more Lancia Fulvia - Polaroid SLR670a photo

Godfrey

Godfrey

somewhat colored
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Follow on to https://www.rangefinderforum.com/node/100109/page514 post #10277

I figured I have to have at least one Polaroid shot of the Fulvia posted! :angel:

1967 Lancia Fulvia Coupe, Out for Saturday Breakfast - San Jose 2021
Polaroid SLR670a, 600 Color
Scanned with Impossible app on iPhone 11 Pro
Rendered with Snapseed​


Signora Fulvia is now running quite nicely, but the brake master cylinder is failing. So I decided it was safe enough to take it on a short ride to go to breakfast yesterday while I wait for the new master cylinder to arrive.

It was cold as all heck (35°F in the garage) and I wondered whether I'd have any trouble starting it... No problem at all, fired up instantly with the choke, idled nicely just a couple of minutes later.

As expected, traffic was very light, the distance very short, and I had no problems getting to the cafe to meet up with my regular Saturday breakfast buddies. Three times on the way there someone pulled up next to me, shouting: "What is that? Is it an Alfa Romeo?" and some such. There are so few of these cars around!!! At least they realized it was Italian... LOL!

After breakfast, my buddy Dave walked out with me to the lot to see the car. "Where'd you park it?"

I laughed ... "Right over there on the first row. But it's so small that *anything* parked next to it hides it." A Prius and some Ford or another had pulled into the spots next to the Fulvia: you could barely see it even just ten feet away. I may have to put one of those key finder fobs in the glove compartment...

On the way home, I felt the brake pedal go spongy twice. Hmm. Well, the new brake master cylinder should be here in just a couple of days. Signora Fulvia will stay parked until it arrives ... its last drive on the ailing brake cylinder will be to the shop, and it will start 2022 with reliable brakes!

:D

Enjoy! G
 
I do hope the Signora runs as well as she looks good. I had some experience with the Fiats of that era, and let's just say those aren't fond memories! Of course, that's like saying all Italians are Mafiosi.
 
Is the "bumper" those two nubbins on either side of the four vents below the grille? :) Great looking car -- and terrific visibility in all directions, for sure. Am I right that the Fulvia has a V4?
 
Shame on you, Godfrey! Camera GAS is bad enough, but now you're encouraging car GAS! That is one beautiful machine.
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Signora Fulvia is Lady without age and for sure will give you nice good emotions!
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Thank you!

Lancia Fulvia sounds like a procedure in an ob/gyn office.
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SNARKY, very snarky... LOL! ;) :D

Lancia's car names started with letters of the Greek alphabet in the 19-teens (Beta, Gamma, Lambda, etc) and then switched to the names of Roman highways and roads sometime in the 1920s (Appia, Aprilia, Aurelia, etc). The Fulvia series (berlina, coupe, and sportGT) was named for the Via Fulvia ... That's the old Roman road that ran from Roma to Torino. In later years, after FIAT acquired the company, they went back to naming some of the models after letters of the Greek alphabet again (like the 1970s era Lancia Beta).

I do hope the Signora runs as well as she looks good. I had some experience with the Fiats of that era, and let's just say those aren't fond memories! Of course, that's like saying all Italians are Mafiosi.
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I had a couple of 1970s FIAT cars as well, once upon a time. While they weren't utter disasters, they were none of them built with the engineering, integrity, and build quality of a Lancia. One 1966 road test rated the Lancia Fulvia Coupe as being better made than a Mercedes Benz of the same era ... a matter of opinion, but I have to say that this 1967 car is just as solid and 'thumps' as a piece over bumps and potholes just like my 2006 Mercedes SLK280!

Lancia succumbed to financial difficulties ultimately because they didn't relax standards and their cars were too expensive to build and make a decent profit on. The company was bought by FIAT in 1968 and FIAT immediately started work on reducing the cost of manufacture, such that many enthusiasts consider the 1967 Lancia cars to be the last "true" Lancias in their build and quality, even though the Fulvia Coupe continued in production with only minor engineering changes all the way to 1976.

Now that I've sorted out the carburetors (a broken accelerator pump link and just dirt accumulation over the decades), the engine starts and runs beautifully. I've fitted a modern electric fuel pump with filter (reduces loads on the starter and generator when cold starting) and also a modern all-electronic distributor (no more points, never need to time it again...!). The engine will likely prove very reliable and consistent, easy to maintain now. Typical issues in times past are all traceable to poor ignition and inconsistent fuel flow making the carburetion fussy and requiring frequent tune ups.

