At the 1958 Torino Motor Show, Lancia introduced the Flaminia Coupe 2.5 in three versions: a coupe bodied by Pinin Farina, a Gran Turismo bodied by Touring, and a sportier coupe built by Zagato. In 1963, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Lancia debuted an updated Flaminia with an increased engine capacity of 2.8 liters. Soon after, in November 1964, the Flaminia Super Sport bodied by Zagato and equipped with the latest 2.8-liter V-6 engine was unveiled. This final Zagato-bodied Flaminia is characterized by a Kamm tail, distinctive headlight treatment, lower front hood, revised air intake, and a larger windshield. Its maximum speed of 210 km/h (131 mph) made it the fastest production Lancia yet.

The Super Sport version finally solved one of the limitations of the sportier Lancia, resulting from a certain lack of horsepower when compared with the contemporary Alfa Romeo models. This changed thanks to the increased capacity of the wonderful V-6 engine, created by Francesco De Virgilio and completely revised by Antonio Fessia. Carrozzeria Zagato, the most celebrated coachbuilder for aerodynamic, lightweight bodies, fashioned coachwork that was at least 95 kg lighter than the other bodies used on the Flaminia chassis. For every gentleman driver of the period, the Flaminia Super Sport was a dream, capable of competing in races or simply driving in style.

The Flaminia Super Sport presented here is a relatively late-production car, no. 135 of the 150 manufactured. First registered in 1968, this Lancia is an original left-hand-drive example, which spent some of its earliest years in the UK before being imported to France in 1983. It then remained with one French owner for 20 years, who repainted the car red and drove it regularly through 2003. The Flaminia Zagato was then sold to Alain Toillon, a collector living in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France.

In early 2015, the Lancia was sold to the current owner and shipped to its new home in Southern California. Soon after its arrival, the consignor commissioned a complete restoration, including a bare-metal repaint in the attractive original color of Grigio Newmarket, which was located under several layers of paint. During the disassembly process, it was discovered that many trim pieces were stamped with the original Zagato body numbers. In addition to cosmetic attention, the Lancia received a mechanical overhaul overseen by an Italian car specialist.

Beautifully presented and reported by its current owner to be well sorted, this final evolution of the Zagato-bodied Lancia Flaminia is now ready to bring the quintessential dolce vita lifestyle to a lucky new owner.