New Fulvia owner - can I introduce myself

[Edjsunfulvia]

This little darling arrived on my doorstep today. A rather random purchase, perhaps trying to try to relive my youth as a dashing young cavalry officer with a Lotus Elan +2S. I am looking forward to meeting members at the Goodwood track day.

The car, an import from RSA, is supposedly 1971. 'Assembled' in SA from a box of 'parts' sent from Italy I believe.

A couple of (stupid) questions:
1) When did the front lights change from straight across to 'raised eyebrows'
2) Are RSA assembled cars commonplace?
3) Any Lancia Owners Club events for Fulvia owners for which I should look out? I am based West London.




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[lancialulu]

Welcome to the land of Fulvia!

Is that a Fulvia 3? Headrests and black grill. Are the instruments white? If so not 1971 but post 1972.

Normally afaik South African cars were low headlight till 1973, although Turin made UK spec were from 1971 when Series 2 started production.

Tim
Lmc Fulvia Advisor

[DavidLaver]

How far west are you?   There's a saturday morning meet once a month on Lower Marsh street behind waterloo and a thursday night once a month in greenwich market.

[HBG]

Hi. I'm a recent new owner too, North London based. Good to know about the two meets mentioned by David.

I've not booked the Goodwood trackday as the car isn't registered or proven yet but I'm interested having done trackdays previously. Am going to the Revival though.

See you at one of those meets soon.

Howard

[lancialulu]

How far west are you?   There's a saturday morning meet once a month on Lower Marsh street behind waterloo and a thursday night once a month in greenwich market.

David, are these generic classic car meets?

[Spider2]

H1,
When dealing with DVLA be VERY VERY  careful, they are a complete PITA and a law unto themselves. You may have a letter from the SA DVLA stating the car was made from PARTS. IF DVLA see this your car will never be registered as they will insist the car does not exist as it was made up from parts of lots of different cars. You can plead that the car was a complete kit from Italy but they will not listen.
I have an Alfa and a member of the Alfa Club made this mistake with a 1970 GTV from SA. That was 3 years ago and still no car.
It may be a few £100 but could be worthwhile getting your paperwork checked out by someone in the know before submitting to DVLA.
Good luck and keep us informed of progress. You will LOVE the car. The Goodwood track day is awesome.

[neil-yaj396]

H1,
When dealing with DVLA be VERY VERY  careful, they are a complete PITA and a law unto themselves. You may have a letter from the SA DVLA stating the car was made from PARTS. IF DVLA see this your car will never be registered as they will insist the car does not exist as it was made up from parts of lots of different cars. You can plead that the car was a complete kit from Italy but they will not listen.
I have an Alfa and a member of the Alfa Club made this mistake with a 1970 GTV from SA. That was 3 years ago and still no car.
It may be a few £100 but could be worthwhile getting your paperwork checked out by someone in the know before submitting to DVLA.
Good luck and keep us informed of progress. You will LOVE the car. The Goodwood track day is awesome.

As DVLA liaison for the Club I can confirm that Spider2 is correct on this. I had a member who submitted his original South African 'V5' equivalent which on one line said 'Built Up', referring I'm sure to the Fulvias being assembled by Daihatsu from CKD kits. The DVLA person became convinced that this meant what Spider2 states above, or at best a kit car. I sent in a club letter explaining the high import tariffs in 1970s South Africa and the full CKD process but DVLA were having none of it. To the best of my knowledge this Fulvia remains unregistered.

If your document makes any mention of CKD I'd hang onto it and get a club dating letter for DVLA instead.

[Spider2]

yes, the last post is more correct. Do NOT send the SA V5 equivalent to the DVLA as it may well state the car was "built up". You are then bolloxed

[Spider2]

If you have already submitted an application for registration and you suspect that you may have sent this bad SA V5 equivalent form with the words "built up" on it I would suggest you contact them and cancel the process and get all your documents back.
We may be completely wrong and you aced it with the DVLA and you are having no problems. I really hope that is the case.

[Edjsunfulvia]

Aha, thank you gentlemen. Worrying re DVLA. I am away from the car and the paperwork for a few days. I will then post the South African reg document on this site to see if there is anything there that might attract unwanted attention

[DavidLaver]

Both are generic.  Greenwich has music and street food.  Waterloo a more casual park up and chat.  The waterloo one is usually a street market on weekdays.  I walk to Greenwich and cycle to Waterloo, mine cars remain "works in progress".

The Lancia track day will probably have as many cars there to watch as to go on track.  Its a big social event.

Autotsolos are fun, standard car all you need.  All forwards round cones somewhere like the Brands Hatch paddock.  The regs control speeds by it all having to be within a certain size box.  Driving tests are the "reversing into a garage" ones and a struggle not to get lost. 

Sprints and hillclimbs, again just a standard car but you need the helmet and overalls and I'd not do it without a fire system, battery cutout, cage. (Having said that I'm itching to do it in an Austin 7 again and that's not getting a cage, or belts, but I'd want a harness, proper seat etc in a Fulvia).

The NON COMPETITIVE hill climbs are fairly new.  There's an Italian day at Prescot.  You have to pinky promise not to time it and that nobody else times it.  Its an "in your own time" parade.  Shere in Surrey does one.  Aston Clinton just north of London has done them but not sure how often.

12 car rallies are not necessarily as full on as you might think.  Blackpalfrey Motor Club in Kent runs sunday morning events roughly monthly that start at a caff, typically garden centre 11ses, finish with a pub lunch.  Average speeds have to be below 30mph and are set with the expectation of dog walkers, cyclists, horses etc.  The aces will be a few seconds out each checkpoint but to start with you can have fun just trying not to get lost.  They're very supportive of newcomers to the extent of a marked map (shhh).  Working the route out from clues is a sport in its own right, and for those events you've a few days to do that rather than having it thrust through the window as the clock starts.  They have training events, "table top rallies".   As for the speeds we've been overtaken by cyclists...then again if you've got something wrong and have time to make up then "getting a shake on" becomes necessary.

If you enjoy those then there's a national series of day long rallies with autotests along the way the HRCR run, and in Kent the round is The Hughes Rally. They've had "auto tests" in Mereworth Woods (military, I knew it via my son doing cadets before going with rallies) which end up looking like a forest stage, but are not (quite!!)   

There are also "scenic tours", The Tour of Kent is the local round, and these are more about the scenary (clue in the name), leisurely stops, an easy to follow road book and not keeping to time. 

12 car rallies at night are something else entirely...I find it a struggle not getting lost, can assume always late, a physical challange as a navigator with eyes adjusting to map and dark outside and getting sufficient fresh air.  The REALLY full on ones (or as hard core as we got) are 20-20 rallies with 20 sections and 20 cars typically finishing in a motorway services in the wee small hours.   I did a lot of this sort of stuff with Ian Conway before he moved to Somerset. 

[DavidLaver]

...and I've got to ask...what's under the cover to the right of the Fulvia?

[SanRemo78]

...and I've got to ask...what's under the cover to the right of the Fulvia?

I've been wondering - Buick Riviera?

[HBG]

Look at the footer of the original post......there is a clue!

[Edjsunfulvia]

Under the cover: