Lancia Appia
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When in 1956 Lancia made 12 chassis of the Appia for
various coachbuilders, Vignale took the challenge eagerly and
produced these three models.
It was the foreboding of a more intensified relationship between
Vignaleand Lancia: soon Vignale was chosen for
mass production of the Convertible and the Coupe Lusso.
The Appia Sport prototype, not to be confused with the series
produced Appia Sport by Zagato, clearly hinted of the
Nardi Raggio Azzuro - Blue Ray
- produced by Nardi on the basis of the Appia's big sister, the
Lancia Aurelia.
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Lancia Appia Lusso
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The Appia Gran Lusso prototype was such a great success, that
when a little later a few coachbuilders were selected for larger series
of 'fuoriserie' Appia's, Vignale was amongst them with no less
than two variants: the Appia Lusso and Convertible. They
mark the transition into mass production by Vignale. At first in
the 'old' workshop at the Via Cigliano, the Appias were produced
alongside the Triumph Italia.
The workshop was soon too small, so in 1961, Vignale had to move
to the new factory just outside town.
Directly based on the design of the Gran Lusso prototype with only major
changes to the front, the Lusso was one of the three coupe models
in the Lancia catalogues next to the Coupe of Pininfarina and the
Sport of Zagato. With a design quite a bit neater than Pininfarina's,
production was extremely high: in a few years' time a 'vast' number of
477 cars left the Vignale factory.
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Lancia Appia Convertibile
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With no less than three coupes in their catalogues, Lancia
complemented their range of Appia cars with a convertible
directly derived from the successful Lusso coupe. From 1957 to 1962,
1584 convertibles were built in two series: the first series cars were
two seaters while the later cars were 2+2 seaters.
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