Is the "bumper" those two nubbins on either side of the four vents below the grille? Great looking car -- and terrific visibility in all directions, for sure. Am I right that the Fulvia has a V4?
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No, those are covers for the apertures in the bodywork that the original bumper mounts passed through. The bumpers were mostly a standard issue fashion accessory ... simple chromed steel (maybe aluminum?) sheet metal that crumpled just as easily as the bodywork does. This car has been dressed up a little to resemble the HF Rally racing examples (HF= "High Fidelity" is the name that an enthusiast racing group within the company labeled their works efforts): on those cars, and on a couple of special run production Fulvia Coupes, the bumpers were always stripped off to save that extra few pounds.

Here's what an original 1967 Fulvia Coupe looks like so you can see the bumpers:

lancia-fulvia-white-03-7dcddd7e.jpg


My car has some of the HF badging on the grill and transom, and the decals on the front fenders. The bumpers are stripped off both ends and the front mounts are blanked off with the little chrome covers. And it has the lovely Campagnolo 13x5.5 inch genuine rally wheels along with the modern production of the original Pirelli Cinturato CN36 185/70-13 tires very popular as a performance upgrade in 1967. I've also fitted the HF Rally steering wheel ... it's almost go-kart size, about 12.5-13" diameter with a nice thick leather wrapped rim.

A side view of mine so you can see the HF badging on the fender:

51739763403_5911e68581_b.jpg


For as tiny a car as it is, the interior is remarkably spacious and comfortable, and the suspension is amazingly capable and supple. It handles brilliantly and rides very comfortably.

Yes, the engine is a very narrow angle V4 (12-13° angle between the cylinder banks). The two cylinder banks share one head, fitted with dual overhead camshafts and two valves per cylinder on shallow hemispherical combustion chambers. The crankcase and head are light alloy, the cylinder block is cast iron, and the engine is inclined 45° towards the left side of the car to keep the hood height low. It is fed by dual Solex 35mm side draft carburetors and exhausts through a tuned header (stock!). This car has the slightly later 1.3L version of the engine; I have the original 1.2L engine as well, it was dismantled when the previous owner acquired the car and he chose to fit the slightly larger, later model engine when he restored the car. It's a snappy, revvy little machine that puts out about 85-90 hp and revs freely up to 6500 rpm, mated to a 4 speed transaxle driving the front wheels. Plenty for a car with an all up weight around 1800 lbs dry...

Engine top view, concentrating on the carburetors and new 123electronic distributor:

51679187688_832e5a126a_b.jpg


Sorry to rattle on. You can tell that I'm pretty excited about this little car ... I've wanted one of these since I first saw one in 1966!!! It's so good to discover that the reality is actually even better than my fantasy of what one would be like...

:D :D

G
 
Great stuff, thanks. Automotive writer Jamie Kitman (he was, may still be, a columnist for Automobile) had one of these -- he is a fan also.
 
I have a soft spot for Lancias - they were ever so popular in the 80's -90's. I haven't seen many (if any at all) here in UK. The Fulvia looks great.
 
Imports of RHD Lancias stopped after the Beta debacle. I don't know if they still make RHD for other export markets.

Godfrey may go the same way as Leica Tom, he got an old Beetle and then seemed to vanish from RFF.

Owning an old car can consume a big chunk of one's life!
 
The problem for the UK and other northern places like Germany is that these cars body/chassis was made of relatively low grade metals and untreated for corrosion resistance, like most cars of the 1950s-60s, and they rusted away to "too expensive to repair" relatively quickly in such climates. Corrosion resistant metal treatments, undercoating, etc, didn't really come about across the auto industry until the middle-late 1970s, too late for the Lancia Fulvia sadly. The rare few of them that lived in warm, dry conditions (like mine, in Southern California for most of its time) and didn't rust away to junk are hard to find. I got really lucky to find this one! :)

I have no intention of disappearing. Actually, most of the big time and money required of my stewardship has already gone into this Fulvia, there are really only a few details left to deal with. After I'm through that, it should be drive it, enjoy it, and maintain it. :D

G
 
It really is a very fine car but it is those few details that will end up costing the money.

A mate of mine had a Zagato many years ago (when they were cheap) that appeared to have been designed and built with a complete disregard to the weather, longevity etc etc. Fun though.

There is a legend about post war cheap Belgian steel made from wartime scrap being used for cars in the 60s but I'm uncertain of its veracity.

It matters not, your car has survived!
 
Dralowid said:
It really is a very fine car but it is those few details that will end up costing the money.
A mate of mine had a Zagato many years ago (when they were cheap) that appeared to have been designed and built with a complete disregard to the weather, longevity etc etc. Fun though.
There is a legend about post war cheap Belgian steel made from wartime scrap being used for cars in the 60s but I'm uncertain of its veracity.
It matters not, your car has survived!
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LOL! Sometimes true, but I think I've hit all the expensive details already, other than the seat recovering. The details that I will natter onto shortly are the small things that I can fix myself ... they just take time, not parts or equipment. :)

The Fulvia SportGT Zagato cars were essentially a standard coupe handed over to Zagato when nearly done. Zagato cut off the outer body panels and built their aluminum body onto the denuded steel chassis ... with NO corrosion protection, tons of gaps where road grime and water could get in, etc etc. Not very good for anything but sunny day drives in an arid climate ... the electrolytic action of aluminum on steel with no buffer or corrosion treatment was a disaster. Lovely cars, but to get a new one now that isn't going to cost the earth in rust repair is very difficult. The standard Coupe fares a bit better ... it is at least all the same steel, other than the occasional moving panel in aluminum (doors, hood, trunk lid depending on the car...) and the outer body panels are fitted much better, with gaps and places for water and grime to hide.

