June 2nd celebration: Lancia Flaminia president of the Republic, history, how it’s made

Certainly among the symbols of the highest institution of our country, but also a manifesto of elegance and high Italian engineering. Lancia Flaminia 335 it is the official car that accompanies the President of the Republic on the occasion that celebrates the 80th anniversary of the constitution of the Republic: the parade in Rome, from the Imperial Forums to the Altare della Patria.

The birth of a masterpiece

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The Lancia Flaminia, a sedan with clean and geometric lines, debuted at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show and was immediately popular, but Pininfarina the project was commissioned to make it the “flagship par excellence”, i.e. deriving a presidential version from it. The April 21, 1961 four named cars were registered Lancia Flaminia type 335three figures which meant the distance in centimeters between the front and rear wheels, increased by 48 cm compared to the 287 of the standard Flaminia, with a length of the bodywork reaching up to 546 cmpainted in a rigorous midnight blue shade.

Four thoroughbreds

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Continuing a now very distant tradition, the four cars were baptized with the names of four thoroughbred horses of the Quirinale stables. Flaminia Belfiore, Belmonte and Belvedere have a configuration defined in technical jargon Landauletthat is, with a hard roof for the two front seats and an opening soft top for the rear ones, which are 5, with an intermediate row made up of two folding folding seats and a rear sofa for three passengers. The Flaminia called Belsito instead has a non-opening canvas roof. The interiors are sober in balancing the chrome of the dashboard with the black Connolly leather of the seats and upholstery, with the electrically operated side windows and the intercom that connects the driver’s area with that intended for guests.

The four Lancia Flaminia 335s were awarded the Asi gold plate (Italian historic Automotoclub). They are considered the heritage of our country. In common there is the V6 petrol engine completely in aluminum with 2,457 cc displacement for 102 HP of powerwith 4-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, all this with a technological level that was certainly high for the time and which today requires the attention of the Intendenza del Quirinale sector, through the garage service. Each car is unique in its own way, however it does not exceed the maximum speed of 120 km/hbut it has a carburettor behavior a double body which transmits to each specimen a specific response in recovery and above all to the slow gait of the horses, the one required during the official parade on June 2nd.