One of Europe's oldest automakers, Lancia is now just a shadow of what it once was. With just one nameplate in dealerships, the Italian brand is still waiting for a lifeline from parent company Stellantis. A revival may take place in a few years, but until that happens, all we can do is look back on some of the company's iconic nameplates.
The Fulvia is one of them and it returns into the spotlight thanks to a test drive by Tedward. If you're not familiar with YouTube's POV driver, Tedward is filming himself while driving all sorts of cool vehicles, ranging from the latest luxury models to classics dating back to the 1950s.
This week's car of choice is the Lancia Fulvia, one of the brand's most celebrated nameplates. The car in question is a 1972, Series II coupe powered by a 1.3-liter V4 engine. Produced from 1970 to 1973, this two-door version of the Fulvia came with 89 horsepower on tap. It might not sound like much compared to modern standards, but it was one of Lancia's most powerful models back in the day.
But the Fulvia wasn't about power and torque anyway. It was designed as a lightweight sports coupe with a focus on handling. And these feats helped Lancia win the Monte Carlo Rally with the Fulvia in 1972. The firm also built a more powerful, 113-horsepower version called the 1600 HF.
As Tedward notes in the video below, the Fulvia has phenomenal handling and is a joy to drive. The coupe also seems faster and more powerful than it is, which might have something to do with its low curb weight, usually at around 2,100 pounds (953 kgs).
He also describes the car as a "rally beast" that "wants to rev" all the time, all while the exhaust sounds like "a swarm of angry bees." I'm not sure I agree with the latter statement, but the V4 engine does sound unique.
If you're not familiar with the design, you should know that Lancia was the first company to put a V4 engine in a series-produced car. The mill debuted in the Lambda in 1922 and remained in production until 1976. The Aprilia is another iconic Lancia that used the V4 engine.
If you're a fan of the Fulvia, Tedward also drove the Zagato-bodied version earlier in 2021. You can check that one out in the second video below. Both cars are stunningly beautiful.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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