The Lancia Appia Vignale Convertible was offered in two forms, a 2-seater, and a later 2+2 version. This car is one of the latter, and while it looks dusty and dirty, it is also a solid and complete car that is ripe for restoration. This rare little Lancia is located in Southampton, New York, and is listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the listing to open at $19,995, but there are no bids to this point. This is an auction where a single bid could secure the car for the next owner because the Appia is being offered for sale with No Reserve.

The Appia first saw the light of day as a sedan in 1953. In 1956, Lancia commissioned a number of coachbuilders to create prototypes in various configurations. A total of 14 prototypes were produced, and Lancia chose Pininfarina to build the Coupe version, while Vignale was commissioned to produce the Convertible. These companies produced these variants on Appia chassis that were supplied by Lancia, with the completed cars then sold through Lancia dealerships. The Vignale Convertible was initially available as a 2-seater only, but in 1959, a 2+2 version was also released. With our feature car being a 1959 2+2 version, that makes it an early example of what was a fairly rare vehicle. The first piece of positive news with this classic Lancia is that while there is some surface corrosion present on the underside of the car, it appears to be solid, and free of any rust issues. The second piece of good news and this is pretty significant given the car’s relative rarity, is that not only does it appear to be complete, but it looks like every aspect of the body and trim could be restored without having to source replacement parts. It’s also worth noting that the car is fitted with a hardtop, and these items alone are quite difficult to find. It isn’t clear whether there is a soft-top, or even a frame, included with the car. Hopefully, there is at least a frame, because these are another item that can be quite hard to find.

The interior of the Lancia is the source of both good and bad news. It does appear to be complete, and the leather seat upholstery looks like it is actually in quite good condition. The dash itself looks complete and original, but the pad is very badly cracked. Sadly, the beautiful timber on the wheel rim has delaminated as well, although it might not be beyond restoration. The upholstery on the door trims has deteriorated, and if replacement items can’t be located, then it might come down to the skills of a really good upholsterer to rectify this, along with a couple of other minor trim issues. New carpet will also need to go on the shopping list, so there is a bit of work required inside the car.

Powering the Appia is a 1,089cc twin-cam V4 engine, producing 54hp. This power is sent to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. Once again, there is some positive news, because the drive-train of the Lancia is complete, and the engine is said to turn freely. The other piece of good news is that mechanical components for the Convertible are fairly easy to source because the vast majority of these are shared with the Appia sedan. With such a low power output, an Appia Convertible, which tips the scales at 2,094lbs, is not a fast car. These take around 18 seconds to accelerate from 0-60mph, around 21 seconds to cover the ¼ mile and have a declared top speed of 89mph. Of course, with two adults up front and a couple of children in the small rear seat, those times are going to be blunted even further. Still, it might not be fast, but that wonderful little V4 engine does sound rather sweet with a few revs on board, so at least it will sound the part.

The Appia Vignale Convertible is a relatively rare car, but just how rare it is can actually be quite hard to determine. The Convertible was built in the previously mentioned two forms between 1957 and 1962. A total of 1,584 cars were built during this period, but it isn’t clear how many of each type were built, and how many cars were produced in each model year. Even without that information, the car could be considered to be a rare one, especially outside its native Italy. The opening bid for the listing for this car is quite high, but the physical condition of the car also appears to be extremely solid. The relative rarity of these little cars is definitely reflected in their values and sales results. These are not a car that comes on the market in the USA terribly often, and depending on condition, a solid and running example can fetch over $40,000, while an immaculate car can easily bring $65,000. Even if the next owner does manage to secure the car with a single bid, that would seem to leave plenty of room to move on a restoration that would still make sound financial sense.