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Real Lancia Fulvia Zagato Spider?

Lancia Fulvia Zagato Spider

We have featured a couple of Fulvia Zagatos over the years, but this is the first Spider version of the car that I have ever seen. I did find mention of one that was featured at the 1968 Turin Motorshow, but it was supposedly the only one ever built. Could this be that car? Seems unlikely considering that it is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but you never know. The seller isn’t quite sure what they have, but an image search revealed that it was a Lancia Zagato, so naturally they are asking $5k here on craigslist. There’s no engine, transmission, or title,but I thought it might be fun to try to figure out exactly what’s going on here. Could this be the show car, or is it someone’s attempt at a conversion? Thanks goes to Robert R. for the submission. You are on a roll Robert!

Zagato trunk

Here’s a shot of the trunk area. Personally, I think someone cut the roof off a coupe and was going to form the upper panels of the trunk in traditional Superleggera style. The Italian coach builder Touring was famous for their technique of layering lightweight materials over a structure of small metal tubes. I’m not sure if that was the thought process going on here, but the creator should be commended for trying. It would be fun to visit the current owner to see if he knows anything about the car’s past. I’m doubtful that there is much value here though unless someone can dig up a title. The challenge of attempting to finish the job may be tempting, but just make sure that it doesn’t wind up parked in your barn for another 20 years!

Comments

  1. Avatar Dolphin Member

    I think this is a very stalled Fulvia Spider conversion. IIRC there was only one real Fulvia Spider that Zagato made to show at a major car salon, but there have been other similar cars that are conversions from coupes.

    This is one of them….
    http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/other-italian-cars/154978-lancia-fulvia-sport-zagato-spider-recreation.html

    It’s RHD because it was done in the UK but I think there are other conversions that are LHD, like the one that Zagato did.

    Anything by Zagato has more value that you’d expect, so I guess the panels and other bits have value……maybe even as much as the seller is asking for the hulk. Who knows? Prices for vintage Italian coachbuilt cars are crazy.

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  2. Avatar Don Andreina

    Interesting, but not the real deal. According to the alfabb post Dolphin mentions, the one-off had a 3 inch shorter wheelbase. I believe this pic is the original; note the one Jesse found appears to have originally had side rear windows as per the coupe, whereas the real deal only used door glass on the side.

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  3. HoA Howard A Member

    Never heard of this car, but it looks like it should have 2 propellers coming out the back. BTW, Elkhart Lake (home of Road America) is about 40 miles north of Milwaukee.

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  4. Avatar DT

    argh!!! bummer

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  5. Avatar TJ

    Thought I remember seeing this on a tour some years ago of Motion Products…the famous Ferrari restorer not far from where the car is located. Now its in a barn? Interesting. Must be more to this than meets the eye.

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  6. Avatar TJ

    @Howard
    yes if you click on the map of the ad it actually shows the car about 2 miles from Road America in Elkhart Lake. The plot thickens (?)

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  7. Avatar Thorsten

    Everybody with the right sense for a body shape can see that it is a conversion and where the roof has been cut off. Always sad seeing destroyed classic cars.

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  8. Avatar Abarthbill

    Why not Milwaukee? I have personally found these “Barn Finds” in the area;
    300SL Gullwing, Lola T70, Ferrari 275 GTB, Moretti, 1957 Corvette Race car, Abarth ‘double bubble’, Aston Martin DB2/4, Cunningham C3, Fiat 8V, McLaren 1A, DeSanctis FJ, Tecno F3, and probably a few dozen more ‘normal’ sports cars.
    Wisconsin’s history has been rich with automobile Manufacturers and racing tracks – American motors, Kissel, Excalibur, Nash, Hudson, Rambler. Let’s not forget Harley-Davidson. Road America, The Milwaukee Mile, Great Lakes Dragaway, Blackhawk Farms, Lynndale, Wilmot, Slinger, and many more race tracks.

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