1961 Lancia Appia - Berlina Serie 3

The little Lancia Ardea had proved to be a key pillar of business for the Turin-based car manufacturer. Production of the pre-war model continued after the war, but by the early 1950s it looked rather old-fashioned compared to the modern Aurelia. Vittorio Jano was commissioned to develop a new small saloon. The result, unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in April 1953, was called the Lancia Appia and looked, visually, like a scaled-down Aurelia saloon. Technically, the newcomer appeared to be closely based on its predecessor, the Ardea, yet in fact almost everything had been completely redesigned. Although a V4 engine was once again used, the angle between the two rows of cylinders had been reduced from 17 to 10 degrees. The two camshafts were not mounted on the cylinder heads but were arranged laterally and actuated the valves via pushrods and rocker arms. Initially, the small four-cylinder engine, with a displacement of 1'090 cc, produced 38 hp. In March 1956, Lancia unveiled the second series of the Lancia Appia in Geneva. Antonio Fessia had thoroughly redesigned the saloon – in fact, he had practically built a new car. The wheelbase and length had been increased, and the boot was more spacious. Thanks to numerous optimizations, the V4 engine’s power output rose to 43.5 hp. Over the following years, Lancia further refined the Appia saloon. The result was on display at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1959. The engine now produced 48 hp and the bodywork had been updated to reflect contemporary trends. The third-series Lancia Appia on offer here was originally delivered to Switzerland and was first registered in 1961. The early history of this small saloon is unknown, but it presumably spent most of its time in French-speaking Switzerland. After the car had been parked in a garage for several years, it was purchased by the current owner at the end of 2012. He put the Berlina back on the road and used it over the following years for occasional trips with dealer plates but only covered around 1'000 km in it. Today, the Appia is in fair to good condition and is very much in its original state. The bodywork was presumably repainted several years ago, and the interior suggests that the 400 km shown on the odometer is likely to correspond to an actual mileage of 100'400 km. The engine runs well, though the mechanics will certainly require some attention ahead of a new roadworthiness test. This charming Lancia’s last MOT took place in September 1980.