Next week in Bologna famed Italian design house Zagato will unveil an exciting new project. The culmination of much work this “car of the future” could be very aptly be described as an original design from the 1930s which has been brought to life using the technology of the third millennium.

To celebrate the centenary of Lancia this year, and to emphasise the long standing affiliation between the 100-year-old Turinese marque and the Milanese coachbuilder historically remembered for its Sport-branded versions, Andrea Zagato decided to re-edition the Lancia Aprilia Sport, identical to the car which was built by his grandfather Ugo in 1938.

The complicated process however did not start from hand drawn sketches, as with most of today's recreated cars, but from two faded monochrome photographs – the only remaining source of accurate information about the Aprilia Sport. As the original car no longer exists, state of the art digitalisation, CAD modelling and CNC machining technologies were used to reconstruct the plans for this version of the Aprilia Sport, which most effectively expressed the aeronautical themes that were so prevalent during the 1930s.
 

The sheet metal of the bodywork was then skilfully hand crafted by master panel beaters, working on a solid, machined buck. The final result is a symphony of perfectly taut lines and seamless highlights, impeccably resolving the limitations of pre-war construction techniques in putting a concept into reality. Shaped like the cross section of a wing, in a single volume undisturbed by external fenders, this car is a milestone in the almost 90 years of history of Zagato.

This is the second high-profile bespoke project from Zagato this year, and it comes six months after one of the biggest highlights of the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza in April was the world première of the Ferrari 575 GTZ, a car specially coachbuilt by Zagato and specifically built for “gentleman drivers” created along the lines of the historic 250 GTZ from 1956.