Ex-Basil Spence Vignale

[frankxhv773t]

To add to the debate I have found a few more pictures on dear old Google. The modification doesn't seem too obtrusive in anything but a rear view. It looks better on the silver car because the dark extension is visually detached from the lines of the original body. Finally the modification doesn't seem to preclude a return to a standard boot lid.

[lancialulu]

Resurecting this old thread, the Spence Vignale has surfaced again at Hexagon

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1072040

[Mikenoangelo]

Basil Spence did like cars - I met him when parking my first car (1926 Bullnose Morris Oxford) outside the students' union at Leeds University where he had been giving a lecture. He stopped and we had quite a chat about the car. This must have been about 1956.
Mike

[DavidLaver]

https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/events/2017-auctions/the-salon-prive-sale-2017/the-salon-prive-sale-2017-sale/cars/1963-lancia-flavia-vignale-convertible

This comment popped out:

"It was during the mid-eighties that the car became the subject of an 18-month court battle after a bill for the car's restoration, estimated at £5,000, was invoiced to the (understandably) upset then owner at £37,000!"

My reason for looking this thread up again is that William started yesterday at Southampton.  We've yet to fathom why his Faraday Tower is closed but a lot of his other buildings are still going strong.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-35271916
http://urbantrawl.blogspot.com/2011/03/dont-play-step-game.html



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Spence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiparXjr-UI&list=PL0J-eeCWEKS_cpNPAbA_4A14oPGKWlSYO&index=37&t=0s

[Parisien]

I note the court found in favour of the restorers! So even 30 years later, it's still not made its money back.

Again in the  article it states it cost eight times (surely an error) the price of a Citroen DS convertible in 1963, which perversely is worth five times more than the Flavia is now.

P

[chriswgawne]

Who was the restorer Frank?
Chris

[Parisien]

Who was the restorer Frank?
Chris

No idea, but hope they don't finish off the B12!

Don't they keep court records, judgements, easy to search for Flavia.

P

[ColinMarr]

From some of the earlier posts about this car I think we agreed that it was the other Hooper modified Flavia that I photographed at Scheldt and Pettit’s in 1987, so I doubt it was them who did this expensive restoration.

Nothing to do with Lancia, but I can add a story that might be of interest. In recent years I met someone who worked for Spence when they were at Canonbury Square in the 1960s. I asked him if he knew anything about Sir Basil and his cars – sadly he didn’t, but he did relate the following story. Apparently, Sir Basil and Lady Spence lived in an apartment above the studio space. On one occasion, while the staff were engrossed at a meeting trying to address some crisis at the Sussex University project, Lady Spence appeared carrying an electric toaster and loudly explained to Basil that it was still not working and he would have to return it to Harrods. Sir Basil duly obliged – the meeting was cancelled and off he went!