel are easily sourced from an Appia Sedan, the rear fender/wing badges and hubcaps are available as reproductions (one script is included if you’d rather re-cast that yourself), and the one side moulding can be sourced as used, moulded from the included one for the opposite side, or machined from stock. To call the body “solid” would be to under-rate it. There is surface rust and scale, of course, but there are no perforations and there is no rot. I’ve restored rusty and rotten cars before, and from what I can see, this car will retain every original panel, outside and inside, when restored. As the photos indicate, she suffered a light collision to the left front fender/wing for which the repair needs finishing. Otherwise, the body is in incredibly good condition (the doors still shut with a quality that I don’t find in more modern cars). Included with the car is an extra windshield/windscreen, acquired just because it’s nice to have one (the Lancia Club UK can reproduce them in batches, but either new or used they are rather pricey today!) as well as a spare Appia gearbox and a number of other small bits. The interior is complete, as shown. The seats may be retainable after attention from a good trim shop, the rear drape for the convertible top is certainly re-usable after cleaning, and the door panels / carpets are, at minimum, good for patterns. The original rubber floor mats are still in place, as shown. The metal door caps, sill plates and other brightwork are in excellent condition. Although not easy to see in the photos, the metal dash retains the “appia convertible” embossing. The car includes all handles, switches (plus some extra) and interior lights. Anything not seen in the photos is likely included with her stash of parts. Obviously, she is not running. When purchased, the engine, save the block, was quite literally in the boot/trunk. While unsightly, it was probably a good thing for the engine to be “dry” as it prevented internal corrosion of the engine cooling jackets. The block/crank and gearbox remain fitted to the car, with the head and manifolds separated from the block and the pistons/rods removed (in some photos, you will see the head placed on the block for reference). The car does retain the original and hard-to-find Weber DCLD-3 carburetor and air-cleaner (Appia Sedans used a common Solex carb). All is included, plus some extras I acquired, such as spare sumps and exhaust manifold, valve cover, oil filter housing, steering box, and most importantly an extra transmission, again acquired because it’s nice to have one. As shown in the photos, the car also comes with two jacks, one in good condition and one, not so much. The tires fitted at acquisition were rotten, so I finally fitted new ones even though I knew the car would remain in storage. Although old now themselves, the period-looking whitewalls show no visible deterioration and would be good for rolling on to a show field; if you envision running the California Mille, you’ll want to fit a new set of Vredestein’s, Michelin’s or Pirelli’s. The car is on a clear California title. The license plate number now assigned to the car differs from the number on the California black plates, as at time of titling the State did not recognized the plates as “year of manufacture” for retention under that program. For a California owner, to use the black plates one would need to request personalized plates with the black plate numbers. Additional photos may be viewed at the following link, and I will gladly add images if there is something you would specifically like to see that is not already covered: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pmrzy1nc5dlxfgp/AACM6i4_ToTc-Vhdzq6KAj-1a?oref=e If You’re Seriously Interested The car is located in northern California’s Silicon Valley, with nearest airport being San Jose (SJC). I spend most of my time in southern California, but will try to accommodate by-appointment inspection requests. I will answer questions as quickly as possible (the caveat being that I have a demanding job and can’t stay glued to eBay during business hours). Where useful to others, I will post the Q&A’s to this listing. To avoid some common questions that I see in every Motors listing that I watch: the reserve will not be disclosed, there is no buy-it-now price, and I will not end the auction early. Please, no zero-feedback or poor-feedback bidders. A $500 deposit is due within 72 hours of auction end (Paypal accepted), with balance due via cash, wire transfer or cashier’s cheque drawn on a major US Bank before delivery or documents exchange. The car is offered as-is, with no warranties expressed or implied. Should you be the winning bidder, I will gladly assist with information or any desired advice to aid your successful restoration (my library does include a factory shop manual, parts manual, and other literature not included in this sale, but available if you don’t have these already). Shipping is the responsibility of the winning bidder but, to the extent I can do, I will be happy to assist you with advice and your selected carrier in collection/loading.