Lancia used to be one of the most aristocratic of motor manufacturers. With exquisite design, engineering and construction, the marque was the choice of the wealthy who had nothing to prove. Its cars were understated in the extreme, from the groundbreaking Lambda, to the Aprilia – the GTI of its day – to the perfectly proportioned Aurelia B20GT and rare B24 Spider. The elegant Flaminia models continued this automotive elegance with coachwork provided by Pininfarina, Touring and Zagato.

And there’s the rub. Lancia was a quality manufacturer that produced few cars but offered a vast choice of bespoke body styles and finishes from various carrozzeria. The cost of all this, let alone the cost of the complex engineering, was unsustainable – Lancia was a company that really needed the ruthless attention of the beancounters. The red ink did not get splashed through its books in time so Lancia was ignominiously absorbed into the Fiat empire in 1969, the large group that specialised in churning out affordable everyday motors.

Some might argue that Lancia peaked with its Aurelia GT. 
This Ghia-penned gran turismo inaugurated the GT genre, and 
it featured the first production V6 engine in an advanced monocoque chassis with sliding pillar front suspension and de Dion axle at the rear. Engineering as art.

The Flaminia evolved out of the Aurelia in 1957 with an extensively improved 2.5-litre V6 engine, strengthened rear transaxle, fully independent front suspension to replace the siding pillar arrangement, and effective disc brakes replacing drums. The problem with the Flaminia was that the larger coachwork and luxury trimming piled on the weight and, although the engine capacity was soon increased to 2.8 litres, the cars remained underpowered. Enzo Ferrari’s 250GT sports cars of the 1950s were much less sophisticated than the Pininfarina-designed Flaminia Coupé and the Touring-styled Convertible and GT, but he understood his clients wanted sonorous power, so his 3.0-litre engines offered a healthy 75bhp or so over the sweet 148bhp Lancia V6.

In a bid to improve the Flaminia GT’s rather restrained performance, the Flaminia Sport was launched in 1960. It had the same shortened wheelbase as the GT but the Zagato-styled aluminium coachwork was more rounded, harking back to the Aurelia’s. The intention of the Zagato coachwork was to improve the aerodynamics and shed weight, which was achieved to some degree. Styled by Ercole Spada, the first Zagato Sport was launched in 1958 with streamlined fairings over the headlights and a 2.5-litre 119bhp engine good for 112mph. Top speed was improved to 125mph on later cars with 2.8-litre engines and conventional headlights. The Super Sport of 1964 reverted to the original snout without the fairings, its tail was Kamm-cut and power was increased to 154bhp.

The immaculate 1966 Lancia Flaminia Super Sport you see here is one of only 150 constructed and is undoubtedly the finest of the Flaminia model range. Finished in gunmetal metallic with red hide interior, it looks extremely handsome, if not as aggressive as Spada’s greatest design, the Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato. No, the Super Sport retains Lancia elegance, thank goodness, because some Zagato styling can be rather challenging to the eye.

The restrained aluminium coachwork – with its signature double-bubble roofline – is lifted by the beautiful stainless steel fittings that surround the headlights, grille and windows, and large dished hubcaps on the 400mm wheels, shod with surprisingly narrow 165mm Pirelli tyres, which are standard fitment. Such bright red leather interior trim might look garish but in the Flaminia, with its sober grey carpeting and headlining, it looks tremendous.

Chassis number 826 232 00 2111 was owned for some years by respected Lancia aficionado Anthony McLean, who spent a good deal of time having the Zagato properly set-up. With attention from Omicron Engineering and Jim Stokes Workshops, this Flaminia’s front suspension, brakes, electrics and carburettors were carefully rebuilt. Says McLean: ‘The disc brakes on the Super Sport are superb. They are Dunlops but have been re-engineered by Lancia so they work effectively. With long gearing – it will do 100mph in third gear – matched to these excellent brakes and a beautifully balanced chassis, the Zagato is very quick on country roads but you have to use the revs to get the most out of it.’ He adds: ‘The level of engineering is astonishing. When we rebuilt the front suspension we were amazed at all the beautifully hewn bronze bushes, cups, struts, pins and clips that are included. It’s no wonder Lancia went bankrupt.’

The Flaminia is a GT for the sporting driver: a gentleman’s car. So we decided to see how it behaves in the genteel enclave of Belgravia, London. Danny Donovan and Jonathan Kaiser of Hexagon Classics have the Lancia ready on the cobbles outside their South Kensington mews showroom and it really does look extremely elegant in the soft evening light.

The driver’s door swings open, feeling very lightweight. You are met by a high sill and the beautiful red leather bucket seat is set low. The wood-rimmed steering wheel appears very large and upright in front of you, with the black-topped gearlever standing to attention on your right. The 2.8-litre engine fires via a twist and push of the key – you notice the twin keys are colour-coded: black for the ignition, white for the locks. Neat. The V6 catches and it takes a bit of throttle to get fuel coursing through the three twin-choke Weber carburettors, which Lancia termed the 3C set-up.

The clutch pedal ‘boings’ down to the floor in an almost laughably light action and the solid gearlever finds first gear without a graunch. I’m not quite sure yet whether to look over or under that large steering wheel rim, but the Zagato moves off to the accompaniment of a lovely V6 burble from the twin exhausts. Through South Kensington the oh-so-sweet clutch and gearshift action allied to fingertip-light steering and sensitive brakes are immediately apparent. The ride is comfortable but not soggy and the Lancia slices through the traffic feeling like a machine that is much younger than its 45 years.

With all the mechanicals warming through, you realise you have to hang onto the very long gears and allow the engine to rev. It is not massively torquey but it’s smooth, with clean pick-up, and the more revs you apply the better it sounds. Finding enough space to get into top, you marvel at the precision of the gear selection, knowing that the lever is connected to the ’box right at the rear of the car. All of this adds to the impression of first-class quality and engineering.