• Wearing Lancia Blue, this one 1968 Fulvia coupe is a rare handsome little car with surprisingly advanced engineering.
• The tiny 1.3-liter narrow-angle V-4 consumes about 87 horsepower and (when new) propels a roughly 2,000-pound vehicle to 60 mph in 12.6 seconds, according to a checking daily in Roads & Paths.
• A fun and more affordable alternative to the classic Alfa Romeo GTV, the Fulvia is so rare that you’re almost guaranteed to never see another outside of a club meeting Lancia. It’s up for auction on Bring a Trailer, with bidding closing on Tuesday, May 24.
It’s weird when erotic pictures of your ex pop up on the internet. But that’s exactly what happened this week when 150 photos of my ex Lancia Fulvia appeared on the internet. Bring an intro—Which, like Vehicle and Driveris part of Hearst Autos. It was my first classic. I bought Lancia Blue on 1968 Series 1 Fulvia tan vinyl after discovering it on Bring a trailer for late 2008. Back then, Bring a trailer listed interesting and quirky cars; The addictive auction site that it has become now is still a few years away.
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Bought on contributor’s sage advice Jamie Kitmanwho assured me his Fulvia would likely be the last one he sold in his collection of more than 30 cars, I drove to Connecticut from Michigan in CD’S Long-term Jaguar XF to see and drive Fulvia. I enlisted the help of mechanic Lancia Frank Spadaro of Dominick European Car Repair in White Plains, New York, to give me another set of eyes and an expert opinion. Although we found some of the floorboards rusted, the car came with a replacement set. Spadaro noted a few other minor problems, including the carburetor overcharging.
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The seller imported the car from Italy, repainted the interior and changed to a newer engine. While it’s never a good idea to see a car in the rain – everything looks nicer and neater when it’s wet, and it’s difficult to accurately test the paint – the weather hasn’t cooperated. . I missed a few paint cracks, but overall the Fulvia comes out as advertised. A few days before my 35th birthday, I bought it and the car went straight to White Plains for a small overhaul, which included some rust repairs, fuel system cleaning and conditioning. adjusted to bring it to a state-of-the-art mechanical form.
A powerfully running Fulvia is a joy to command. The gear lever is ridiculously long rising from the firewall, but the four-speed forward movement is smooth and precise. Haste to change either one results in synchronisations, some of which are noted in Sugar & Sugar test the Fulvia coupe. A refined precision is infused throughout the machinery, from the way the doors close to the startling response of the unassisted steering wheel when turning into a corner. There’s nothing particularly interesting about the wishbone front suspension and beam rear axle apart from the front horizontal leaf springs. Pushing as hard as it likes, the Fulvia simply overcomes abuse, a trait that has made it the world championship racing car.
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Credit for the lightness is an adjustment, but it’s also the 2000-pound weight limit, a figure that’s only about 100 pounds heavier than 2005 Lotus Elise has replaced Lancia. The fixed exterior panels are steel, and mine comes with aluminum doors, hood and trunk. Opening the hood reveals a narrow angle of the V-4 lying at a 45-degree angle, and the entire powertrain and front suspension mounted to the subframe. Power goes to the front wheels and the four vertical cylinders hang out in front of the front axle as in most modern cars. Audis.
On the highway, the Fulvia rattles happily at 80 mph, and the narrow four-corner hums happily, snarling through the intake and rumbling out of the exhaust. Around town, the 1.3-liter engine is powerful enough to accelerate quickly downhill. R&T 12.6 seconds at 60 mph and 18.6 seconds in the second quarter run at 75 mph. The mechanical tune it sings is the one you want to last, and since it’s not quick, you’ll hear the engine humming and the gearbox humming. Unassisted four-wheel disc brakes stopped the small coupe quickly and produced a nice solid pedal with a strong bite.
I was going to use it as a daily driver after moving to Los Angeles, but an early master-cylinder brake failure during my time at SoCal made me a little hesitant to use it to run out for a kale salad. and butter. and all the things you do while living in California. Parts are surprisingly plentiful and inexpensive. Aside from rebuilding the generator in 2010 or so, Fulvia never demanded any attention.
The Lancia community is very small, so when I started talking about the sale, a buyer quickly popped up with enthusiasm for the car that made me confident it would be taken care of. Over the years, the current owner, and now the seller, has invited me to visit and drive the Fulvia. Registration always includes a report of all the work and love he gives it.
Lancia produced the Fulvia coupe from 1965 to 1976. It was more commonly seen in Europe than in the US, where it was an extremely rare car. Go to a car show and be prepared to answer a lot of questions, including “What kind of Corvair is this?” But, the flip side of it is that you will meet a lot of memorable people because this is an interesting car that attracts interesting people. The auction ends on Tuesday, May 24, so you’re only a few days away from winning one of the prettiest and most special little cars you’ve ever owned.
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