The Astonishing Lancia That Bettered Aston And Ferrari - Lancia Flaminia GTL 

MY CAR! It was a real privilege to spend half a day working with you Jack to showcase my gorgeous Flaminia. I bought an earlier GTL in unrestored condition some months earlier and loved it so much I splashed out more than I could really have afforded to buy this one! My original car is advertised on H&H Auctions taking place on April 24th at Buxton. It is a cracking motor that perhaps could do with a repaint at some stage. In response to some comments about the state of tune, I quite agree, its off-song and will be sorted next weeks. My original car goes as they should! I have video of it hill climbing last year. Didn't miss a beat then nor since! A couple of other responses - Steering wheel: This is standard. Leather trim: The seats had been vandalised but the door trims and side panels survived.The restorers in Mexico did their best to match the new seat leather to the original. I think they did a great job. Seat belts - The car is currently at 'Quickfit Satety Belt Services in High Wycombe following Jacks recommendation. Interestingly enough, my 1964 DB5 ( Bought for £1500 back in the 70's and sadly sold after 25 years..) didn't have seatbelts. I had some fitted. I also felt quite vulnerable without them. Looking after the bodywork - As a fully restored car I'm not that precious about it but prefer not to get it wet and definitely avoid road salt. hdc5984 - Fascinated to see your Comment. Have we been in comms? More Lancias please Jack! Peter H

I got a tear in my eye hearing that lovely story about finding the original engine.

Fantastic car and that steering wheel is something special! And Jack don't apologize for the Italian pronunciation, your simply pronouncing the names correctly and sticking to your Roots buddy 👍

Lancia are like a modern day microcosm of the collapse of the Roman Empire!

Such a beautiful car, I remember when I was a teenager our neighbours wife drove a Flaminia ( husband drove a Alfa Montreal) as a car mad teenager I thought the Lancia was true automotive art. One can only lament that modern car designers lack the creative talent to design cars like this.

Ah, Jack... Now you're in MY wheelhouse; I've literally had more Lancias than I can remember (but I'm old now, so this is kinda normal). Flaminias have always been my favorites; I even had two Berlinas. Aboslutely lovely cars, and they'll more than stay with an Aston or Ferrari of the period on anything but a straight road. Plus, you'll arrive invigorated and delighted, not all sweaty and exhausted. You drive a Flaminia with your fingertips; you don't have to force it, you carress it. Like Citroen, this was a company founded and managed by ENGINEERS! And it shows: the cars are unique and intriguing and filled with little touches that make you smile. WONDERFUL cars. Alas, few engineers are adept at business matters...hence the current state of both companies.

Absolutely gorgeous machine. What Fiat have done to the Lancia brand in the last 20 years is criminal

My dad had a Flaminia Berlina before I was born and when he told about it, he kept going on about little details like hydraulic window openers to give examples of over-engineering. It's an acquired taste for most, but once you've seen the light, you'll appreciate them.

The car sounds great. The taillights are unique. I am always amazed at the the little details that are found on a Lancia.

Thanks for showing this car Jack, you really made my day! This was my car, I restored it completely. I really miss it

Jack’s ( Giovanni’s/ Giacomo) videos are a RU-vid highlight of the week. I adore his happy attitude and obvious love of what he does. Never stop the Italian pronunciations never stop smiling and keep the videos coming !

This Flaminia makes me think of the Maserati 3500 GT, which also is such an astonishingly stylish car!

After a Mercedes Pagoda 280SL from 1970, I was looking for a Facel-Vega Facellia for the line because I am Frenchman... And I found a Lancia Flaminia GT Touring, 2.8L/3 carbs for a correct price because the car has lots registration papers. Metallic Grey with red interior. What a car ! Knowing the superleggera technology and the rarety of such a car. Looking for the past of the car, I have discovered that the Lancia staid more than a year on Lancia dealer before finding a customer ! I've found the child of the owner with the possibility to redone registration document. So real mileage with just 63.000km on the clock and a car that was used in Paris during the 60 and 70's before going in a barn ! A brilliant car with an iconic coachbuilder line. On photos of Touring's archives, we can see the Lancia and the Maserati 3500 GT on same line of "production". By the way original upholstery were leatherette of "cheap quality" so the model that you use on the video has been retrimmed. Of course, with increasing value of such gems, it's quite normal to upgrade for high quality leather. The convertible is such a glamourous car ! The Zagato coupe is such a supercar of the 60's build for kings and stars like Marcello Mastroianni !

