1959 Lancia Appia GTE Series II by Zagato
- Engine
- 1.1L V4 with four-speed gearbox
- Colour
- Blu Lancia (period factory blue)
A 1959 Lancia Appia GTE Series II bodied by Zagato, believed to be among the first five examples imported to the United States by dealer Max Hoffman. The lightweight aluminium coupe retains its numbers-matching 1.1-litre V-4 engine and was comprehensively restored between 2015 and 2017 by Greece-based marque specialist Chris Skriapas, emerging in Blu Lancia over a red interior. Since restoration it has collected multiple concours awards including class honours at Hilton Head Island in 2018.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$190,400
- 1987 → 2012Private saleRay Bonifacepartial documentation
Dedicated collector who kept the car for roughly 25 years and used it for warm-weather daily driving while it was painted red; eventually persuaded to sell by the next owner.
- 2012 →Private saleOhio-based collectorfull documentation
Used the car for seasonal driving until 2015, then commissioned a thorough restoration by a Greece-based specialist, completed in 2017; car refinished in a period factory color with supporting restoration photographs.
- Date unknownFactory deliveryMax Hoffman (dealership)partial documentation
Understood to be among the first five examples of this model brought into the US market by this well-known import dealer.
- Date unknownEarly US owner(s), Midwest regionpartial documentation
A parking sticker from a Chicago-area university dated 1965 and an Illinois license plate key chain suggest the car was based in the Midwest during this period; individual ownership details are not known.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownHoward Westpartial documentation
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania resident who held the car by the late 1970s, according to information provided by a subsequent owner.
Competition
- 19591959 12 Hours of Sebring
A different example of the same model was co-driven at this event by broadcaster Walter Cronkite; this car is not the one referenced, but the event is cited to illustrate the model's competition history.
- 2017Greenwich Concours d'Elegance 2017Speed and Style award
- 2018Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance 2018Class winner and Automotive Design Excellence award
- —Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
Post-restoration concours appearance; specific year not stated.
- —Concours d'Elegance of America
Post-restoration concours appearance; specific year not stated.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2015RestorationChris Skriapas
Comprehensive ground-up restoration commissioned by the Ohio owner and carried out by marque specialist Chris Skriapas; scope included engine rebuild, full mechanical overhaul, chassis corrosion repair, and aluminium bodywork stripping and repair. Original colour Grigio Newmarket was discovered but the owner chose period-correct Blu Lancia for the finished exterior, paired with a red interior.
Work spanned 2015 to 2017; the engine is recorded as numbers-matching per the Lancia Appia Zagato Register. Restoration photographs are included with the car.
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