Lancia Fulvia

Lancia Fulvia at a glance

Development and production history

Antonio Fessia was responsible for the engineering of the Berlina, which was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963. The Coupé, styled by Piero Castagnero at the Centro Stile Lancia, followed in 1965. So did the Sport, a fastback two-seater by Zagato designed by Ercole Spada and first shown at the 1965 Turin Motor Show.

In August 1969 the Berlina was redesigned with a longer wheelbase, and in 1970 the Coupé and the Sport became Series 2 cars with a five-speed gearbox, larger Girling brake calipers and a servo. The Coupé remained in production until 1976, in its last years as the "Coupé 3"; the Berlina was dropped earlier. In 1977 the 1.3-litre Beta Coupé took the place of the Fulvia Coupé in the range.

Design and engineering

The Fulvia places its engine longitudinally ahead of the transaxle and drives the front wheels. The front suspension uses wishbones and a single leaf spring; at the rear there is a beam axle with a Panhard rod and leaf springs. Series 1 cars had Dunlop disc brakes, and Series 2 cars of 1970 larger Girling calipers with a servo.

The three bodies differ clearly in size. The Berlina is 4,110 mm long on a wheelbase of 2,480 mm (2,500 mm from 1969). The Coupé is shorter at 3,975 mm with a wheelbase of 2,330 mm and is 1,300 mm high. The Sport by Zagato is 4,090 mm long and only 1,200 mm high. The first Sport had an all-aluminium body, of which 202 were made, with a bonnet hinged on the right side. The Series 2 Sport of 1970 was steel-bodied, had a 2+2 interior and a front-hinged bonnet.

The narrow-angle V4

The engine is Lancia's signature. Designed by Zaccone Mina, it is a V4 with double overhead camshafts and an angle of only about 12 degrees between the cylinder banks. Later engines were narrower still: 12°45'28" for the 1967 engines and 11°20' for the 1.6.

A 1,199 cc Berlina with 58 kW (79 PS) was built for Greece only. The Sport 1600, with 86 kW (115 hp), was the fastest production Fulvia at about 190 km/h (118 mph). Our power converter gives the Italian CV figures in kW and hp.

Lancia Fulvia specifications

Variants and derivatives

Rallying and the 1972 championship

Lancia had left Formula One in 1955 and returned to motorsport with the Fulvia. The Coupé made its rally debut at the 1965 Tour de Corse, finishing eighth overall. Lancia won the Italian Rally Championship with it every year from 1965 to 1973, except 1970. At the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally Sandro Munari and Mario Mannucci won by 10 minutes 50 seconds, and Lancia took the International Championship for Manufacturers that year with two rounds to spare. In 1974 the Fulvia handed over to the Stratos HF, described in our Lancia Stratos article; the later rally champion is in the Lancia Delta article.

The Fulvia in numbers

Of the 338,996 Fulvias in the three model figures, 57% were Berlinas, 41% Coupés and only about 2% Sports. The 202 aluminium Sports of Series 1 make up less than 3% of all Sports. Power more than doubled across the range, from 43 kW in the first Berlina to 97 kW in works rally tune, while engine size grew by less than half, from 1,091 to 1,584 cc. The 1.6 HF engine produces about 54 kW per litre in road form, against about 39 kW per litre for the first 1,091 cc unit.

Legacy

After the Fulvia, Lancia's range moved to the Beta, whose 1.3-litre Coupé replaced the Fulvia Coupé in 1977, and the Trevi saloon of 1980–1984. The name returned in 2003 on a concept car, the Fulvia Coupé concept, which weighed 990 kg according to English Wikipedia. The rally record of the original remained the car's lasting reputation: eight Italian titles in the nine seasons from 1965 to 1973 and the 1972 international title, won with engines of just 1.3 and 1.6 litres. The company's successes from the Fulvia to the Delta are covered in our Lancia history.

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