"Quality" is the obvious operable word when it comes to this marque. And the story of finding the original engine was the "icing on the cake" of this excellect episode.

Hello. What a joy to hear the name 'Lancia' pronounced correctly. From a lover of the Beta saloon and HPE, of which my wife and I owned a number in the past. Thank you for showing us this glorious car.

I confirm that any 3C engine should spin in a slightly "happier" fashion, although generally speaking the Flaminia V6 doesn't have an unbridled appetite for revs. To give you an idea, a racing spec 2.5 3C doesn't really want to go much beyond 5500 rpm. It's a joy to see a Flaminia on your channel, looking forward to seeing an Aurelia as well!

Just love it when you test Italian cars... Wow! Lancias, Alfa Romeos and even older Fiats are just so special compared to anything else really.

when watching the italian job the whole of turin is gridlocked an the guy in the Flaminia getting his chops slapped by a lady in the car next to him!!!!! its a truly beautiful car !! nice one jack i used to drool over these cars in my observer book of cars !!

Exquisite - just exquisite! Thanks for taking us out in this one.

Don’t you ever again apologise for your Italian pronunciation of Italian names. These videos are my favourites!! Any English speaker should learn from you.

Not just the wheelbase but also the height of the glass house of the GTL was raised. This slightly marred the beautiful proportions of the ‘normal’ Touring GT. So even though they are very rare the GTL’s are valued about 30% lower than the more plentysome GT. This car has its original door cards and they are probably vinyl. The seats are reupholstered in leather and I have to be fair they let the car down. Not like they should be. Nonetheless a car wich deserves much more attention than it does. Same story for most vintage Lancia’s I’m afraid. Therefore complimenti that you feature them as often if you can. Keep it up!

Here in Greece, the Flaminia was my wedding car, I chose it because I love it, it’s just gorgeous

The 1969 Lancia Flaminia Marica designed by Tom Tjaarda is also a rare beautiful model. What a great marque Lancia was the pioneer inventor of the 1st monocoque steel body, 1st 5-speed gearbox, 1st production V6 engine, 1st independent suspension, 1st rally car etc... was way more advanced than Audi or BMW at the time! how things have changed! the Stellantis group is relaunching Lancia back in Europe this year with the new Ypsilon followed by more models and rumours of an all-new Delta!!!! so there is still hope.

The story of this car, the way it was acquired, the engine, WOW! Amazing

I love the turning of the key and having to push it in to start.

I believe it was a Lancia that was the stunt double for the Aston Martin that was pushed off the cliff in the Italian Job, if you watch closely the bonnet springs open at the wrong end during the fall. (May not have been this model)

I just opened the video and hit the like button directly. Fantastic video as usual, thank you!

Have always loved Lancias, and greatly enjoyed my 1982 Beta Zagato...

As a kid in the 60's, I had several 'Observers Book of Cars'. I seem to recall that one of the Lancia models shown in the photos was a Flaminia 4 door saloon. It had twin headlamps. I remember from that time thinking it was one of the most beautiful cars I'd ever seen.

I have only once seen one on the road. A stunning car. Not just the beautiful clean lines, but the details like the rear lights. Much more elegant than the Zagato bodied version.

Stunningly beautiful car. I had a professor who drove A Flaminia, he introduced me to the Lancia brand. It's a pleasure to see what Italian excellence looked like in 1962,

This Flaminia and the Aurelia B20GT have been long time favorites of mine. Great you got to drive one, Jack. I'm jealous 😉

In an Italian film from the early '60s that I saw a couple of years ago there was a Flaminia Berlina, two-tone with a silver body and black roof and boot lid. It was so breathtakingly elegant I've been in love ever since. As the different coupés are more sought after decent looking Berlinas can be found for 20-30k Euros. They were sold new for Rolls-Royce money if Iam not mistaken.

Brilliant review. I've just returned to the Lancia fold after an absence of thirty odd years. I've bought a 2000HF and if it ever stops raining I look forward to driving it.

