EVALUATION : Older restoration. | Represented as the original engine and bodywork. Scratched windshield, decent but not exceptional chrome. Flat panels and even gaps. Good upholstery and soft interior trim inside. Restored well in the late ’80s in Italy, but driven since, including on many long-distance tours and the Mille Miglia Storica. Mechanically overhauled in the U.S. in the last decade and repainted in 2018, when the chrome was replated. Since run in the Colorado Grand and twice in the Copperstate 1000 without issue.
BOTTOM LINE : Sold by Bonhams at Monaco in 2005 for €236,000 ($297,905 at the time) then by Gooding at Pebble Beach in 2010 in rather tired (3+) condition. In 2018, after its recent repaint, RM Sotheby’s tried and failed to find it a new home at the Monterey auctions, where it hammered at $875,000. The Spider America is a typical Lancia: idiosyncratic, innovative, and forward-thinking. It is lightweight and balanced. The Pinin Farina coachwork is … well … Lancia-appropriate with its large, shield-shaped grille, mustache bumpers, wraparound windshield, and haunched rear fenders. Even the placement of the Pinin Farina badge—behind the doors—is idiosyncratic. This car has proven its mettle on many long-distance events, and although its value is consistent over several auction appearances, it could have ventured into seven figures without raising eyebrows. This result, agreed to in a post-block sale, represents a sound value.
