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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

lancia appia

Amore mio Ardea

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Fancy an Ardea?

Story and photos by Luc van Dobben

From the VeloceToday archives, May 2021

Luc van Dobben is no stranger to Lancias or VeloceToday. To read more about his adventures with Lancias, click here.

In 2019, after selling my last race car project, there was room for something else. But what? Due to my age, I didn’t want another project. So it had to be good restored car, and the only brand for me was Lancia, so the search began.

I preferred a model with the old Lancia grille shape and in a reasonable price range. I began searching for an Ardea, a lovely model, and several were offered for sale in Italy, from projects to fully restored examples. After a lot of Internet visits, I found one to my liking near Pisa. I was contacted by the daughter of the seller, who was helping facilitate the sale. She was familiar with our country, as she had studied in nearby Leiden’s University. She sent extra information, pictures and promised a chrome Ardea sign on the grille as well. All technical questions were correctly answered, and I made arrangements to collect the car ourselves.

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Auto e Moto d’Epoca Lancia, Maserati

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Another from the Divine a Motore display, Gina Lollobrigida’s 1952 Lancia Aurelia B52 with coachwork by Vignale. It is also believed that the car also appeared in the film ‘ La Provinciale.’

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

If you have managed to wade through the previous three reports from this years Bologna Auto e Moto d’Epoca show (well done) and were wondering ‘what, no Ferrari’s Lancia’s etc’ do not worry, there were plenty there. Here is my pick of the many gems on display. As I said before in part one, if you can make the show then you really must. It truly is an Italian car lovers paradise, and easy to get to as well. And if you can’t make it, we have given you the best we can do for those in absentia. Enjoy.

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Concorso Italiano, 2024

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1956 Fiat 1100 TV Vignale from the collection of Marco Gastaldi

Story and photos by Brandes Elitch

Concorso Italiano was held on August 17th, 2024, the day before Pebble Beach. It is now a decades-old tradition and a mainstay of the Monterey Car Week. But this is how it began.

In 1984 my friend Joe Duray saw an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle for a 1962 Maserati 3500 GT coupe, located in a lockup in Vallejo. Joe was the only person to respond to the ad, and he got the car, which he has since fully restored. Around that time a gentleman named Francis Mandarano set up a business in Seattle called Maserati Information Exchange.

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The Search for an Appealing Appia

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A hint of what was to come.*

Story and photos by Luc van Dobben
From the VeloceToday Archives, May 2021

Read The Search for the Perfect Ardea

The search is complete.

After two disastrous trips to Italy to find a correct Ardea, I came to the conclusion that an old Lancia for nice trips in the country should at least have some more legroom and sufficient power to move around. An Appia it had to be, but at least one with the lovely old type grille so I went for a second series.

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Lancia Owners Requesting Loramo Book

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This afternoon, I’m likely the only person you know, delivering charity bake sale boxes out of the back of my car in 11F degree Wisconsin winter to benefit the local farm animal rescue sanctuary! Who is he and what is the car?

Almost hidden in the text of our article about Brandes Elitch and Cars Yea was an unusual offer: Send Brandes a photo of a Lancia you owned or still own and he’ll send you a copy of his book “Lancia Loraymo.”

It’s a good thing we didn’t do more to bring attention to the offer, as Brandes immediately began to receive emails and photos, and though he has a few copies left, they are going fast.

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Ardea in Australia

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Upon reading of the Ardea adventures of Luc van Dobben, Australian John Pagan was prompted to tell us his own tales of purchasing an Ardea from Italy. He wrote, “The car is from 1951, I bought and imported it in 2017. The first outing was in 2018; the serious recommissioning and Castlemaine Rally were in 2019. Since then of course there’s been very little car club activity because of COVID, even here … I’m set to do Castlemaine again this coming October though!” Below is his Ardea story.