Thanks for the memory. I actually owned a Flaminia convertible as a kid back in Boston, Massachusetts (late '60s, I think). It was a short-lived dream. I was stupid enough to trade an old running VW Beetle for it. The body and interior were decent, but the engine was not installed and needed a lot of work - I had neither the ability nor the money to actually get it running. (I think it needed new cylinder sleeves which had to be ordered from Italy.) I wound up selling it for around $400.

I would put this the flaminia superlegera on the same breath as the E-Type and DB5 in terms or beauty it is one of the most beautiful cars ever made

Great Video. I have a Navy Blue 2.5 3C convertible here outside in Marbella. Had it 15 years, drive it every week t least. I agree with everything you say. A complicated but beautiful machine, a true "Grand Tourer". It could use a bit more grunt, but they are not designed for sports, like an Alfa of the 1950´s, they are for elegant and rapid touring, comfortable at 90 mph all day. Interestingly, as you say you don´t need to to rev past 4,000 to 4,500 at the most, it just lopes along easy... and I think it´s the only car I have ever had where the rev counter has no "red Zone" on it !! Wonderful video , thank you

Your heritage is Italian? Never! You hide it well. Love these vids and especially the reviews of the wonderful Italian old-timers.

TY Jack! 🙏🙏. A fine looking car, surprised it was down on power compared to the Aston.

Hello Number 27, what a great video and review of one of the great Lancia cars of the 60's. I've been an owner of two Lancia's for the passed 30 years. I agree with your overview of the Lancia brand and continued with advanced technology right through to the Delta range of models and rally success etc. Keep up the Lancia testing we need to see them on the roads. All the best Bob

Lancia is a great brand. Even my humble Ypsilon is a bit eccentric. Love this Flaminia. Good video too.

There's a great picture of one of these cars, on Flickr, sitting at a Level crossing in Burton on Trent as an ageing steam loco shunts a nearby brewery. The picture is dated sometime in 1966 and the car is registered JUY468D, today it's still showing as on the road! I'd love the current owner to see the picture.

A Lancia and a good yarn, perfect. The italian language is full of passion, a while back (after watching one of your programs) I started listening to italian language vids to understand the pronunciation of words and emphasis where there are no accents in the written!

The Italian design studios came up with some incredible designs, this car is no exception, a stunner. I envy the owner for having the privilege of being able to drive this whenever he wants, but thank him for letting this piece of precious artwork out to play! I'd love to see a review of the Lamborghini Miura if anyone has got one to show? My all time favourite Italian, design, engine ans breathtaking looks!🙂🙂🙂🙂

Absolutely love these, Jack please don't apologise for giving the proper italian pronunciation, its an education in itself

Lancia forever! One of the best brands ever.

Beautiful. Looks like you were smitten and about to elope with her 😮

Wonderful video...and the story of Lancia is the story of the Italian car industry...from the top of the mountain, to today's valley of decline. I am in the process of buying a Fiat 128 from its owner in the UK. He has kept it in stunning condition. I think Italian car owners in the UK take better care of them than the Italians do.

What a great story attached to that little beauty, thanks Jack!

I remember a Flaminia GTL half abandoned, parked in Turin close to the university where I studied back in 1998-1999. I vividly remember it, it was of a similar colour and sported the "superleggera" badge. An impressive motor!

My father had a 2.8 3c coupe as well as fulvias. Superb cars.

What a beautiful car, I think I have seen one some time in the past but can't recall where. I agree with you Jack Lancia was on top of their game back then. I always love a car with a great story, you know that it deserved to survive and go on to be enjoyed. Please don't apologise for speaking Italian Jack it is part of your history. Thanks for a great review Jack, very well done. 👍👍

Incredibly good looking car, utter style.

A sweetheart of an automobile. I think the only thing that might let it down a bit is the dual headlamps. That said, it was a common design of the time and there's no points off for that.

Beautiful car. Thanks to Peter and yourself for sharing.

Oh my, that's absolutely gorgeous. 👍

Grazie Giac, I think this was the same Flaminia I saw at the Bridgnorth Italian auto show in 2022, thought I had a picture of it but don't. I spoke to the owner, he was interested in selling it. My guess is he didn't. An old Roman friend has (I think he's still alive) a 1957 Aurelia spider, and it was magnificant. I also remember seeing a Flaminia Zagato in Arona in 1966. And owned a 1964 Flavia berlina when I lived in Roma in 1971/2.

