La Lancia

We were surprised and delighted when we received an email referring to an article in your magazine ( NZ Classic Car, July 2013) and the excellent article on a Lancia 2000 HF coupé — A Car For All Reasons.

We are Kiwis and the proud original owners of this Lancia. We loved our car and are thrilled to see she is still loved. It was a very sad day when we had to sell her for a deposit on our first home.

We ordered the car from South Africa, two young Kiwis doing the OE thing to save enough for a fancy car, and took delivery in Rome in April 1973. Rome traffic in our brand-new car was a nightmare even in 1973, so we parked her in an underground car park until we left Rome at 4am a week later. I note that the writer, Gordon Campbell, commented on the size of the boot — back then, that boot held all the worldly goods — including a guitar on the back shelf — of four Kiwis for three months as we travelled through Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany, Spain, Andorra, France and on to the UK in 1973.

The Lancia looks as beautiful as ever, only missing her front bumper. We have lived in Sydney since 1980, and thank Brian Tottenham who remembered our Lancia in England, and sent emails to mutual friends hoping to advise us of your article. We visit New Zealand at least twice a year, and would love to have a look at this old friend. The included photograph shows the Lancia in Florence, 1973. Simon and Mandy Mountfort, via email

Well, Gordon got that one right! Talk about bouquets and brickbats! We’ve already passed Simon and Mandy’s details over to Alex Carteroni and, hopefully, there’ll be a happy reunion the next time the Mountforts visit NZ. AGW