An unknown model from the history of Lancia, produced in only 202 copies, put on sale in Japan

If you come with this car out of the blue, and you will be looked at by enthusiasts, many of them might think that what they see is a French car. Then, when you get close enough, and the Lancia emblem becomes visible, even those who adore the Lancia brand will scratch the back of their necks and wonder what model this is, since it doesn't seem to appear in any history album, in no list of models. And yet, it is not a Lancia that was a metamorphosis that would have been produced in a single copy, but one that was manufactured in 202 units. Very few have survived to this day, and now one has been put up for sale in Japan.

It's a Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato, created by designer Ercole Spada, from the Zagato design house. Back then, the people at Zagato often created models reinterpreted in design based on the production ones, thus effectively creating models different in appearance, but mechanically identical to a current model. And it wasn't some kind of tuning with some kits applied over the original body. A new body was then drawn by the foundry, on which the technical substrate from the initial model was placed.

Therefore, this Fulvia Sport Zagato was also a Fulvia Coupe at its origin. And if the original model had become sportier and lighter by adopting an aluminum hood, then the people from Zagato created their completely aluminum body in 1965.

As a result, Zagato got a lighter car, which had the same 1.2 liter 80 HP engine, but which was faster in acceleration, more sprinting and faster in top speed than the original because it was lighter. It could easily reach 170 km/h.

The design was a fastback coupe and completely changed the proportions of the car, so that it was hard to recognize the origin of the Fulvia Coupe model. It was already a Lancai Fulvia Sport Zagato, with its own identity, with more varied and different colors, like this intense blue, and the car looked even more luxurious thanks to these new combinations and more chrome elements on it.

It was so luxurious that it even had an electrically operated tailgate, from a button in the passenger compartment! At that time!

The interior received a dashboard with massive wooden inserts, which accentuated the luxurious atmosphere even more. The wood was crafted with precision, beautifully blending the dashboard clocks onto it.

And this wood, slightly restored, still looks good today, over 55 years after its manufacture. Yes, this Lancia is manufactured in 1966 and, as I said, only 202 units of such 1.2-liter Zagato Coupes were made. Therefore, they are absolute rarities today.

The bodywork was completely restored on this model about 10 years ago, in Italy, where it spent most of its life. Then the current owner bought it and imported it to Japan.

Being manufactured in 1966, shortly after Zagato launched this model, it is the 17th car produced. And now it has been put up for sale in Japan, the owner noting that he drove and thoroughly enjoyed the car, on an almost daily basis, he didn't just keep it to look at. And he says that a potential buyer should expect a car that is not in museum condition, but which can be driven with confidence, being as reliable and "alive" as possible!

How much does it cost? In Japanese yen, the amount requested is 8.8 million, which would be equivalent to about 61,400 dollars. But it's one of those authentic classic Lancias and at the same time bewilderingly unknown. And with an all-aluminum body, this car is forever immune to rust.