RE: Lancia Fulvia | Spotted

RE: Lancia Fulvia | Spotted

Sunday 15th December 2019

Lancia Fulvia | Spotted

Worried all the cheap, cool classics are gone? Don't be - look at this Fulvia



As the 2020s loom on the horizon, the appeal of a classic car is very easy to understand. Without sounding too bleak or curmudgeonly, the onslaught of an automated, assisted future will only make the prospect of a classic, a car that needs driving and caring for, more alluring. More alluring to a very select few, sure, but given we are that few, here's the place to celebrate it...

So if 2020 is the year to fulfil the classic car dream, do we have just the vehicle. See, the trouble with old cars is that, as their appeal increases, so do their values. Cars that might once have worked perfectly as a cheap, interesting classic are now at sky high money, even with a recent softening. The knowledge that the era they represent is not returning, and that motoring will only move further from it, keeps their demand buoyant.

Then the trouble with cheap classics is that they tend to be the cars that people don't want any more, those gladly consigned to the history books because, well, they're a bit crap. Slow, ugly, boring, or a combination of all three, it can make the hunt for a classic rather challenging for the enthusiast.


Those are quite broad, sweeping statements, but hopefully the point is clear enough: getting hold of a classic is harder than it used to be. So how about this? For £10,000, which is a pretty inconsequential amount in the grand scheme of car buying, you could be the owner of this Lancia Fulvia.

Quite the specimen, isn't it? Unencumbered by modern safety standards - and aided here by the debumpered rally look, more of which shortly - the Fulvia is small, beautiful and sweet as cherry pie. Lots of Lancia rally history is dominated by the blocky, functional Delta, but of course those absolute stunners existed before it: Stratos, Monte Carlo, 037. It's surely fair to include the Fulvia in that list of very pretty Lancias.

First introduced in 1963, this Series 2 1971 Fulvia was first brought to the UK - driven here, no less - two years ago. As the owner is keen to point out, Fulvias of this era benefit from the gorgeous styling of the early cars, but were built before Fiat's cost-cutting influence was too severe. Prior to sale it's been set up on a rolling road, fitted with a new clutch and an upgraded alternator. "Ready for a new owner to enjoy" is how it's pitched, a "usable, presentable car offering a spritely and engaging drive". And who wouldn't want to try that?


As for the rally look - note the rake pushing the nose down, and the spotlights - appropriate because the Fulvia did compete back in its homeland. Described in the ad as "gentle road rallying", which for an Italian in a Lancia we'll assume was a little more spirited, it's not hard to imagine how much fun a little Lancia in the hills must have been. Hopefully the next owner can continue with a bit of competition - something a bit different to a Mini, isn't it?

Now, obviously, tending to a 50-year-old Lancia won't be as simple as a modern car, and perhaps not as drama-free as some contemporaries. That said, this is fundamentally a pretty simple little machine, one not blighted by huge weight, enormous power or any great complexity - nothing much should be under any tremendous strain. And goodness knows there's the enthusiasm and support around Lancia in the UK to keep the cars going, with decades of experience at specialists. To be able to get yourself into that community, to fulfil a dream of classic ownership and nab something this pretty, all for £10k, looks like the bargain of the year...

See the original advert here

Search for a Lancia here

Author
Discussion

ilovequo

Original Poster:

775 posts

180 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Tres beau

Turbobanana

6,160 posts

200 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Unless it's set up for snow, those wheel arch extensions need the Cromadora alloys to fill them. Other than that - beautiful.

I appear to be in the wrong job as my wife and I earn well above the average wage, but certainly don't consider £10,000 an "inconsequential" amount of money.

If I had it spare though...

tihouss

33 posts

131 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
These Fulvias are absolutely stunning, although personally I'd go for an elegant look instead of rally wannabe.
They aren't that simplistic an automobile though, really over-engineered in some aspects and (ginormous hub nuts come to mind) and they were incredibly pricey when new.
I would have loved to have one, but chose a Giulia saloon instead because it was easier to work on.

TrotCanterGallopCharge

420 posts

89 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Turbobanana said:
Unless it's set up for snow, those wheel arch extensions need the Cromadora alloys to fill them. Other than that - beautiful.

I appear to be in the wrong job as my wife and I earn well above the average wage, but certainly don't consider £10,000 an "inconsequential" amount of money.

If I had it spare though...
'Man Maths' is always your friend.
A lot of people can lose £10k in depreciation on a new(er) car, this should hold & possibly increase in value.
Agree on the wheels.

Yacht Broker

3,158 posts

266 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
I love mine to pieces. Have spent an absolute fortune on restoration and still have another two or three fortunes left to go before the car is 100%.

My Fulvia was my first classic and since buying it, I have sold all my modern sports cars as for pure driver experience, it beats them all without putting your driving licence at risk.

