Lancia – Appia GTZ

Vehicle Overview

The Lancia Appia saloon was introduced in 1953 as a replacement for the long serving Ardea with its most significant feature being the narrow angle V4 engine developed by legendary engineer, Vittorio Jano. It was not until after the second series was introduced in 1956 that a chassis platform was made available to custom coachbuilders. Initially Pininfarina was selected to build a coupé and Vignale was given the responsibility of producing both a 2 +2 Lusso and a convertible. Zagato then began producing Appia bodies (the GTZ in 1957 and then GT in early 1958) based on chassis secured from Lancia by customers. They did not become an official Lancia vendor until late 1958 with the introduction of the GTE (Gran Turismo Esportazione) and the final Sport model. The rearside of the Sport Zagato was identical to the GTE, but to make the car quicker and more maneuverable the Appia Sport was built on a short chassis of the Appia third series.