By John Pagan

One of the first things people ask me is, “Why an Ardea?” This is my fourth Lancia; like me, they’re getting older and slower. For those who don’t know, at 903cc the Ardea has the smallest-ever engine in a Lancia, developing only 30bhp or 22kW, and is flat out doing 110km/h under the most favorable conditions.

My previous Lancia, an Aurelia B10, was a very satisfactory touring car of endearing character. We did about 40,000 miles over ten years together, including trips to all the other States including Tasmania and Western Australia. Despite a deal of mechanical work done over that period to make it useable and keep it that way, however, it remained a well-used example, lacking that crispness of response that I’d loved in the Fulvias I owned before the Aurelia.

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Goodbye Ardea, Hello Appia

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A hint of what was to come.*

Story and photos by Luc van Dobben

Read The Search for the Perfect Ardea

The search is complete.

After two disastrous trips to Italy to find a correct Ardea, I came to the conclusion that an old Lancia for nice trips in the country should at least have some more legroom and sufficient power to move around. An Appia it had to be, but at least one with the lovely old type grille so I went for a second series. [Read more…] about Goodbye Ardea, Hello Appia

In Search of the Perfect Lancia Ardea

By

Fancy an Ardea?

Story and photos by Luc van Dobben

Luc van Dobben is no stranger to Lancias or VeloceToday. To read more about his adventures with Lancias, click here.

In 2019, after selling my last race car project, there was room for something else. But what? Due to my age, I didn’t want another project. So it had to be good restored car, and the only brand for me was Lancia, so the search began.

I preferred a model with the old Lancia grille shape and in a reasonable price range. I began searching for an Ardea, a lovely model, and several were offered for sale in Italy, from projects to fully restored examples. After a lot of Internet visits, I found one to my liking near Pisa. I was contacted by the daughter of the seller, who was helping facilitate the sale. She was familiar with our country, as she had studied in nearby Leiden’s University. She sent extra information, pictures and promised a chrome Ardea sign on the grille as well. All technical questions were correctly answered, and I made arrangements to collect the car ourselves. [Read more…] about In Search of the Perfect Lancia Ardea

Arutunoff and the Lancia Appia Zagatos

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Toly, number 29, getting by an Elan and a Ferrari at the Bahamas. With Dick Irish he would finish 39th in the Nassau Trophy race in 1964.

Story by Toly Arutunoff

In 1964 it seemed like I needed a companion in the garage for my Lancia Flaminia Zagato. The previous year, after our good finishes in the Targa Florio, Nurburgring 1000km, and Spa 500km, the factory offered me a straight swap for my car and one of the GTS Appia Zagatos, guaranteed for 117 mph. I turned the offer down, but later I saw an ad for an Appia Zagato in Rhode Island for $900. I heard it call my name and before I knew it we were on our way east from our lair in Oklahoma. [Read more…] about Arutunoff and the Lancia Appia Zagatos

Arutunoff and the Appia Zagato Part 2

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At the Monterey Historics with the second Appia Zagato.

By Toly Arutunoff

Read Part I

I have previously related the tale of my first Appia Zagato. You’re gonna think I’m mildly nuts but just as George Starch can’t remember what he did with his Zagato, I can’t remember what happened to mine! I’ve seen it advertised a few years ago in Hemmings as ‘Toly Arutunoff’s car’ but I never checked on it. [Read more…] about Arutunoff and the Appia Zagato Part 2

Arutunoff and the Appia

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The Arutunoff Appia Zagato at the Walter Mitty at Atlanta in 1984. Photo by Pete Vack

By Toly Arutunoff

In 1964 it seemed like I needed a companion in the garage for my Lancia Flaminia Zagato. The previous year, after our good finishes in the Targa Florio, Nurburgring 1000km, and Spa 500km, the factory offered me a straight swap for my car and one of the GTS Appia Zagatos, guaranteed for 117 mph. I turned the offer down, but later I saw an ad for an Appia Zagato in Rhode Island for $900. I heard it call my name and before I knew it we were on our way east from our lair in Oklahoma. [Read more…] about Arutunoff and the Appia

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