There's a lot of Maserati style in that design too. Maybe 3500GT.. ?

Dear Giacomo,beautiful video with a great car. These Flaminia Touring are rare but the 2+2 Gtl is extremely rare. My dad was a passionate Lancista,and my first rememberings about cars are of his Flaminias and of my mother's Fulvia. My dad had four Flaminias betweeen 1960 and 1968,all of them coupè Pininfarina,with both 2,5 and 2,8 engines. They were all metallic silver with black leather interiors,and this because he was convinced that nobody could see that he had a new car.... All the Flaminias,from the berlina to the Supersport Zagato were really great cars,a kind of gentlemen gran turismos,all with V6 engines and all with transaxle gearboxes,a technical marvel that was introduced with the Aurelias and that was used,many years later,by Alfa Romeo and Porsche. The transaxle disposition of the gearbox granted a perfect balance and a perfect road holding. At the beginning of the '60s,the italian automotive industry offered three beautiful high class coupès all with 6 cylinder engines: Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Bertone,6 inline 2.6 litre,145 bhp,Fiat 2300 S Coupè Ghia,6 inline 2.3 litre,135 bhp,and Lancia Flaminia Coupè Pininfarina,V6 2.8 litre,136 bhp. A great era for these three car makers! Better if we don't make any comparison with nowadays....

Great timing Jack! Home from work and now for a cold refreshing beer and sit down with number 27. Excellent. Absolutely love that key-push ignition! Greetings from the Netherlands PS: the rear quarter reminds me of the Mercedes Pagode Coupe. Very nice.

Drop dead gorgeous car, absolutely charming. Lancia was the bees’ knees back then.😊

I’ve been waiting for an episode with Flaminia for ages ❤ That’s what I call a peak 27 !

Such a beautiful piece of machinery, it's beauty just makes my eyes water of joy and happiness, I'm afraid. From the front it reminds me a lot of the Gordon-Keeble, which is also one of my alltime favourites. Thank you Jack for making my day

Another gorgeous Lancia. Cars were really different. They had an identity. It was possible to tell an Alfa from a Lancia, a Mercedes or an Aston Martin. Even Ferraris and Maseratis looked different. In this day and age all cars look alike. And probably within 40 years the modern super cars shan't be able to be driven. Basically, they are computers with 4 wheels. After all, my 10 year old computer doesn't work anymore. And back then, it was one of the best machines that money could buy.

What a fabulous story! Love it and the way the car was found, the reco engine and the history. Bravo🙌

My favourite of all the Flaminias is the PF coupé. Lusted after one when I was younger but I'd take the Nardi steering wheel as fitted to the Touring bodied one to go with it. Always thought Superleggera was an irrational way of building a car - over complex and guaranteed galvanic corrosion for no objective gain that I can see. Love those rakish looks though.

I distinctly remember that Ian Flemings James Bond drove a Lancia Flaminia in one of his novels...Thanks for taking us for a ride.

Thank you so much Jack, and the car’s owner, for this video. Like many car enthusiasts Lancia holds a special place in history and, for me, the Flaminia sits at the top of the brand. I’ve been lucky to own two HPE Lancias, one 1.6 and the second a Volumex, which thrilled and delighted in equal measure but a Flaminia coupe with Touring body was always my dream car. We will be on holiday in Italy this summer and I look forward to hopefully seeing some more wonderful cars while we’re there.

My mom’s friend had a Lancia Beta back in the ‘80s, and that was a lovely little car. It’s a shame such an iconic Italian brand has been left to languish.

Your point is made with that seat-back tilt - brilliant engineering,and I've never heard of anything like it. A beautiful car. Thanks, Jack.

Thanks for always such lovely content and stories Jack! 👍

Jack, you are smashing it lately, (even more so than usual.) So many cars I’ve lusted over over the years!

Beautiful car, big fan of Lancia’s. Well, any of the Italian makers really. Keep up the correct pronunciations too, good for you! 🇮🇹👌🏻

This episode brings tears to my eyes! When I was just 3-4yrs old my grandfather had a 1962 Lancia flaminia superleggera - I rode in that car at several times, and at that early age I noticed the engine sounding beautifully - I even remember where it happened.. my grandfathers car was silver metallic with light tan upholstery, and as I remember, it had no back seat, just a bench for luggage, also remember it had those michelin radials with it’s particular thread. Thank you for this ”time travel”❣️

Lancia of that era is incomparable. However, the BMW 507 was arguably a competitor of the Flaminia.

