1969 Lancia Fulvia

Lancia introduced the Fulvia salon in 1963, and it remained in production through 1976. It was named after Via Fulvia, the Roman road leading from Tortona to Turin, and designed by Antonio Fessia. It was a replacement for the rear-wheel-drive Appia and shared almost no components with its predecessor. Like the Flavia, the Fulvia received a front-wheel drive configuration along with an all-new, narrow-angle, overhead-camshaft V4 engine. Both the Flavia and the Fulvia shared many similar engineering designs, with the major exception being the engine. The Flavia employed a four-cylinder horizontally opposed engine and the Fulvia a 'Narrow Angle' vee configuration used on most production Lancias from the Lambda. It had an unusually narrow 12-degree V which allowed a single cylinder head to cover all the cylinders, with one cam each for exhaust and intake valves. The DOHC unit initially displaced 1,091cc with a 72mm bore and a 67mm stroke. With the help of a single carburetor, it developed 57 horsepower. With higher compression and twin Solex carburetors, output rose to 70 hp.

Three displacement sizes of the engine were ultimately developed, including a 1199cc, 1231cc, and 1298cc version. The 1199cc engine was only installed in the Berlina sold in Greece. In 1967, the engine was reworked with a slightly narrower bank angle and longer 69.7mm stroke. The 1298cc engine was built in two versions, including the Type 818.302 with 87 horsepower and the Type 8183.03 rated at 91 horsepower. This version was installed in the first series Coupé Rallye S and Sport S.

The engine was mounted longitudinally in front of its transaxle and suspended in the front by an independent suspension that used wishbones and a single leaf spring. In the back was a beam axle with a Panhard rod and leaf springs. Tour wheel Dunlop disc brakes were fitted to first series Fulvia's. The second series, introduced in 1970, received larger Girling calipers all round and a brake servo. Additional changes included a redesigned body resting on a 20 mm longer wheelbase. The roofline was altered to allow additional interior room for the rear-seat passengers, and various other updates were made to the interior. The handbrake design was also changed - using separate drums and brake shoes operating on the rear wheels.

The Fulvia was built as a Berlina 4-door saloon, 2-door Coupe, and Sport. A fastback coupe designed and built by Zagato was also available and built atop the coupe floorpan. The Coupe version proved most popular and earned numerous racing accolades in motorsports competition, including winning the International Rally Championship in 1972.

The 2+2 coupe was introduced two years after the arrival of the Fulvia saloon and built atop a shorter wheelbase but remained mechanically similar. Tuned 'HF' versions provided increased performance, while the Sport Zagato wore lightweight and aerodynamic bodies. Introduced in 1965 with the 1,216cc engine, the Sport Zagato was later offered with the 1,231cc, 1,298cc, and eventually the 1,584cc HF unit. A five-speed gearbox was standard equipment from 1971. Production ceased in 1972.

The works team campaigned the Fulvia in 1.2- and 1.3-litre forms, before the arrival of the 1.6-litre, five-speed HF1600 for 1969, giving them the means to mount a more serious challenge. The Rallye 1.6 HF was known as the 'Fanalone' due to its large inner headlamps. Power was sourced from a 1,584 cubic centimeter V-4 engine delivering 115 horsepower in road trim with up to 165 bhp in rally guise. The works team used the HF1600 consistently between 1969 and 1974, securing seven European Championship wins in 1970, six in 1971, and seven the following year to take the World Rally Championship for Makes in 1972. Alpine-Renault's A110 took the title for the French manufacturer in 1973, but the HF1600 was not done yet, helping Lancia to a second Makes championship in 1974 together with the Stratos and Beta Coupé, while Harry Kallström (1969) and Sandro Munari (1972) became European Rally Champions driving the HF1600.

The Fulvia HF1600 effectively established Lancia's reputation on the World Rallying stage and paved the way for the Stratos, Rally 037, and Delta Integrale models. When production ceased in 1973, a total of 3,690 Stradale (road-going) HF1600s had been produced, with a further 1,258 being built to 'Rallye' specification.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2017