Fulvia Coupe Research

[Wheatley473]

Hi

I have just joined the Lancia Motor Club as I am looking into buying a Fulvia Coupe.  I would Like a 1600HF Lusso but I believe they are getting expensive now (is this the case?) In any event, I need to learn more about these cars.

The car will be used for pleasure and trips to the both continent and within the UK. Would a 1300 be bit gutless for a trip to the alps and Italy for example?

I would be open to either left or righthand drive car and mechanical work but more concerned about body work as I have heard (and seen) the horror stories on car restorations as I am also looking at Alfa 105 Bertone's as an option.

I live in north Devon. Are there any owners in my neck of the woods?

Any advise on buying, running and maintaining these cars would be welcome.

Thank you.

Nick

[RDG496]

Hi there, I have both a 71 Fulvia 1.3s and a late 67 Alfa GT 1300 Junior. I have never driven either in the mountains but both are more than capable of keeping up with modern traffic. Sure acceleration by moderns standards is slow but once warmed up and driven both drive very well indeed. With 1 passenger and luggage I would think both would be fine for touring only the higher rev of the engines vs more powerful models could be off putting (Perhaps....I highly suspect not.)
The Lancia is the more sophisticated drive, the Alfa more sporty but both enjoyable.
The Lancia is a cheaper option (Less so in 1600 guise) but the spares availability for the Alfa is clearly advantageous.

I hope that helps.

[DavidLaver]

Power to weight still beats a modern city car. 

[Wheatley473]

Hi there, I have both a 71 Fulvia 1.3s and a late 67 Alfa GT 1300 Junior. I have never driven either in the mountains but both are more than capable of keeping up with modern traffic. Sure acceleration by moderns standards is slow but once warmed up and driven both drive very well indeed. With 1 passenger and luggage I would think both would be fine for touring only the higher rev of the engines vs more powerful models could be off putting (Perhaps....I highly suspect not.)
The Lancia is the more sophisticated drive, the Alfa more sporty but both enjoyable.
The Lancia is a cheaper option (Less so in 1600 guise) but the spares availability for the Alfa is clearly advantageous.

I hope that helps.

Hi

Thank you. Its interesting to hear for someone who owns both marks. I need to get a drive in both to make proper comparison. I thought spares were pretty good for Lancia's?

The Lancia is cheaper as you say, at least the 1300 is.  Interesting to hear that the Lancia is a more sophisticated drive. I've read several contemporary road tests and they rave about its handling.

Nick

[Wheatley473]

Power to weight still beats a modern city car. 

Hi

That's an interesting point.  Although ironically contemporary road tests say that Fulvia's  aren't a light car. How times change!

Nick

[Missilemech123]

Hi there Nick,

Not sure where in North Devon you are based but I will hopefully be attending the RHS Show on 31st July at Rosemoor.

Staying with friends in Landkey.

I have a 1974 1300 Fulvia Coupe import from Italy (Monte Carlo (MC) colours but not a MC) and my son has a 1975 Alfa GT 1600 Junior (South African import). My car should make the show but not sure about my sons car. Engine being rebuilt!

My Fulvia has been fine to drive around the shows in UK and I will definitely be taking them both to Europe at some point.

Hope to see you at the show.

Regards

Jeremy

[lancialulu]

Hi Nick

Welcome to LMC!

While I have a passion for 1600 Fulvias, the 1300 is a very good car, and even the earlier 1200 is very capable.

When we could use our cars I would attend a Fulvia rally in Europe (most years in Italy) and the meeting focussed on challenging drive outs. Most cars attending were 1300/ 1200 (I was generally one of the few 1600’s attending). The cars came from all over Europe. The 1300/1200’s were very capable cars and no mountain trails fazed them. Indeed the supple suspension made them an ideal car to go “exploring”!

Regarding parts, the Fulvia does not have an issue so long as you may have to look/ask if it is not readily available. There is a goods parts supply in Uk (Omicron), France (pieces Fulvia) and Italy ( Cavalitto etc), check them out. For trim parts these can be found on ebay(.it is best), with the emphasis on keeping an eye out!

