Lancia Flavia

Lancia Flavia

Lancia Flavia Series 1 Coupé
Manufacturer	Lancia
Production	1961–1975 105,848 produced
Successor	Lancia 2000
Class	Midsize car
Body style	4-door sedan 2-door coupé 2-door cabriolet
Layout	FF layout
Engine	1.5 L (1488 cc) Lancia H4 1.8 L (1800 cc) Lancia H4 2.0 L (1991 cc) Lancia H4
Wheelbase	104 in (2,600 mm)
Length	180 in (4,600 mm)
Width	63.5 in (1,610 mm)
Height	58 in (1,500 mm)

The Lancia Flavia is a medium-sized luxury saloon, launched with a 1500 cc engine at the 1960 Turin Motor Show by Lancia and introduced in major European markets during the next twelve months. Coupe and cabriolet versions developed by Pininfarina quickly followed, together with one or two low volume 'specials' including an eye-catching Zagato coupe. Performance improved over the next ten years as the engine size increased, progressively, to 2000 cc. The car remained in production until 1970 when it was updated and renamed as the Lancia 2000.

In 2011, Fiat announced that the Chrysler 200 convertible would be sold in Europe by Lancia under the Flavia name beginning in the first half of 2012. However, it will remain branded as the Chrysler 200 in the UK and Ireland only.

Chronology

Early Flavia saloon

The Lancia Flavia was developed by Professor Antonio Fessia in the late 1950s, and introduced for sale in the UK in 1961. Initially available only as a four-door saloon, it featured a 1.5 L aluminium boxer engine, Dunlop disc brakes on all four wheels, front-wheel drive and front suspension by unequal-length wishbones. This model was soon joined by a two-door coupé, designed by Pininfarina on a shortened platform. Vignale built a two-door convertible, while Zagato designed an outlandish-looking light weight two-door sport version. The sport version has twin carburetors for extra power (just over 100 hp/75 kW); however, this version of the engine was notoriously difficult to keep in tune. Even the single-carburettor engine suffered from the problem of timing chain stretch. Sprockets with vernier adjusters were fitted to allow for chain wear, and the cam timing was supposed to be checked every 6000 miles. Early cars also suffered from corrosion of the cylinder heads caused by using copper gaskets on aluminium heads; nevertheless, the car was quite lively for its day, considering the cubic capacity.

Rear view of Flavia 1.8 Coupé

Zagato-bodied Flavia Sport

Later development of the engine included an enlargement to 1.8 L, a mechanical injection version using the Kugelfischer system, and a five-speed manual gearbox. Towards the end of the sixties, when Fiat took control of the company, the Vignale and Zagato versions were discontinued. The coupé and saloon versions received new bodywork, first presented in March 1969 at the Geneva Motor Show. The engine increased to 2.0 L in capacity, available with carburetor or injection, and four- or five-speed gearbox. The 2.0 L models were only made with revised Pininfarina Coupe and revised Lancia Sedan bodies.

Lancia 2000

Main article: Lancia 2000

Lancia Flavia 2000 Saloon

The Flavia was revised and re-named the Lancia 2000 in 1971. The 2000 featured Girling disc brakes (replacing the Flavia 2000's Dunlop), Stainless steel bumpers and, for the fuel-injected models, Bosch D-jetronic Analog-electrovalve fuel injection. These were built to 1973 or 1974 although brand new models remained in stock until 1975. As with the Flavia 2000, the 2000 was only made with Pininfarina Coupe and Lancia Sedan bodies

Build and ride quality were superb, and the durability of these cars are excellent considering the relatively modest performance specifications. The meticulous engineering makes maintenance of these oldies simple, although it can be quite expensive due to the scarcity of parts.

Engines

Model	Years	Engine	Displacement	Power	Fuel system
Berlina	1960-62	Lancia H4 ohv	1500 cc	78 PS (57 kW; 77 hp)	single carburetor
Coupé, Cab, Sport	1962	Lancia H4 ohv	1500 cc	90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp)	double carburetor
1500	1963-68	Lancia H4 ohv	1488 cc	76 PS (56 kW; 75 hp)	single carburetor
1800	1963-68	Lancia H4 ohv	1800 cc	92 PS (68 kW; 91 hp)	single carburetor
1800 Sport	1963-67	Lancia H4 ohv	1800 cc	105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp)	double carburetor
1800 Iniezione	1965-68	Lancia H4 ohv	1800 cc	102 PS (75 kW; 101 hp)	fuel injection
1500	1969-70	Lancia H4 ohv	1490 cc	80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp)	single carburetor
1800	1969-70	Lancia H4 ohv	1816 cc	92 PS (68 kW; 91 hp)	single carburetor
2000	1969-74	Lancia H4 ohv	1991 cc	114 PS (84 kW; 112 hp)	single carburetor
2000 Iniezione	1969-74	Lancia H4 ohv	1991 cc	126 PS (93 kW; 124 hp)	fuel injection

Performance

The British "Motor" magazine tested a 1500 cc car in 1961 and found it had a top speed of 92.6 mph (149.0 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 18.6 seconds. A "touring" fuel consumption of 30.0 miles per imperial gallon (9.42 L/100 km; 25.0 mpg_-US) was recorded. On the British market it cost £1499 including taxes of £688.

By 1967 the engine size had grown to 1800 cc. Testing a four-door Flavia, rival Autocar magazine recorded a top speed of 103 mph (166 km/h), a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 15.0 seconds and an overall fuel consumption of 30.0 miles per imperial gallon (9.42 L/100 km; 25.0 mpg_-US). This put it behind the rival BMW 1800 TI for performance, though slightly ahead on fuel consumption. The testers commended the smoothness of the engine but found it lacked low speed punch. Overall they thought the performance pleasingly 'deceptive' because the car was 'faster than it feels'. The UK car market was still insulated by tariffs, but with the BMW 1800 TI retailing at £1498 and the Fulvia's recommended retail price now £1909, sales volumes were clearly not a Lancia priority. From the dominant UK domestic market player, the mechanically less sophisticated Ford Corsair 2000E was retailing at £1008.

Models

• 

  Lancia Flavia Coupé 1967

• 

  Lancia Flavia Convertibile

• 

  Lancia Flavia Coupé

• 

  Flavia Sport (Zagato)

• 

  Lancia 2000.i.e.

• 

  Lancia 2000 HF Coupe

External links

• Lancisti.net - An Information Exchange and Support Community for Lancia Owners and Enthusiasts
• Web site entirely about Lancia Flavia
• Lancia Motor Club (UK)