1963 Lancia Flavia Convertible by Vignale

[Parisien]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330765388724&clk_rvr_id=406007259408

This was up at £12995....now £9995............good value if sound etc?


P

[Derek Moore]

Anybody out there been to see this yet? Looks good value, and a reputable dealer.

Regards
Del

[lancialulu]

I have spoken but not yet visited.

Nice car with really nice interior although resto is over 10 years old and needs paint by all accounts to make the carnice, but problem is what is under the skin. Has MOT and runs.

Tim

[williamcorke]

IIRC this is the car that Panorama Bay had for sale for many years in the '90s for what was at the time a very speculative price in the mid-£20ks.  Numberplate at that time was still BS1066 or 1066BS - the BS being for Sir Basil Spence the owner / architect referred to in the current Godin Banks ad; 1066 was for... never mind.

I seem to remember the car popped up online a few years ago (5 or so).  Its owner at the time was documenting his partial restoration efforts.  Perhaps he's on the forum?  

As someone has pointed out, there might well be problems under the skin that possible buyers have spotted.  If that's not the case then I think it is looking like good value at £10k compared to the restored cars that have sold in Europe in the past couple of years (as far as I can tell these have been at E20k or more).  Perhaps there's a lower value for RHD, as Europe doesn't want it; that added to the fact that the UK doesn't really have a market for Flavia Vignales.

The Spence car is missing its correct (and beautifully shaped) front bumper.  Given time and money it should probably be possible to find one eventually, but not that easy a job (unless the consortium has one) and they are big and quite expensive to re-chrome.  I'd put this missing part as a £1k discount before anything else is taken into account.

As an owner of one of these cars I'm surprised at how little they are appreciated.  Not only are they an amazingly modern to drive and versatile car, completely suitable for everyday use in the middle months of the year, but they also attract lots of interest and admiration while you do so.  Lay people 'get' them; they have some glamour.  

For what it's worth, the original vinyl interiors are very hard wearing and suitable for the odd drop of rain and even use by suitable dogs: leather would be less practical, but I don't imagine many prospective buyers for the Godin Banks car would consider it less desirable...



Earlier this year my 13 year old daughter had her first driving lesson in it - video is here http://www.youtube.com/embed/rm2ujsG5rKw

[Parisien]

Agreed Will...missed one in France, but on reflection for their value when finished thought it was for the best.

However, a local guy here in NI after many years pursuing this Vignale finally bought it! Locally owned...and in a pretty poor state.....

http://www.maranellohouse.com/flavia.html

NI is truly the current UK centre for restoration of......basket case Lancias!!!!

P

[ColinMarr]

If the ebay car is the ex-Basil Spence car then it has lost its most distinctive feature! This was huge rectangular box set into the rear of the car taking up the whole of the boot space. It was in effect a plans-chest to transport drawings. In my opinion it was quite ghastly and ruined the look of the car. Somewhere I have photos of taken in the 1980s when it was being worked on at Scheldt and Pettit.

Colin

[williamcorke]

Agreed Will...missed one in France, but on reflection for their value when finished thought it was for the best.

However, a local guy here in NI after many years pursuing this Vignale finally bought it! Locally owned...and in a pretty poor state.....

http://www.maranellohouse.com/flavia.html

NI is truly the current UK centre for restoration of......basket case Lancias!!!!

P

That's quite a project.  If you look at his webpage it gives a good idea of how hard-wearing the vinyl used to trim these cars really is.  You have the impression that the rest of the car could have entirely dissolved before the seats would even consider deteriorating!

[williamcorke]

If the ebay car is the ex-Basil Spence car then it has lost its most distinctive feature! This was huge rectangular box set into the rear of the car taking up the whole of the boot space. It was in effect a plans-chest to transport drawings. In my opinion it was quite ghastly and ruined the look of the car. Somewhere I have photos of taken in the 1980s when it was being worked on at Scheldt and Pettit.

Colin

I've never seen it in person, but I remembered the car you describe being for sale a while ago.  Lancia blue.  I found a picture of it online which confirms the colour.  Isn't this another car; did Hooper do more than one?  Did Sir BS own more than one Flavia Vignale?  I have a vague memory of a picture of him with a Flavia, perhaps in the club mag.  Does anyone remember that?

[Parisien]

Agreed Will...missed one in France, but on reflection for their value when finished thought it was for the best.

However, a local guy here in NI after many years pursuing this Vignale finally bought it! Locally owned...and in a pretty poor state.....

http://www.maranellohouse.com/flavia.html

NI is truly the current UK centre for restoration of......basket case Lancias!!!!

P

That's quite a project.  If you look at his webpage it gives a good idea of how hard-wearing the vinyl used to trim these cars really is.  You have the impression that the rest of the car could have entirely dissolved before the seats would even consider deteriorating!

He mentions feeding the leather....just what are you trying to say Will??!!



P

[williamcorke]

Agreed Will...missed one in France, but on reflection for their value when finished thought it was for the best.

However, a local guy here in NI after many years pursuing this Vignale finally bought it! Locally owned...and in a pretty poor state.....

http://www.maranellohouse.com/flavia.html

NI is truly the current UK centre for restoration of......basket case Lancias!!!!

P

That's quite a project.  If you look at his webpage it gives a good idea of how hard-wearing the vinyl used to trim these cars really is.  You have the impression that the rest of the car could have entirely dissolved before the seats would even consider deteriorating!

He mentions feeding the leather....just what are you trying to say Will??!!



P

To be precise he mentions using leather cleaner.  Looks like the standard vinyl to me, but photos can mislead...

[Parisien]

Finally I wrapped the seats in plastic with a little feed hide smeared underneath the seats in the thinking it will generate a little moisture and aroma for them. Now they will be safely packed away.


........must be leather then...............


P

[fay66]

Fell in love with the first Flavia Vignale I saw back in 1997 on our way to Lake Orta with Frank Dehler, mind the lady driving had a big influence as well!
Unfortunately never had enough money to buy one, although there was a lovely one for sale in blue at the Flavia Anniversary at Covent Garden, that went for about £9k at the time.
Brian
8227

[ColinMarr]

Here are some photographs of what I thought was the ex-Basil Spence Flavia Vignale. These were taken at Scheldt and Pettit’s at Harrow in 1987. The box-in-the-boot modification is very evident. The engine bay shows twin downdraft Solexs and I think it was an early 1500cc car. The red Vignale in the background had registration number 900GBL.

Other posts here have commented on the original red vinyl trim on these cars. I can assure you that it may look like leather, but it’s very hard and durable plastic! And I suppose that if you treated it like leather, it may even smell of leather, but it was vinyl.

I’ll also post this under the Flavia heading.

Colin

[Parisien]

Finally I wrapped the seats in plastic with a little feed hide smeared underneath the seats in the thinking it will generate a little moisture and aroma for them. Now they will be safely packed away.


........must be leather then...............


P

.......ok...leatherette then....

I will break the bad news to him.......


P

[Parisien]

Yes...the box like addition is pretty unacceptable........but minus same, a handsome little convertible

P