1963 Lancia Flaminia 2.8 3C

This exceptional car is as rare as it is beautiful.

Only 168 Lancia Flaminia GT 2.8 3Cs were ever made.

Although completed on 13th December 1963, the car was not first registered until 3rd June 1968.

The vendor, a noted collector of art and cars, has owned the car for around 5 years, during which time he has overseen the general maintenance of the vehicle.

The car came to him in the excellent condition you see today.

The following auction listing was written at the time of the car’s 2014 Bonhams auction at Zoute.

“We are advised that the aluminium body has never seen accidents, while the paint is described as almost flawless, retaining a mirror-like shine even though it was re-sprayed over 10 years ago. More recently the wheels were restored to 'as new' condition and shod with Michelin Classic tyres. Other noteworthy features include the original leather upholstery and a stainless-steel exhaust system. The Flaminia's most recent owner was a private collector who wanted it to be perfect while retaining the original look and feel. The result is a beautifully original car with a nice patina and in very good mechanical and cosmetic condition. The rare 2.8-litre Flaminia is one of the most sought after of 'old school' classic Lancias and this example, with its most attractive colour combination of metallic grey and cognac leather interior, has to be one of the best currently available.

The car comes with the original documents relating to its delivery as well as additional confirmation from the Lancia factory dated 1989 and ASI papers dated 2007, the latter stating that it had undergone a total restoration to original specification in 2006.”

As far as we can tell, the car’s current condition in entirely in accordance with this description. We do not know if all of the documentation described is still with the car.

This car is not perfect. It’s not a museum piece. The window stickers and Belmog stage timing equipment tell us that the car has taken part in classic rallies. It is a car to be driven, something to be used and enjoyed, not kept in storage.

The car presents extremely handsomely from every angle.

The bodywork is devoid of any dinks, dents or creases of any significance and the silver-grey paintwork retains an impressive depth of lustre and shine.

The panel gaps and shut lines are consistent and even.

The chrome work is mostly very good, as is the badging, although there is a patina of age in a few places and some rust is in evidence on the original ‘3C’ badge.

The wheels are in good condition. The chrome hub caps have a few tiny indentations here and there but are otherwise fine.

The lights, lenses and exterior rubber trim all seem to be in good order.

Aside from one or two stone chips in the expected places, there’s really not much to fault on the exterior of this car.

The ‘cognac’ colour of the leather upholstery, door cards, rear bulkhead and parcel shelf contrasts well with the beige carpets to make the interior a warm and inviting place to spend some quality time.

The leather upholstery on the seats is original. Consequently, it is showing its age in a few places. There is a split in the leather on the front bolster of the passenger seat and at the top of the backrest.

The driver’s seat is more heavily creased, as you would expect, but although there are a few cracks and some crazing to the leather, it isn’t yet split or otherwise compromised.

The door cards are in good condition, as are the carpets and mats, as far as we can tell.

The dashboard is also in decent condition, although the black trim above the radio is a little ragged at the bottom and there is a patch of rough paintwork to the right of the unit.

The steering wheel, instruments, dials, fixtures and fittings all look good.

Aside from a couple of patches of what seems to be largely superficial rust dust, the undersides of the car appear to have a good deal of structural integrity.

The engine and engine bay are clean, dry and everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The car doesn’t come with any service records, history or documentation beyond what is shown in the gallery section and mentioned in the Bonhams auction notes from 2014.

We think that this beautiful vehicle must surely be one of the very best – and most usable – examples of a very rare classic Italian GT car from one of the world’s great marques.

Of the 168 ever made, few extant examples are likely to be as rewarding to own, drive and cherish as this one.

We like it a great deal.

We confidently offer this splendid car for auction with an estimate of between €90,000 - €120,000.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with the vendor in Wortegem, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.