I bumped into a Pininfarina Coupe 2.8 last year IN AUSTRALIA and I have never seen one of these in my life.... Beautiful in the flesh...

Wd40 on that throttle pedal/cable 😊

What I appreciate in this otherwise great video is that little moment, when You get (at least as I perceive it) a bit touched by (at least as I perceive it again) strength of the enjoyment, especially with the car You (obviously) deeply admire and wish it will live up to its legacy (and it does). I have experienced some of my dream cars in person as well (and I am sure others will follow) and I can recall that very feeling from those (kind of unimaginable) encounters immediatelly. Hence, maybe we could say, to understand the other one´s experience through our own? Anyway, thank You for such revival🙂

Wow, this is a beautiful car! Thank you for the video! I love the anecdote about the guy getting back the engine from the car shop 20+ years after!

Beautiful car. Australia's prime minister of the later 1970s Malcolm Fraser was a member of what we call the squattocracy -- a very wealthy farmer -- and he was a lifelong Lancia collector and restorer. He almost certainly had one of these.

Love the seats 💺

Thanks for these Jack.

The Lancia Flaminia GT 3C brings up remote excitement for me, as it was one of the cars of my father which I first drove on the backstreets at the age of 9 years, when my dad left the car keys stuck. I loved this car, and yes, the quality was phenomenal, built like a tank, and the handling was great - due to the driving on the narrow backstreet I never managed to use the higher gears, the second gear was the limit for me back than 🤣😂

More Lancia please, I love to see any model, any model year. Great episode

Such a wonderfully warm car story …absolutely love Lancia …..it’s heartbreaking that the company is no more …..brilliant video as always Jack.

Another great car. Thanks for the video Jack

I owned a very late (1970) series 1 Fulvia Coupé. It already had a series 2 subframe. I owned it for 13 years and it got me to the edge of bankruptcy. However I loved driving it, do consider these cars are all money-pits when you start driving them regularly. Parts nor mechanics-knowledge are 'round the corner anywhere. It still was the most stylish car I ever owned; and I dread to realize I had to sell it at less than half it would have made nowadays. I haven't seen a Fulvia on the road for a decade; and before that, those that I spotted were all (Fiat-owned) series 2's.

Lovely video. Totally enjoyed it. Thanks

Do, please lets see more videos of these iconic cars from the 50's/60's that are truly magnificent. I remember as a car mad teenager in the 60's saying to myself that Italian cars were the best in the world, it took me many years before I got myself into an Italian car, an Alfa Romeo, why did I waste so many years.

What a stunner

Magnificent restoration of a magnificent machine. Enjoyed the back story on how the original engine was found.

Well done. Always loved Lancia. Quite by chance I went to the Lancia Centenary in 2010 in Covent Garden. Wonderful to see those superb cars of a bygone era. And yes, the Aurelia and Flaminia both, are amongst the best ever.

My first car was a 1973 Alfa Giulia Super 1600, and in my mind one of the best performance and handling cars of it's day. I hammered that car, and it just kept going -the only thing that packed up was the bearing or the distributor. I couldn't have chosen a better car for my first. Thanks for a great channel.

I owned a similar car in1962 but it was convertible with a removable hardtop + canvas hood. I’m also certain it had a transaxle which is why the gear change is strange. Never thought I’d see it again. Thanks Jack

These are amazingly beautiful cars. And what an amazing story about the engine! Thank you so much for letting us see this exceptional piece of automotive history!

Those Webers and other parts would likely benefit from Iain's expert touch.

Such an elegant beautiful car, pure class!

One of these made an appearance in "The Italian Job (UK 1969) substituting for a DB4 that detonated prematurely whilst being shoved over a wall. They had to reshoot and spent the rest of the day and night looking for a another DB4 but came up with a Flaminia instead, which, with some modification did the "Fall", only revealing it's true identity when on the way down the bonnet opened the wrong way "Rear hinged" as opposed to the Astons "Forward Hinged".

Never apologise for using the correct Italian pronunciation. It is a joy to listen to and delightfully educational.

Love these Jack.... cars we'd never get to see normally and your reviews are top drawer!!!