1967 Lancia Fulvia Coupé – Auction Car of the Week

There are certain things that will guarantee sales as far as cars are concerned and looks, handling and motorsport kudos are three big ones. It’s this particular holy trinity that the Lancia Fulvia Coupé has in droves. These same facets also guarantee desirability when said car moves into classic territory, as the Fulvia proves. Just look at it. You can’t tell us you don’t immediately want this beautiful little Italian coupé sitting pretty in your driveway, waiting patiently for its next blast along some windy B-roads, or for a summer jaunt to the coast. Perfection.

The Lancia’s aforementioned easy on the eye aesthetic comes courtesy of in-house designer Piero Castagnero and although based upon the earlier Berlina saloon the Coupé features a shorter wheelbase and all new body panels, with the doors, bonnet and bootlid being fashioned out of aluminium to save weight. Debuting in ’65, two years after the Berlina, the Coupé was furnished with the same V4 engine with a 1,216cc capacity and with a single, one-piece head covering both narrow angled banks of cylinders. It’s a hardy little unit that produces 80bhp, which is pretty impressive considering.

But it’s the sheer joy of piloting these front-wheel drive coupés that sealed the deal for many. It’s perfectly balanced with precise handling, thanks in part to its independent front suspension set up and it’s this innate drive-ability that made it such an impressive rally car, too. Recognised for their numerous motorsport successes, including the overall win in the 1972 International Rally Championship, Fulvias are still incredibly popular today as historic rally cars, testament to their inherent strengths. Go to any hill climb or vintage motorsport event and you’ll more than likely see a Fulvia tearing it up.

This may come as a bit of a surprise to some of you, considering Lancia’s more modern, let’s say less than stellar reputation, but back in the ’60s with the Fulvia, the Italian firm really did get it bang on. The main issue you do need to contend with as far as any Lancia Fulvia is concerned, however, is rust. Thankfully this 1967 Series 1 Lancia Fulvia Coupé has been comprehensively restored, a process which began in 2021, and the results speak for themselves. With no nut left unturned the car received a full, bare metal respray in its original Bianco Saratoga paint as well as brand new chrome trim all round.

The interior was also refurbished to an incredibly high standard, retaining as much of the car’s originality as possible – even down to keeping in place the period radio as well as sanding and treating the beautiful factory wooden steering wheel, which the eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed is on the right. Yep, despite this being an original Italian car it was built in right-hand drive spec. Mechanically the Fulvia is spot on and comes with a full, recent MOT showing zero advisories. What more could you possibly want?

This is simply a a gorgeous, well-engineered coupé that wears it’s many accomplishments on it’s beautifully sculpted wing. Robust enough to use every day but still exclusive enough to turn heads wherever it goes, especially one as well presented and original as this example. Forget about the premium 1.6 HF variants as prices are becoming a little too prohibitive for most and you can arguably have just as much fun in the smaller-engined models for a fraction of the cost. The auction ends tomorrow night so get your bids in now, you will not be disappointed. Trust us.