Lancia Appia

Lancia Appia
Lancia Appia Berlina, second series
Overview
Manufacturer	Lancia
Production	1953–1963
Designer	Pininfarina (Coupé) Giovanni Michelotti at Vignale (Convertibile and Lusso) Zagato (Appia Zagato)
Body and chassis
Class	Small family car
Body style	4-door saloon 2-door saloon (Vignale) 2-door coupé (Pininfarina) 2-door coupé (Zagato) 2-door convertible (Vignale) 3-door estate (Viotti)
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related	Lancia Aurelia
Powertrain
Engine	1.1 L Lancia V4 (petrol)
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,480 mm (97.6 in) S. 1 2,510 mm (98.8 in) S. 2, S. 3
Length	3,865 mm (152.2 in) 4,010 mm (157.9 in) S. 2 4,020 mm (158.3 in) S. 3
Width	1,420 mm (55.9 in) 1,485 mm (58.5 in) S. 2 1,390 mm (54.7 in) S. 3
Height	1,422 mm (56.0 in) 1,405 mm (55.3 in) S. 2 1,450 mm (57.1 in) S. 3
Kerb weight	820–920 kg (1,808–2,028 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Lancia Ardea
Successor	Lancia Fulvia

Lancia Appia Coupé
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,510 mm (98.8 in)
Length	4,130 mm (162.6 in)
Width	1,490 mm (58.7 in)
Height	1,310 mm (51.6 in)
Kerb weight	925 kg (2,039 lb)

Lancia Appia Convertibile and Lusso
Lancia Appia Convertibile Vignale
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,510 mm (98.8 in)
Length	Convertibile: 4,150 mm (163.4 in) Lusso: 4,340 mm (170.9 in)
Width	Convertibile: 1,510 mm (59.4 in) Lusso: 1,520 mm (59.8 in)
Height	Convertibile: 1,300 mm (51.2 in) Lusso: 1,395 mm (54.9 in)
Kerb weight	Convertibile: 920 kg (2,028 lb) Lusso: 930 kg (2,050 lb)

Lancia Appia GTE
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,510 mm (98.8 in)
Length	4,190 mm (165.0 in)
Width	1,420 mm (55.9 in)
Height	1,240 mm (48.8 in)
Kerb weight	820 kg (1,808 lb)

Lancia Appia Sport
1961 Lancia Appia Sport
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,350 mm (92.5 in)
Length	3,990 mm (157.1 in)
Width	1,410 mm (55.5 in)
Height	1,230 mm (48.4 in)
Kerb weight	820 kg (1,808 lb)

The Lancia Appia was a passenger car introduced in 1953 by Italian car manufacturer Lancia as a replacement for the Ardea, and which remained in production for ten years. The Appia was the last in a long line of Lancia production cars dating back to the Lancia Lambda (introduced in 1922) to use the famous sliding pillar front suspension. All three series produced had a Lancia V4 engine of 1089 cc.

In addition to the saloon, a number of special bodied Appias were produced, including a coupé by Pininfarina, a convertible and 2-door saloon by Vignale and an aluminium-bodied GT by Zagato, as well as light commercial vehicle variants. In all 107,000 Appia were built: 98,000 saloons, 3,863 commercial vehicles, and 5,161 chassis supplied to coachbuilders.

In 1950 Lancia had introduced its first all-new postwar model, the Lancia Aurelia, a small but expensive luxury car with sophisticated engineering features like the first ever V6 engine, inboard rear brakes and a transaxle gearbox. Alongside it Lancia was still producing the Lancia Ardea, a pre-war design that although once innovative was in need of replacement. The new small Lancia was designed under engineer Vittorio Jano. Initially an updated version of the Ardea's 17° V4 engine was considered, but a clean-sheet design was ultimately chosen. At little over 10°, the new V4 had the narrowest angle of any V4 engine, and used solutions unprecedented at Lancia, like dual in-block camshafts in place of overhead ones. As the Ardea resembled a scaled-down Aprilia, the Appia mimicked the Aurelia's appearance, substituting its exotic parts with more cost-effective ones, such as a solid axle and a four-speed gearbox in block with the engine. For its mechanical features—sliding pillar front suspension, V4 engine, rear-wheel drive, absence of a centre pillar—the Appia can be considered the last in a line of Lancias which stretched back to the 1922 Lambda. Following a custom started in the postwar years, the new model was named after a Roman consular road, the Appian Way.