Some say this is the last true Lancia—to be honest, I have heard this expression used for dozens of cars of different marques. “The last true Alfa…” “the last Lancia”, “the last Jaguar”, and then nobody can even agree on which model they are talking about, assuming they can agree on what “last” means in the first place. It is usually just a nostalgic and resigned expression uttered by someone who, recollecting the splendour of the past, resents a company takeover—maybe when the latter keeps developing products, saving a car manufacturer from certain bankruptcy. Bar talk aside, it does not matter whether the 2000 Coupé was the “last true Lancia” or not, because this car undeniably represents in full the marque’s identity from those years and is today an object of interest for many a collector.

Its story started with the 1969 Flavia Coupé that, in 1971, on the occasion of a range upgrade, was simply renamed 2000 Coupé. Based on Pininfarina’s masterpiece, its alterations were mostly of technical nature (e.g. the five-speed transmission) and a few aesthetic tweaks, like the new alloy rims and an extensively reimagined interior.

The true novelty was introduced a few months later: the 2000 Coupé HF, with its 126 hp boxer engine fuelled by a Bosch injection system that made the driving experience more responsive and fluid. The four disc brakes—with the innovative braking system made in Lancia called Superduplex—are also worth noting. It is hard to imagine a more technological and refined car at the beginning of the ’70s. All that for a price of 4,592,000 liras, like a Peugeot 504 Coupé and a million more than an Alfa 2000 GT Veloce.