Lancia Motor Club

I am thinking about selling the car I have owned since 2000. It has always been garaged. I am not using it enough and the sort of journeys I’ll likely be making in the future mean that I’ll need a different type of car. I also have two Appias to muck about with and there is only so much time. I am offering it to LMC members first to see if there is any interest. The car is taxed and running extremely well, and is in very good condition, except for needing a respray.

The car was built in 1966, with the 1216cc engine. Except at the moment it has a S1 1298cc in it. I have competed with the car throughout my ownership in hill-climbs and sprint and some regularity rallies. I bought the car in Australia from Phil Speer in 2000 and Graeme O’Connor of Lambda motors sorted it in 2003 (including welding the sills and footwell subframe boxes which are very solid). I then moved to Newcastle and then Dave Bell of Autolink looked after the car. From 2003-2010 I competed quite a lot. The car is basically standard with an OMP roll cage. I have OMP race seats (ok for club level but out of date for racing) and seat brackets but it has refurbished standard seats in it at the moment. The front wishbones are not standard: Lambda motors did something with these or put some trick ones on. The car has been converted to S2 front brakes callipers.

In 2015 as I was getting back into competition a valve broke off and caused some damage to the original 1216 engine. There followed essentially a mini restoration. This involved sourcing and making good a 1298 engine. This was eventually achieved and the engine is now running very well and running in some new piston rings. The subframe was dropped as part of this process and some welding to the outriggers was done by the MG owners club in Cambs.

More recently Tanc Barrett has sorted about £4k worth of issues and the car is running very well, with an electronic ignition and electric fuel pump. The car now has aluminium boot, bonnet and doors which all fit very well (Tanc has fettled the door apertures). The doors have S2 quarterlights fitted, but all the S1 door furniture will come with the car. The steel doors etc will also come with the car as will the original steel wheels, as will the set of machined Flavia Cromodoras with Yokohama race tyres. The car sits on Auto Stil wheels with new Continental rubber. The car runs Dellortos 34s, and I have a set of good Solex 34s spare. There is a set of very fresh Solex 32 carbs to go with the 1216 engine courtesy of Brian Hilton, and the original Solex 32 which are basically fine. I have a spare a 4 speed gearbox and many other bits and pieces.

The original 1216 is dismantled ready for a rebuild, and I have started this process by getting the block machined, honed and painted and a new set of pistons.

The car needs preparing for paint and then painting. One of the reasons I am offering this on the forum first is that it could potentially be sprayed a different colour from the Mendoza blue LA15 it is currently. As part of the mini restoration I cleaned and repainted most of the underside of the car with Tetraseal. I also resprayed the engine bay which turned out really well. The bodywork is good and I had the rear wings replaced in 2006, or thereabouts, when the rear of the car was also resprayed. I have some spare Bill Lewis front wing arches, but I don’t think it’s quite necessary at this point. There is some filler in the car, but there is no rust that I am aware of, and I have always sorted the welding and body work whenever there has been an issue.

I could go on. This is not a car with hidden problems, but something I have used a lot over the years and is in very good condition. I have all the receipts for the work I have had done over the years, and this will certainly be for many more thousands that I will get for selling the car. It needs a respray, but it will be a very desirable car once this work is done.

I am open to offers. s.down@bham.ac.uk or 07920547142

Hi

Sorry for wasting people's time, but I was so miserable after writing the previous post I have decided not to sell the car now. I just need to use it

Cheers
Simon

That's good news Simon.

Br
8227 8)

Sign of the times, Simon; I think most of us are having spells of querying whether we want to continue with our silly old cars. Fortunately it only takes a few moments contemplation to realise the alternative is even less attractive!

I am currently in the UK without a 'silly old car' but yesterday and today I have been to the viewing at Ascot Racecourse of the Historic Auction cars just up the road.
Most of the old cars are not to my taste ( lots of 60's, 70s and 80's Bentleys, Rollers, Mercs and Jaguars) but nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed seeing other peoples 'silly old cars' and also chatting to other interested parties there about their particular interest.

And I am not quite sure why but I have registered to bid in person on Saturday!!!

By the way there are 4 Flavias for sale - 2 running and tidy and 2 projects.
Chris

Glad you decided to keep it!

I'm actually in the process of acquiring another ex-Phil Speer car myself.

Well, I ended up spending all day at the Historics Auction on Saturday with a friend and it was fascinating. We are both still married (although he came very close to buying a nice 1959 Rover 75 for £5k) and all 4 Flavias sold as did most of the other 200 cars..
Amongst many aspects of the day which I found interesting, one in particular was how integral a good auctioneer is to getting a sale at the best price for the vendor.
I am now looking for another local 'silly old car' auction  in the near future to attend for a days fun.
Chris

This sounds like a decidedly silly/risky pastime ...... how long will you be able to resist a "little project" ??

Honestly, I couldn't trust myself !

Apologies all for not responding previously. I have been busy with Appia issues, and forgot to look here.

Thank you for the encouragement! I have now stripped the car and it will be resprayed - neighbour who happens to be a professional sprayer, and had a MII Scirocco that he painted recently on his drive - very soon in the original Mendoza blue LA15. I will send pictures of course.

I have never taken all the door and window rubber and stainless off before. Quite a faff! Not looking forward to putting it back. I have bought some new rubber for some of it. New screen rubbers too of course.