1960 Lancia Appia GTE

The Appia was introduced as Lancia’s new entry-level car in the 1950s. It started out as a passenger car in 1953, replacing the Ardea which had been in production since ’43. It was the last of the Lancias to incorporate sliding pillar front suspension—a feature that had been around since 1922.

Lancia introduced the Aurelia, in 1950, a small luxurious V6-powered machine with inboard rear brakes and a transaxle. At the same time, Lancia was still producing the Ardea but it needed replacing.

The new, small Lancia came to life under Vittorio Jano. The Appia was like a mini Aurelia, but with different mechanicals under the skin.

The Appia trundled on as a ubiquitous saloon car for a number of years even being adapted into a light commercial vehicle.

But then, 1958 at the Turin Motor Show, a new exotic Appia appeared, the Lancia Appia GTE. This car was a first between Lancia and carrozzeria Zagato. Zagato previously had taken chassis from Lancia and created custom coachwork for them, but this new Lancia was sold by Lancia dealers as a special-bodied, finished car.

The GTE was a much more slippery and aerodynamic machine than its progenitors the GT and GTS. In 1959, the GTE was given chassis improvements and for 1960 the 10.14-degree V4 motor was brought up to a whopping 60 HP, but that worked perfectly well with the car’s weight of just 1852 lbs. Italy at the time prohibited covered headlights taking a bit of the flourish out of the car, but this example was 1 of 167 destined for the U.S. and other markets so it was able to keep its rakish headlight covers.

Like other Lancias, the GTE is massively overbuilt and over-engineered. Lancia never scrimped, this was part of their greatness but also their downfall. Their managerial and business practices are not on your mind though when you squeeze yourself behind the wheel. Three simple and clean Veglia gauges reside in a binnacle on the dash that is easily read behind the no-nonsense two-spoke steering wheel. On your left, the multi-gauge handles fuel level water temperature and oil pressure plus directional signal lights. In the center is your tachometer to the right the speedometer. The rest of the dash is made up of various electrical switches and an ashtray.

The free-revving 1.1-liter V4 engine fires with a sporty snarl as you place a very hefty gear lever into first (an Aston Martin of the time has a gear lever about half the size) and rapidamenete you are off. The little 4 does a valiant job of bringing you up to speed and keeping you entertained. The low weight and sleek wind-cheating design help as well. The  Lancia nimbly purrs around corners with a minimum of drama. Understeer and oversteer are things you don’t need to be concerned with, it just handles them. Even though the little Lancia is equipped with drum brakes it is not a white-knuckled experience when you need to slow down. The GTE is not a hard car to drive and in spite of its age, you do not get that old car feel. It does everything you want in a basic analog manner. You have no distractions. No radio, no electronics. And if your mobile phone doesn’t go off you are right back in a kinder more gentle 1960 and it is a nice place to be. Like other Zagato designs, the GTE is not to everyone’s taste, but it starts to grow on you when you realize what a purposeful little car you are in the presence of. Like all Lancias it is an engineering masterpiece and like all Lancias, it is a blast to drive.

SPECIFICATIONS