Lancia Aprilia Sport Zagato Integrale

The Lancia Aprilia Sport Zagato Integrale was a streamlined coachbuilt coupé based on the Lancia Aprilia chassis and bodied by Carrozzeria Zagato. Developed in the late 1930s, it reflected the period’s growing interest in aerodynamic efficiency, especially for small-displacement sporting cars intended for road competition. The Aprilia was already one of the most advanced Italian production cars of its time. Introduced by Lancia in 1937, it featured independent suspension and a compact V4 engine, together with a body originally developed with attention to aerodynamic performance. Zagato took this technical base further, creating a lower, more specialised body with a strong emphasis on reduced drag and lightness. The design was extremely clean for its period. The front retained the Lancia identity through the narrow shield-shaped grille and rounded headlamps, but the rest of the body was shaped as a continuous aerodynamic form. The front wings were smoothly integrated into the body sides, while the roofline curved gently over the compact cabin and flowed into a long tapered tail. The rear wheels were enclosed by spats, reducing turbulence and giving the car its distinctive teardrop profile. Compared with more conventional sports coupés of the same period, the Aprilia Sport Zagato Integrale looked almost experimental. The cabin was set forward, the tail was long and descending, and the surfaces were kept as uninterrupted as possible. The word Integrale referred to the more enclosed and integrated body treatment, with wings and tail visually absorbed into the overall volume rather than treated as separate elements. Mechanically, the car retained Lancia Aprilia components, including the narrow-angle V4 engine and rear-wheel-drive layout. Its performance depended less on raw power and more on low weight, clean airflow and the efficiency of the Aprilia chassis. The Lancia Aprilia Sport Zagato Integrale is important in Zagato’s pre-war history because it shows the coachbuilder moving from traditional lightweight sports bodies toward a more advanced aerodynamic language. Its long tail, enclosed rear wheels and compact frontal area anticipated themes that would remain central to Zagato’s competition work after the war.