styled by Pininfarina, Lancia's Flaminia saloon first appeared in this form as a replacement for the Aurelia at the 1956 Turin Motor Show. The Aurelia's replacement, the luxurious Flaminia retained the predecessor's mechanical layout, though the form of unitary construction was changed. The more modern coil spring and wishbone front suspension arrangement replaced the Aurelia's sliding pillars, with de Dion rear suspension transaxle with in-board brakes retained. An improved and strengthened version of the Lancia Aurelia's 60-degree, 2,458cc overhead valve V6 2.5-litre engine was used, and four wheel servo disc brakes quickly replaced the original drums. The short-chassis Coupe versions appeared in 1958 from Touring of Milan, Farina and Zagato, followed by the Touring-styled GT and GTL (2+2) coupes with the elegant Convertible by Touring of Milan soon joining the range. The latter trio had a further shortened wheelbase by 8" to 177 inches, shared with the Sport and Super Sport models, and all featured disc brakes and increased power. This was further boosted in 1961 from 119 to 150bhp, giving the sportier Flaminias a top speed of over 200kph. The 3C Convertible is the ultimate and most desirable of the Flaminia range.