The main problem (and it's not the fault of the car) is that the values don't correspond with the cost of proper restoration. It costs the same to properly restore a Fulvia as it does an E-Type so many just get bodged.

My two best discoveries since purchasing have been Omicron Engineering in Norfolk who can supply all the parts, absolute encyclopedic knowledge and great workshop facilities, and also the availability of brand new period Pirelli Cinturato tyres which make the car handle as it was originally supposed to.

I will post up some pics of mine later. It has been 'rallied' up a little, but purely for company exposure purposes (pitch up to a marina or a yacht club in a Maserati and people think you charge too much... Pitch up in a stickered-up Lancia Fuliva and it becomes a very positive talking point)

scottygib553

507 posts

94 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Expected this to be much more for some reason.

thiscocks

3,127 posts

194 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Turbobanana said:
Unless it's set up for snow, those wheel arch extensions need the Cromadora alloys to fill them.
Looks like the standard set up to me, and looks great imo.

paulwirral

3,104 posts

134 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
I remember looking at one in a scrap yard when I was 17 , the engine was knackered but £50 would have bought the whole car !

bloomen

6,851 posts

158 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Yacht Broker said:
It costs the same to properly restore a Fulvia as it does an E-Type so many just get bodged.
If I remember rightly they cost the same or more as an E type when new.

ParanoidAndroid

1,359 posts

282 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Love Fulvia’s, so pretty. This is an interesting read https://www.autocar.co.uk/opinion/anything-goes-us...

hxc_

382 posts

183 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
If I had a place to park it, I would be unbelievably tempted by that.

Heck, I still am.

RM

580 posts

96 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Yacht Broker said:
I will post up some pics of mine later. It has been 'rallied' up a little, but purely for company exposure purposes (pitch up to a marina or a yacht club in a Maserati and people think you charge too much... Pitch up in a stickered-up Lancia Fuliva and it becomes a very positive talking point)
Yes please do!

itcaptainslow

3,694 posts

135 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
I don’t normally “do” classics from before “my” time (born in the late 80’s) but there’s just something about these that is so...right.

I’ve never driven one nor even seen one in the metal, but they’re achingly pretty in my book and I’d love to own one.

P5BNij

15,770 posts

105 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
There's a beautiful delicacy about them, saw this one at the NEC show last month, so pretty...






KPdiEwcar

20 posts

58 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
My other half has a decent stable of desirable classics (some Italian, some British, some German).

Ask him “if you could only keep one, which would it be?”
Well, it’s the Fulvia Coupe. Cheapest and almost the slowest of the bunch but smiles per gallon and POSITIVE reaction from other people? Nothing beats it.

And if you get a pre-Fiat model, some of the engineering touches are sublime.

KP

ogrodz

179 posts

119 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Yacht Broker said:
I love mine to pieces. Have spent an absolute fortune on restoration and still have another two or three fortunes left to go before the car is 100%.

My Fulvia was my first classic and since buying it, I have sold all my modern sports cars as for pure driver experience, it beats them all without putting your driving licence at risk.

The main problem (and it's not the fault of the car) is that the values don't correspond with the cost of proper restoration. It costs the same to properly restore a Fulvia as it does an E-Type so many just get bodged.

My two best discoveries since purchasing have been Omicron Engineering in Norfolk who can supply all the parts, absolute encyclopedic knowledge and great workshop facilities, and also the availability of brand new period Pirelli Cinturato tyres which make the car handle as it was originally supposed to.

I will post up some pics of mine later. It has been 'rallied' up a little, but purely for company exposure purposes (pitch up to a marina or a yacht club in a Maserati and people think you charge too much... Pitch up in a stickered-up Lancia Fuliva and it becomes a very positive talking point)
I echo your comments. When the sun comes out, there aren't many cars to rival the Fulvia for good looks imho...









Don Roque

17,990 posts

158 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
I have an off affection for these. I've never even seen one in person but I have always liked the looks of them. I've driven one in simulation (WRC 8) and noted that it felt like it had a very pointy front end and a very light rear. I don't know if that was due to competition setup for rallying or if they were all like that.

sideways man

1,307 posts

136 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
ParanoidAndroid said:
Thanks for the link. Lancia was one of the industry’s great marques, real shame the Beta damaged it’s reputation so badly and never really recovered. Didn’t realise these were so cheap, might look into getting one. Guess I’m used to Escort prices...

LarJammer

2,235 posts

209 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
Cars like this are the antidote to the high prices of other classic cars. Cant afford an air cooled 911? Who cares! An old Lancia is just as cool.

sunbeam alpine

6,936 posts

187 months

Sunday 15th December 2019
quotequote all
That is very reasonably priced. If I had the room I'd have that in an instant, but we've only just broken ground on my new garage.

I had the chance to buy one a few years ago. It's one of my very few regrets...