Good luck with your decision making, but you will not be disappointed with a Fulvia! The only caveat is that it is properly maintained (which over 50years makes some cars more reliable than others). Buy the best you can!

Tim

[nthomas1]

Hi Nick - welcome to the group. 

I have digital copies of eight magazine and online articles on what to look for when buying a Fulvia, dated from 1982 through to 2018.  I could send them to you via WeTransfer if you would like them.  A WeTransfer account can be set up for free if you don't already have one.

Cheers, Norm

[davidwheeler]

My 1600 Sport has 115 bhp in a tonne, not bad power to weight!    Modern cars are so laden with "safety" that they have got very heavy.  And, yes, it is pretty sprightly.   

[Wangler]

An interesting question. Let me tell you about my experience as a newcomer. I owned a 1.3 Fulvia Coupe 2 in about 1977. Four of my friends had them too, including Neale Shepherd who is still a well known expert. I didn’t really appreciate just how good it was until quite a few years later when I had “progressed” to some quite fancy German cars.

To give a couple of examples, I drove it hard from Aberdeen to Cardiff one night via Bristol and the car didn’t miss a beat. Speed cameras didn’t exist then! I also thrashed it to the red line through every gear on a memorable 180 mile drive from N. Wales to Cardiff one night - it was as cool and unflustered at the end of the trip as at the start.

As I have become much older I, like many people of my generation, have become rather nostalgic and hanker for the past.  So in January I bought a low mileage 1975 1.3 from Tony Rosewell, who usually gets them from the drier parts of Italy. It’s a delight to drive and really responds to hard fast driving on twisty Welsh roads. Is it really fast? Logic says no, but the point is that it feels fast and sounds great, and that’s what really matters. I’m sure that my wife’s Mazda 2 hatchback is faster, but it’s nowhere near as much fun.

I can’t comment about Alfas, but if you decide on a Fulvia and you’re not that au fait with them, I would strongly recommend you buy one from someone like Tony. You may feel that you’re paying more than from a private seller, but he is incredibly knowledgeable so will not buy old dogs. He is also very helpful and patient with any after sales technical support. Six months later I have no regrets.

[RDG496]

Its not that the Lancia isn't a sporty drive its the lower driving position and rear wheel drive of the Alfa make it feel marginally livelier.
BUT the Alfa has had a completely new suspension set up fitted, the Lancia has not.
The little v4 unit is such a refined engine in comparison to the Alfa...but both have their charms for sure.
As for parts those on here have far more experience than I,  I would only say for the lay man the plethora of Alfa suppliers and with companies like Classic Alfa and Alfaholics the parts are easier to source and (Whether you like it or not) the Restomod scene for the Alfa means online info, videos etc are far more readily available.....this is by no means a criticism of Lancia ownership just an observation from an owner who is not as hands on as he would like....and a novice !

Best of luck.

[Wangler]

Indeed, it should always be remembered that we are dealing with cars that are over 45 years old. One must expect that many things aren't anything like 100% perfect unless you buy a fully restored one and that if you aren't very handy they can be very expensive to run. That said, the vast majority of Fulvia owners seem to be unusually capable.

[Wheatley473]

Hi there Nick,

Not sure where in North Devon you are based but I will hopefully be attending the RHS Show on 31st July at Rosemoor.

Staying with friends in Landkey.

I have a 1974 1300 Fulvia Coupe import from Italy (Monte Carlo (MC) colours but not a MC) and my son has a 1975 Alfa GT 1600 Junior (South African import). My car should make the show but not sure about my sons car. Engine being rebuilt!

My Fulvia has been fine to drive around the shows in UK and I will definitely be taking them both to Europe at some point.

Hope to see you at the show.

Regards

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy

I have been off line for a while, getting an essay out and a garage built to put the Fulvia or Bertone in, so I've just seen your post. Kicking myself now, as I live in North Molton, not far from Landkey and we were thinking of going to Rosemoor but couldn't get tickets.

Do you come down to Devon often?
Nick