Chassis No. 818.650 002213
Engine No. 16671

From 1963 to 1976, the Lancia Fulvia's appearance took on many different forms, so different that they could have been named after other famous Roman roads as was Lancia's tradition starting with the Appia in 1950. The Fulvia initially debuted as a relatively unremarkable sedan in 1963. Piero Castagnero was quick to make changes to his design by adding a coupe to the Fulvia range in 1965. It was the coupe that attracted the most interest from both the buying public and the racing community. From then on, Lancia Fulvia coupes were a consistent presence in international motorsport, most famously finishing Rallye Monte-Carlo second overall in 1967 and an overall victory celebrated in 1972 at the hands of legendary rally driver, Sandro Munari.

At the same time Castagnero was creating his in-house coupe design, Lancia reached out to the famous Carrozzeria Zagato in Milan to get their take on what a Fulvia Coupe could look like. Lancia and Zagato had paired together on a number of famous coach-built vehicles since the 1950's including the rare Aurelia 2500 Zagato and the beautiful Flaminia Super Sport Zagato. Eager to return to this partnership, Zagato and their lead designer, Ercole Spada, produced one of Zagato's cleanest up-to-date designs that stayed current well into the 1970's. Zagato's Fulvia coupe debuted in 1965 simply named the Fulvia Sport Zagato. Over the next few years small updates occurred with the biggest changes occurring in 1970 with the introduction of the Series II model. These Series II changes included all-steel body construction, a 5-speed gearbox, revised suspension geometry, an alternator to replace the dynamo, and wider tires.

Said to have been stored by a Naples, Italy based Lancia dealer for five years, this unusually attractive 1971 Fulvia 1.3S Zagato was reportedly sold to its first owner, Guarino Carmine in 1976. A previous history writeup notes lifelong ownership by Mr. Carmine, and later his family, until 2008 when a Swiss Lancia enthusiast acquired the Zagato for his Lugano-based collection. Imported to the USA in 2014 and sold to its present owners in 2015, this extraordinarily well preserved example shows extremely well in the delightful factory color of Avorio Santa Anita, a pastel yellow that compliments the Zagato's light and simple body lines extremely well. The interior appears extremely correct, featuring bucket seats and the signature wood-trimmed dashboard framing Jaeger instrumentation. The engine bay is similarly tidy and well presented, the Lancia's narrow angle V4 breathing through twin Solex carburetors. The overall presentation gives off the impression of a well cared-for, sparingly driven example.

With sporting credentials and Zagato design from the man who brought the world the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato and Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ, this is a fantastic, well-preserved example of the quintessential early 1970s Lancia. Accompanied by tools, a jack and a trunk mounted spare, this rare Zagato-bodied jewel would be a delightful addition to any collection of Italian sports cars.