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Lancia Appia
Lancia Appia Berlina, second series
Overview
Manufacturer	Lancia
Production	1953–1963
Designer	Pininfarina (Coupé) Giovanni Michelotti at Vignale (Convertibile and Lusso) Zagato (Appia Zagato)
Body and chassis
Class	Small family car
Body style	4-door saloon 2-door saloon (Vignale) 2-door coupé (Pininfarina) 2-door coupé (Zagato) 2-door convertible (Vignale) 3-door estate (Viotti)
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related	Lancia Aurelia
Powertrain
Engine	1.1 L Lancia V4 (petrol)
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,480 mm (97.6 in) S. 1 2,510 mm (98.8 in) S. 2, S. 3
Length	3,865 mm (152.2 in) 4,010 mm (157.9 in) S. 2 4,020 mm (158.3 in) S. 3
Width	1,420 mm (55.9 in) 1,485 mm (58.5 in) S. 2 1,390 mm (54.7 in) S. 3
Height	1,422 mm (56.0 in) 1,405 mm (55.3 in) S. 2 1,450 mm (57.1 in) S. 3
Kerb weight	820–920 kg (1,808–2,028 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Lancia Ardea
Successor	Lancia Fulvia

The Lancia Appia was a passenger car introduced in 1953 by Italian car manufacturer Lancia as a replacement for the Ardea, and which remained in production for ten years.

The Appia was the last in a long line of Lancia production cars dating back to the Lancia Lambda (introduced in 1922) to use the famous sliding pillar front suspension All three series produced had a Lancia V4 engine of 1089 cc

In addition to the saloon, a number of special bodied Appias were produced, including a coupé by Pininfarina, a convertible and 2-door saloon by Vignale and an aluminium-bodied GT by Zagato, as well as light commercial vehicle variants. In all 107,000 Appia were built: 98,000 saloons, 3,863 commercial vehicles, and 5,161 chassis supplied to coachbuilders.

The saloon

Background

In 1950 Lancia had introduced its first all-new postwar model, the Lancia Aurelia, a small but expensive luxury car with sophisticated engineering features like the first ever V6 engine, inboard rear brakes and a transaxle gearbox. Alongside it Lancia was still producing the Lancia Ardea, a pre-war design that although once innovative was in need of replacement. The new small Lancia was designed under engineer Vittorio Jano. Initially an updated version of the Ardea's 17° V4 engine was considered, but a clean-sheet design was ultimately chosen. At little over 10°, the new V4 had the narrowest angle of any V4 engine, and used solutions unprecedented at Lancia, like dual in-block camshafts in place of overhead ones. As the Ardea resembled a scaled-down Aprilia, the Appia mimicked the Aurelia's appearance, substituting its exotic parts with more cost-effective ones, such as a solid axle and a four-speed gearbox in block with the engine. For its mechanical features—sliding pillar front suspension, V4 engine, rear-wheel drive, absence of a centre pillar—the Appia can be considered the last in a line of Lancias which stretched back to the 1922 Lambda. Following a custom started in the postwar years, the new model was named after a Roman consular road, the Appian Way.

First series

The Appia Berlina (saloon) was introduced in April 1953 at the Turin Motor Show. The chassis code was C10 for the right hand drive saloon—the standard version, as was customary at Lancia—and C10S (from Sinistra, Italian for "left") for the left hand drive variant, available on request. Under the Appia's bonnet there was a 38 PS 1.1-litre engine, which according to the manufacturer could push the car to 120 km/h (75 mph).The body style was similar to its bigger sister's, the luxurious Lancia Aurelia. To save weight, on the first few thousands of examples the doors and rear wings were aluminium. The bumpers were also aluminium, making them easily dented; after some owners' complaints, rubber stripping was added, to protect them from minor impacts. In a tradition inaugurated by the 1933 Lancia Augusta, the front doors were hinged forwards, the rears aft, and there was no central pillar. A spare tyre, the fuel filler and the battery were housed in the boot. Inside there were independent front seats, a column-mounted shifter, ivory plastic steering wheel and switches, and panno Lancia wool cloth upholstery in grey or beige. In total 20,025 first series saloons were made, from 1953 to 1956. Of these, the majority—10,257—were right hand drive, and the remaining 9,768 left hand drive.

The Appia did not prove the success it was expected to be. In 1956 Italian car magazine Quattroruote attributed this to the steep price, fierce competition put up by the cheaper Fiat 1100/103 and the fresher Alfa Romeo Giulietta, as well as to the quantity of minor defects. The car was mechanically sound, but was littered with small flaws (like the feeble aluminium bumpers) not well tolerated by Lancia's discriminating clientele—probably consequences of the hasty, low-priority development, in a time when Lancia was diverting many of its limited resources to its sports car racing efforts.

Second series

In April 1955 engineer Antonio Fessia joined Lancia as technical director, and started off fixing the Appia's shortcomings. Jano left shortly after, when Lancia withdrew from Formula 1. The resulting second series Appia, introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1956, had a more powerful engine, a modernized body and better interior room. The C10 and C10S type codes were kept. The rear part of the body had been redesigned to enlarge the boot, and the wheelbase was stretched by 3 cm (1.2 in) to provide better rear seat accommodation; this resulted in a 14.5 cm (5.7 in) growth in length. From the front the second series could be recognized from its rectangular instead of round turn signal lamps and the steel bumpers with over-riders. The fuel filler cap was moved outside, under a locking flap on the right hand side rear wing. Fessia's changes to the engine included lowering the compression ratio, redesigning the cylinder head incorporating hemispherical combustion chambers and a new arrangement of the valves, new pistons, a new carburettor and different camshaft profiles. Output increased to 43 PS, and top speed to 120 km/h (75 mph). In the cabin a front bench seat took place of the two single ones, the binnacle held two round instruments, and steering wheel and switchgear went from ivory to black.

Despite—previously critical—Quattroruote having declared the Appia "finally accomplished and convincing", sales did not take off yet. In May 1958 daily production still lingered at 27 cars per day, far short of the 50 anticipated during the car's development. In total 22,425 second series saloons were made, only 3,180 of them C10 right hand drive cars.

Third series

In March 1959 the third series Appia was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show with a new front end. Lancia's traditional radiator shell-style grille was ultimately abandoned, in favour of an horizontal one inspired by the Lancia Flaminia flagship. Engine power went up again to 48 PS, as did top speed, to 132 km/h (82 mph). The braking system was improved with |twin leading shoe]] front drum brakes and a "Duplex" dual hydraulic circuit during the 1960 model year. Model designations were different from the previous two series: 808.807 for the LHD variant, and 808.808 for the RHD one. In its third iteration the Appia was finally mature, and 55,577 saloons were made, the vast majority in left hand drive.

Replacing the Appia

At the end of the 1950s, with third series Appia sales soaring, Lancia CEO Fidanza advocated preparing a fourth series with an all-new body. Fessia, a strong proponent of front-wheel drive, was reluctant updating the old design, moreover one that was Jano's brainchild. In the end Fessia had the upper hand, as Fidanza had come to grips with the board and resigned. The Lancia Fulvia was developed and introduced in 1963, a clean-sheet design reprising the longitudinal front-wheel drive layout of Fessia's larger Flavia, but with Lancia's final narrow vee V4 engine.

Commercial variants

Starting with 1954 Lancia also built light commercial bodies on the Appia chassis, replacing the analogous versions of the earlier Ardea. Three models were offered: the Furgoncino panel van (chassis code C80 or C80S for left hand drive), Camioncino pick-up (C83 or C83S), and an ambulance based on the Furgoncino, the Autolettiga (C86 or C86S). In respect to the saloon, all had shorter final drives, lower horsepower engines, widened axle tracks, up-sized 16" wheels and larger tyres—and consequently bodywork altered to accept these modifications. With the introduction of the second series Appia in 1954 all three models received upgrades similar to the saloon's, while keeping the body style almost untouched. Commercial variants were not upgraded to third series specifications, as during 1959 they were phased out in favour of a forward control full-fledged van using Appia drivetrains, the Lancia Jolly.

