Lancia has announced that it will be main sponsor of the Monaco Classic Week, one of the most prestigious events for vintage yachts and motor yachts, organised by the Monaco Yacht Club from September 12-16, 2007.

For over a century elegance, exclusivity, great attention to detail and superb materials have been the hallmark of both Lancia cars and yachting. Qualities seen in the Phedra and Thesis models, flagships of the Lancia range, made available to the Monaco Yacht Club, cars that given their styling and top-level comfort best express the true classic Lancia spirit which embodies the brand's traditional values. And in addition this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Lancia Flaminia. Produced from 1957, this magnificent Lancia flagship was much admired in its day and is still used by Italy's President of the Republic. This imposing and luxurious car was produced up until 1970 in three successive series. The coupé versions by Pininfarina, Touring and Zagato, were particularly fascinating. A number of speedboats were equipped with the Flaminia's powerful 6-cylinder unit and were so successful that in a short time they became a separate class. Some of these masterpieces will perform during the Classic Week, while a Pininfarina Flaminia coupé will be on show at the Monaco Yacht Club.

Flaminia 2500 Class speedboats

Lancia Class three-point speedboats – later re-baptised Flaminia 2500 – racing in the Sixties and Seventies all used the great Lancia flagship's engine, adapted for speedboat racing. It was installed back to front compared to cars, with the power intakes on the pulley and not the flywheel side. Races, in fact, were run over a course with two 800-metre straights and two 200-metre left-hand bends. So to enable boats to turn left the propeller was only able to turn right. There was no electrical system and the plugs had platinum electrodes (an innovation at the time). Also the exhaust pipes were modified in order to increase power output. Components shared with standard car engines were the crankshaft, piston rods, connecting rods, rocker arms and tappets.
 

The rest could be freely modified. Thanks to the skill of mechanics and drivers, the Flaminia 2500 managed to reach a maximum speed of 228 km/h in long-distance races. Among the qualities that made the Flaminia engine such a success was its ability to reach peak torque at only 4500 rpm (against 5800 for Alfa Romeo engines). This meant it had an exceptional pick-up after rounding the buoy and so could immediately unleash all of its power in the straight. Other advantages were its reliability and light weight. The latter was a significant factor as the weight of boat plus driver couldn't exceed 370 kg.

Vintage Lancias at the Classic Week

On show in the garden at the Monaco Yacht Club will be a Pininfarina Lancia Flaminia coupé, presented for the first time at the 1958 Turin Motor Show in a prototype version. The four-seat, two-door model with its harmonious line and proportions – the wheelbase had been shortened by 12 cm – started to come off the production line the following year. The more powerful engine (119 instead of 102 bhp) and reduced weight gave it a top speed of 170 km/h, compared to 160 for the saloon model. Still today the coupé is considered one of the Turin designer's most attractive models.

The second car is a Lancia Artena Cabriolet dating from 1932, donated to the Lancia Collection by Countess Spreafico di Lecco. Equipped with a 4-cylinder 2000 cc engine, this intriguing model was one of the first cars designed by Pinin Farina and still today looks magnificent, with its original two-colour body (black wings and bordeaux body) and elegant cream-coloured canvas roof. Furthermore, the 1932 Lancia Artena Cabriolet inherited all the reliability that had made the basic model so famous. Both cars on show are part of the Lancia Collection.