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...
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...
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.
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...
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.
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)
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
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)
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