S1 and S3 - compare and contrast

[peterbaker]

I would give anything to have a brand new first series Fulvia out in the garage, without it how can I possible comment?

[DavidLaver]

Looking at the ebay photos reminded what a great peddle layout all Fulvias had and how good the dash is on an S3.   Alas also that the S3s wheel with the black middle was cheap next to the S2s proper badge and the piece of art that's an S1's wheel.  Those steel wheels just look so cheap as well.   No complaints under the bonnet!

[fay66]

Not having driven a Fulvia with the later brakes & servo it's a bit difficult to comment on the merits of series 1 brakes versus series 2 & 3, Both my 1.3 Rallye had, & my 2c has Dunlop disc brakes without a servo, before buying my 1.3 Rallye I had heard stories of how poor the dunlop disc set up was, but personally I've never found them to be a problem; we came back from Turin last year over the Sestriere Pass from Pinerolo to Briancon via the Col Du Lautaret, and then the long run downhill of about 30 miles to Grenoble, none of which gave me a moments concern regarding their ability, performing faultlessly. I can't say that I've ever found them a problem as long as they are kept up to scratch;  but they certainly need more careful looking after.

Re Sedans keeping up with modern traffic, granted with 1091cc pulling about a tonne of car, my 2c is never going to be that quick off the mark even fitted with Dellorto's, but once on the move I have no problems keeping up to the speed limit (& frequently in excess) on motorways, the biggest problem I have is being baulked on a hill, frequently by modern cars driven by people who don't take notice of who or what is behind them, once I've lost momentum on a steep hill, then yes, it's a real pain.
From what I understand the series 2 Sedan with the 1300cc engine, 5 speed gearbox, overcomes most of the performance concerns.

Brian Hilton
8227
 

[DavidLaver]

Peter - with an early Sedan and a late Coupe you're perfectly placed to compare and contrast... 

[Jai Sharma]

Hi David,
Just a few random comments -

1. If the car has been standing then it is highly likely that the water pump seal will fail when started, or when run for a short while - because of rust on the shaft I believe. There have been many different makes of pump over the years and so seal kits, if they can still be found, may not fit and so I woudl not budget on rescuing the pump. But they are a relatively easy fit and last time I looked were less than £100.

2. The Girling brakes are four pot calipers on the front and two pot ones on the back, jsut as S2. They are absolutely super in use. Frequently when the car has stood for a long while they will seize, but you can get seal kits reasonably easily. If they are truly seized, I found the most practical way to push the pistons out is to leave the caliper connected to the car and use the car hydraulic pressure to push them out. Sometimes you can just "exercise" them rather than pulling it all apart. I woudl suggest you also check the master cylinder thread on this forum too.

3. I have never actually run a S3, but have dismantled a couple for spares and when compared to the S2 (which in one version or another I have had for a long time) I don't see that the cheapening process got very much worse on the oily bits. I have little S1 experience but the S2 seems to me a fine car when compared with most of its contemporaries. So I can't see why an S3 would be much less engaging to own than an S2 apart from the green carpets and white dials and the need to pay road tax. The S2/3 debate might be a bit like the aesthetic debate on Kate Moss/Naomi Campbell?

4. I understand you can change the steering wheel for an S2 one (though there may be others that are nicer than the S2 wheel)

5. No oil cooler on an S3 (or S2) but if I recall correctly they were standard only on a few S1 cars (S1 rallye S?).

The big question in my view will be the extent of the body repairs, which has been well covered on this thread already.

Good luck!
Jai

[nistri]

If one is trying to buy a Fulvia, I think it is better to buy one in terms of "car condition" rather than "car specification". The youngest Fulvia is now 32 y old and thus a lot of things may have happened with different owners. Any original difference of a few HPs or performance will be erased by body rust, worn mechanicals, etc.

There are actually very few differences between S2 and S3 Fulvias, although not everyone might be aware of the fact that very late S3 cars had a different oil sump (so not even all S3 are the same...). Curiously, the very, very late S3 coupes even lost their engine type stamp on the bellhousing (I have seen it myself!).

I greatly enjoy my S1 and S2 Fulvias that are all for keep (my latest acquisition was 10 y ago and I never regret any of them). Different model series have their own distinctive personalities and charm (and foibles) as clearly indicated in this thread. From Lancia original datasheets it is apparent that S1 cars need more maintenance (and more often) than later Fulvias.

The hyper-purists are surely aware of the fact that S2 berlinas were actually "real" () Lancia models first introduced before the Fiat buyout. They are truly great cars often available for very moderate prices and in excellent conditions.