Appia commercial vehicles, dimensions and weights
	C80/C80S Furgoncino	C83/C83S Camioncino	C86/C86S Autolettiga
Wheelbase	2,560 mm (100.8 in)	2,660 mm (104.7 in)	2,560 mm (100.8 in)
Length	4,064 mm (160.0 in)	4,370 mm (172.0 in)	4,064 mm (160.0 in)
Width	1,582 mm (62.3 in)	1,620 mm (63.8 in)	1,582 mm (62.3 in)
Height	1,715 mm (67.5 in)	1,650 mm w/o tarp. (65.0 in) 2,020 mm w/ tarp. (79.5 in)	1,715 mm (67.5 in)
Kerb weight	1,080 kg (2,381 lb)	1,150 kg (2,535 lb)	1,220 kg (2,690 lb)
Payload	940 kg (2,072 lb)	1,140 kg (2,513 lb)	—

Coachbuilt variants

First series Appias were only offered in factory body styles. This changed with the second and third series Appias, which were also built as a platform chassis intended for coachbuilt bodies. Towards the end of 1955 a first batch of 14 chassis based on the brand new second series Appia were built and handed over to some of the most prominent coachbuilders of the time: Allemano, Boano, Ghia Aigle, Motto, Pininfarina, Vignale and Zagato. Initially all fourteen chassis were coded tipo 812.00, based on standard saloon mechanicals; five of were upgraded to a more powerful 53 PS engine and floor-mounted shifter, and given the new type designation 812.01. At the April 1956 Turin Motor Show, a month after the successful introduction of the second series Appia in Geneva, five specially bodied Appias were shown: a coupé and a two-door saloon by Vignale, a coupé each from Pininfarina, Boano and Zagato. Between Spring 1956 and Spring 1957 the coachbuilders presented their one-off interpretations of the Appia at various motor shows. Later more 812.01 chassis were built, bringing the total of unique to thirteen.

Of the coachbuilders who had worked on the first fourteen chassis, two were selected by Lancia to produce special Appia body styles: Pininfarina for the coupé, and Vignale for the convertible. Their nearly definitive proposals debuted at the March 1957 Geneva Motor Show, and soon went into limited series production. Built by their respective designers on chassis supplied by Lancia, these were included in Lancia's own catalogue and regularly sold through Lancia dealerships. In the later years other variants were added to the official portfolio: Vignale's Lusso, Zagato's GTE and Sport, and Viotti's Giardinetta. All of these variants were built on the 812.01 type chassis with the more powerful engine and floor shifter; when the third series saloon debuted its mechanical upgrades were transferred to the chassis, and the engine gained one horsepower 54 PS. In early 1960 a revised, more powerful engine was adopted, putting out 60 HP thanks to a new Weber carburettor and an inlet manifold with a duct per each cylinder. In total 5,161 Appia chassis for coachbuilders were made.

Lancia Appia chassis, type codes and models

Type	Prod. number	Series	Application	Notes
812.00	14	2	1956 prototypes	Standard saloon engine, column shifter; 5 converted to 812.01
812.01		2, 3	All series 2 coachbuilt variants, plus some series 3: Coupés, all Convertibiles, Zagato GT/GTS/GTE	Introduced the more powerful engine and the floor shifter. 13 with one-off bodies, 5 of them converted from 812.00
812.02	477	3	Appia Lusso (Vignale)	Strengthened chassis
812.03		3	Appia GTE	Last GTEs built
812.04	730	3	Appia Coupé (Pininfarina/Viotti)	Last Coupés built
812.05	200	3	Appia Sport (Zagato)	Short wheelbase
808.21	300	3	Appia Giardinetta (Viotti)	Standard saloon engine, column shifter

 

Specifications

Lancia V4 engine in an Appia Convertibile

Body and chassis

The Appia Berlina used unibody construction. Front suspension was of Lancia's sliding pillar type, with hydraulic dampers. At the rear there was a solid axle on leaf springs, with hydraulic dampers; the axle had an aluminium differential housing and a stamped steel structure. All Appias were equipped with hydraulic brakes, and drums an all four wheels. Series three cars gained a dual braking circuit and twin leading shoe, finned aluminium front drums with cast iron wear rings; the rears remained solid cast iron. When leaving the factory they would originally fit Pirelli Cinturato 155HR15 tyres (CA67).

Engine and transmission

The Appia had a V4 engine with a 10.14° angle between the cylinder banks and a single head for all four cylinders. All models had a bore and stroke of 68 mm × 75 mm (2.7 in × 3.0 in), for a total displacement of 1,089 cc (66.5 cu in). The valvetrain comprised two angled poppet valves per cylinder, actuated by pushrods and rocker arms; there were two in-block camshafts, the left hand one for all exhaust and the right hand one for all intake valves, driven by a chain with hydraulic tensioner. The cylinder heads were aluminium, as were crankcase and oil pan, integrated in a single casting; the cylinder block was cast iron.

Lancia Appia engines

Series	Model	Prod. years	Engine	Compr. ratio	Power	Torque	Carburettor
S. 1	Berlina	1953–56	V4 OHV 1,089 cc	7.4:1	38 PS (28 kW; 37 hp)	71 N·m (52 lb·ft) at 3,000 rpm	Solex 32/30 BI single-choke
	Commercial	1954–56			33 PS (24 kW; 33 hp)		Solex 32/30 BI single-choke
S. 2	Berlina	1956–59		7.2:1	43.5 PS (32.0 kW; 42.9 hp)	76 N·m (56 lb·ft) at 3,000 rpm	Solex C32 PBIC single-choke
	Chassis	1956–59		8.0:1	53 PS (39 kW; 52 hp)	86 N·m (63 lb·ft) at 3,500 rpm	Weber 36 DCLD 3 twin-choke
	Commercial	1956–59		7.2:1	36.5 PS (26.8 kW; 36.0 hp) at 4,500 rpm	76 N·m (56 lb·ft) at 2,000 rpm	Solex 32/30 BI single-choke
S. 3	Berlina	1959–63		7.8:1	48 PS (35 kW; 47 hp) at 4,900 rpm	85 N·m (63 lb·ft) at 3,200 rpm	Solex C32 PBIC single-choke
	Chassis	1959–60		8.0:1	54 PS (40 kW; 53 hp) at 4,900 rpm	87 N·m (64 lb·ft) at 3,500 rpm	Weber 36 DCLD 3 twin-choke
		1960–63		8.8:1	60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp) at 4,900 rpm	85 N·m (63 lb·ft) at 3,500 rpm	Weber 36 DCD 5 twin-choke

The transmission was a four-speed gearbox, the top three synchronised. The clutch was dry single plate, mechanically actuated.

Performance

An S1 Berlina saloon tested by the British The Motor magazine in 1954 had a top speed of 76.1 mph (122.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 32.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 29.0 miles per imperial gallon (9.7 L/100 km; 24.1 mpg_‑US) was recorded. The car was not at the time available on the UK market but an Italian price of 1,328,600 Lire was reported (converted to £780).

Production numbers

Lancia Appia, production by year

Type	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	Total
Appia Berlina	5,286	10,215	4,497	5,334	8,357	7,982	10,101	17,066	13,860	12,250	3,052	98,000
Chassis for coachbuilders	—	—	—	29	834	681	890	1,307	692	411	17	4,861
Appia Giardinetta	—	—	—	—	—	—	31	269	—	—	—	300
Commercial variants	—	693	1,079	546	712	671	162	—	—	—	—	3,863
Grand total												107,024