Post-war Lancias were well-engineered and thrilling to drive, yet the styling of mass-production variants of models such as the Appia was, while attractive, rather conservative.

This changed with introduction of the second-series Appia in 1956, which brought sharply tailored offerings from Italy’s celebrated carrozzerias .

Of these, none emphasized the Appia’s sporting potential more successfully than the GTE by Zagato.

The petite coupes retained Lancia’s signature 1.1-liter V-4 engine and four-speed gearbox, but the lightweight aluminum bodywork was radically streamlined.

The prototype, the aptly named Appia Cammello (or “camel”) sported Zagato’s double-bubble roof; this feature had disappeared by the time the GTE, or “ Gran Turismo Esporto ,” debuted in 1958, but the new model was lower and sleeker, with aerodynamic elements including covered headlamps (a desirable feature lacking on most of the subsequent Series III cars).

It is believed that 153 of these Zagato-bodied second-s...