But yes, it's true: post war steel supplies had a lot of mediocre and not-well-processed scrap in them from the war. I don't know about Belgian steel specifically, but it seems to have been a problem all across the board in the automobile manufactures out of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, etc. They all rusted out quite a lot, and it wasn't until the end of he 1960s that the situation started to improve with undercoating like Ziebart and proper metals treatments, better welding, etc. My two year old '71 BMW 2002 had a huge amount of rust for a two year old car, as did various and sundry of the Mercedes, FIAT, Jaguar, Triumph, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Volkswagen, Datsun, and Toyota cars I owned back then. The only European/British car I had back then that wasn't inclined to rust so much was a SAAB 96 V4.

And again: YES! I have photographic proof that this particular Lancia Fulvia Coupe managed to escape rust entirely! It is indeed one of the big reasons I chose to buy this particular car, despite it having a number of other issues (nearly all of which now taken care of...).

I originally wanted a Zagato myself, but finding a clean one seems to be almost impossible at any price I can afford now. The last few clean ones I've seen at auction all went for double to triple what I paid for this standard coupe. It's okay: I'm quite happy with what I bought and am enjoying it no end! :)

G
 
Having said all that about poor steel we have just replaced the mild steel exhaust on our 1985 VW T3 (Vanagon). It turned out that it was the original, all of 36 years old.
 
hap said:
very similar to BMW E9 coupes and Lancia seems a design precursor..
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Indeed! The BMW 3.2 CS coupe started production about 1962 or so. It was designed by Bertone. The nose was quite different ... a bit of a frowsy sedan front end ... but the sides and rear had the same line as the later ones. The Fulvia Coupe was an in-house styling design that debuted in '65, and was a hit at its introduction. I can't help but believe that the designer liked the side view of the BMW CS and had it as one of his inspirations, but he treated the tail/transom differently and drew the belt line all the way around the front end with the quad headlamps below it. It's interesting to note that the BMW 2000 CS coupe of '65-'66 took the Fulvia Coupe line on the front end, with faired in quad headlights under the belt line, and the later 3.0 CS coupes like the one you posted a picture of showed an even stronger resemblance to the Fulvia Coupe in side view and nose. I suspect some reverse inspiration back to Bertone and BMW off the Lancia design might have been at work.

The BMW 3.0 CS coupe series is a larger, longer, wider car than the Fulvia Coupe by a good bit and the line is a little softer as a result, but they're all very nice looking machines with amazingly similar proportions. :)

G
 
Dralowid said:
Having said all that about poor steel we have just replaced the mild steel exhaust on our 1985 VW T3 (Vanagon). It turned out that it was the original, all of 36 years old.
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By 1985, far far better metals and corrosion resistant surface prep was pretty much there throughout the entire automotive industry. I remember seeing the changes happening... :D
Modern cars from the '90s and later are almost miraculously durable, on average, compared to anything from the '50s and '60s. I've never experienced any rust issues at all on any of the cars I've owned that were 1980 or later, whether body or exhaust system, or suspension parts..

G
 
volvo-wagon(2)20180213181218
This was my second car...well not really my car cuz I don't have any pictures of it... but same model except bright yellow. A P1800 elongated. As volvo's go....it really was not as reliable or probably even safe. But it was fun and it got loads of attention. You could jam a lot of stuff into this wagon.
 
This was my second car...well not really my car cuz I don't have any pictures of it... but same model except bright yellow. A P1800 elongated. As volvo's go....it really was not as reliable or probably even safe. But it was fun and it got loads of attention. You could jam a lot of stuff into this wagon.

Actually it was relatively reliable....but like all cars of this vintage difficult to source parts, even when I had it. Some guy put 3 million miles on his ES. Car featured in the TV show THE SAINT.

I rue the day I got rid of it.........because now I'm a sentimental old man who once was free and fancy.
Why isn’t the 1971–73 Volvo 1800ES wagon worth more? - Hagerty Media
 
A friend of mine back in NY is a big enthusiast of the Volvo P1800ES and I think they’re cool too. That said, I’m not sure what relevance they have in a thread about a Lancia Fulvia Coupe photo made with a Polaroid camera.

G
 
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