In Depth: The Lancia Flat Fours
Part I: Birth of the Flavia

Fessia's Finest, the Lancia 1st series Berlina.

As some of our readers might know, the year 2006 marks the Centennial of Lancia motorcars. It is in this context that we at VeloceToday decided to present our readers with something rather unusual…the Lancia Flavia 1st series Berlina! A car so out-of-the-ordinary that it has managed to remain the great unknown in car collector's circles. A car so rare that many of today's Lancisti shamefully have to admit they have never seen an example of the model other than in a photograph.

Rare indeed. One can probably count on the fingers of two hands the number of 1st series Berlinas which still exist in good running order in Italy; a similar amount of Berlinas is likely to be found in England, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Scandinavia combined, whereas there is an unknown number of 1st series Berlinas that is said to have survived in Greece, South Africa and Australia. Only two Flavia 1st series Berlinas are known to exist in perfect running order on the North American continent. Therefore, it appears safe to state that the remaining roadworthy Flavia 1st series Berlinas today total somewhere between 20 and 30 well maintained examples worldwide! The Flavia 1st series Berlina is famous for its built quality, whereby it should be noted that this car has no serious rust issues and is blessed with fabulous engine reliability. That only so few Flavia 1st series Berlinas survived is due to the cars very own longevity; typically such Berlinas had multiple owners and quite a few were granted a final lease on life - at least in Italy - as taxis that were reluctantly buried after having amassed several hundred thousands of kilometers.

The Berlina can seat six people in relative comfort and has a large trunk capacity.

The Flavia 1st series Berlina was introduced to the public at the 1960 Autosalon of Turin. The Flavia, like most Lancias, is a car that is of utmost relevance in the history of the Italian automobile. The design philosophy of Automobili Lancia & Compagni is perfectly summarized in the American car magazine Road & Track (August 1961 issue) that states in the opening section of its Lancia Flavia Berlina road test: "Radical departures from accepted practice are never looked upon with any great favor by the businessmen that head world’s greatest automobile manufacturing companies and yet such departures have become the rule in recent years. The reason is clear: there is a growing sophistication on the part of the public that makes technical innovations seem more attractive than in the past and this has, in turn, influenced the manufacturers - who are after all, acutely sensitive to buyers trends."

Long before the Subaru, long before the AlfaSud, the water-cooled flat four of the 1500.

The Flavia was the first mass produced Italian front wheel drive car, the first Italian car with a 180 degree (flat or opposed) 4 cylinder boxer engine, and the first Italian sedan that mounted disc brakes all around - thus out-engineering such prestigious makes as Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. A radical departure for Lancia, the Flavia nevertheless carried on the great tradition of innovation long the mark of Vincenzo Lancia and later, chief engineer Vittorio Jano.

The Flavia was the brainchild of Professor Fessia, the genius who - besides having had an important input in the FIAT 500 "Topolino," the FIAT 600 and the Lancia Flaminia - was responsible for the design of the Caproni Cemsa that was first shown in 1947 at the Turin Autosalon. (see sidebar) Fessia's Flavia Berlina 1st series was designed as a four-door sedan that could carry up to 6 persons. It was not intended as a replacement for any of the Lancia production line up at the time of its introduction. Instead, the Flavia found its place below the prestigious, majestic and very elegant V6 cylinder Flaminia Berlina and above the little V4 Appia sedan - that was by then in its 3rd and final version.

The Cemsa Caproni was Fessia’s first front wheel drive project. The lessons learned were applied to the still advanced Flavia in 1959. (New! Click here for sidebar.)

The 1st series Flavia Berlina was a mid-class sedan so to speak, one that would progress with subsequent series from entry-luxury to a full luxury sedan. At its introduction the 1500 cc 1st series Berlina was universally acclaimed by the motoring critics for its structural quality, as well as its innovative approach and road holding characteristics; however, the car was generally criticized for its heavy mass and boxy teutonic styling which was controversial, particularly when it came to the odd looking double headlights and surrounding decorations that sat on the extremities of the front fender on both sides of an elegant grille that was reminiscent of the Flaminia design.

Controls were conservative yet remarkable in the arrangement of the switches and the molded dashboard reminiscent of the Citroen DS series.

Not a particularly fast car; the new Berlina, however, allowed its driver to cruise consistently at about 130 km (80 miles per hour) in a virtually vibration-free environment due to the combination of a flat-four and a transmission, both mounted on a single, separate sub-frame. The car had an independent front suspension with a transversal mounted spring leaf (much similar to that of the prewar FIAT Topolino); the engine was mounted in front of the front axle with the gearbox mostly behind the spring leaf; at the rear a fixed axle was used in combination with two leaf springs and a stabilizer bar.

1960s design was similar to the BMW 1500 series, but with an Italianate flair. Functional, yet pleasing to the eye.

Steering was worm and roller, and very accurate. Carburetion was initially a twin choke Weber 32DCH or Solex C32, mounted centrally feeding each bank via two intake chambers. Weighing in at 2667 lbs, the horsepower was rated at 78 bhp at 5200 rpm. Some - particularly the Italians - criticized the Berlina's thirst for fuel which averaged about 8 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers, or the equivalent of about 30 miles per gallon - not bad at all for a six seater, particularly when compared to today's standards! Speed of the 1st series Flavia Berlina 1500 cc topped at 148 kilometers - or about 92 miles per hour.

Part II will address the Lancia Flavia 2nd and 3rd Series II and the variant body styles.