LANCIA FULVIA

Intensely pretty and exquisite to drive, Fulvias have enjoyed a small boom lately but remain terrific value. Here’s how to get in on the action

Any petrolhead with a soul can’t help falling for the charms of the Fulvia. In true Lancia style you get intriguing mechanicals, buckets of motor sport heritage… and a reputation for dissolving on first contact with a bit of British drizzle (not that the Fulvia was any more terrible at resisting rust than any other car of its era). With small V4 engines, frontwheel drive and light bodyshells, they deliver deliciously poised handling, especially at the limits, and yet values have remained subdued until a few eyebrow-raising auction results over the last 12 months. Question is: will they continue to rise?

‘I can’t see any reason why not,’ says Lancia restorer David Ashworth. ‘They’re still under-valued compared to other marques, especially considering they cost more than a Jaguar E-type when they were new. But I think it’s still a buyers’ market.’

Three body styles went into production: Berlina (saloon), Coupé and Sport – the latter being a rakish Zagato-built fastback whose popularity has gradually been overtaken by the Coupé, reckons David. ‘You either love them or loathe them, and they’re not as easy to sell.’

Interest has been growing in the Series I, leading to values that often exceed equivalent Series IIs and IIIs.

The V4 came in five different displacements from 1091cc to 1584cc. Arguably the holy grail of Fulvias is the 1600 HF ‘Fanalone’, though you’re more likely to come across the Series II 1600 HF ‘Lusso’.

Like a full-bodied Chianti and a thincrust prosciutto e funghi, Lancia and motor sport were made for each other. Fulvias dominated the Italian Rally Championship in the late Sixties and early Seventies, and took the trophy at the IMC rally championship (the WRC’s predecessor) in 1972. Historic rallying among Lancia owners is as popular now as ever, so expect to find a few modified vehicles among the classifieds. Theo Ford-Sagers ‘Whichever type of Fulvia floats your boat, there’s no getting away from that impressive engineering integrity and sheer driving involvement. And in the great scheme of things the good and excellent models, the Sport especially, represent first-class value for money. A good usable model, which our guide places in the £8000-15,000 category is worth hunting out, because being as good to drive as they are, you surely wouldn’t want a concours example you’d be afraid to use?’