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17/11/2010
By MURRAY HUBBARD
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One of the great names in automotive history is Lancia - a company steeped in a tradition of innovation - which perhaps can even by summed up by our featured car, a 1969 Lancia Fulvia Coupe Rallye S. That tradition includes among other things developing the world's first V4 engine in the 1920s - the descendant of those engines gracing the under-bonnet of this stunning little coupe.
We spied the Fulvia Coupe Rallye S at the 2010 RACQ Motorfest in Brisbane in July and more than 40 years on it is still a remarkable looking car with classic Italian lines, classy interior and a simplicity that is truly timeless. This car is not a showstopper for it still gets regular use and has a history of competing in events in Victoria and Canberra, up to 2000 kilometres drive from its home in Queensland. The car is owned by Graham and Marie Simpson who purchased the then fully-restored car back in 1993.
The first Lancia V4 engine was utilised in the Lancia Lambda from 1922 - 1931, with Lancia developing three variants of the engine which developed 36.5 kW, 44 kW and 51.5 kW with displacements of 2119 cc, 2370cc and 2568 cc. Between these engines, and the 1969 Fulvia Coupe Rallye S, Lancia continued to develop the V4 which became smaller in capacity with a resultant reduction in output. By 1939 the Lancia V4 that powered the Ardea was just 903 cc with an output of 21.5 kW. Then, of course, the war intervened. In some ways the Lancia story reflects the basic differences between US automobile makers and Europeans and how they powered their passenger cars, also a reflection of catering to meet the need of the traveling public. The US with its size and distances and Europe with the confinement and tighter streets, lack of parking and issues with fuel supply.
Lancia's last fling with the V4 came after WW2 when they were used in the Fulvia, which started production in 1963 and ended in 1976. This engine conformed to a legitimate DOHC design with one camshaft taking care of intake valves and the other exhaust valves. At first the engine had a displacemernt of 1091 cc with an output of 44 kW. Compression was upped soon after taking output to 53 kW. Later variants displaced 1216 cc for the Coupe model in the mid-1960s and output was increased to an impressive 60kW. In reality the Fulvia needed a fair amount of grunt as the cars were built sturdily, and meant to last. (Yes, an Italian car from the 1960s, built to last!) Lancia, however, would eventually pay a price for producing quality.
In 1967 the V4 was re-engineered with a change to the angles between the banks and a longer stroke. Three variants were developed with 1199 cc, 1231 cc and 1298 cc. The engine that concerns us most is the 1298 cc or 1.3 litre variant which had three performance levels depending on the car it was destined for. The standard engine developed 65 kW and was used in standard Fulvias, a 67 kW for our featured car, the Fulvia Coupe Rallye S, and a 75 kW for the Rallye HF.
The Fulvia line started in 1963 as a fairly plain model, a bit boxy, four-door sedan. By 1969 Lancia had developed a truly beautiful coupe as our images show. Australia received few Lancia cars with a 1.2 litre model arriving on our shores in 1964 and a year later was followed by a coupe. In 1968 the first of the Rallye 1.3S coupes arrived and this was followed later by the HF coupe. These were cars well away from the Australian mainstream. In 1969 we were buying Holden Kingswood, Ford Falcon and Chrysler Valiant ... and let's not forget Monaro, GT Falcon and R/T Valiants - all rear wheel drive, six cylinder and V8 engined cars.
Lancia Fulvia Rallye S was out of left field with it's tiny 1.3 litre, twin carburettor V4 engine, two doors, front wheel drive. Our cars were large and comfortable while the Fulvia's front seats abut the rear seat if the driver and passenger were to have any comfort level. Air conditioning was determined by how far open you had the quarter window. And headroom was at a premium. Ah, the joys of Italian motoring. Yet, this little Lancia had more than one redeeming feature. Top speed was close to the old 100 miles per hour mark at about 170 km/h and it had four wheel disc brakes for stopping, although the power assist was minimal and drivers needed a heavy left foot to bring things to a halt. By today's standards the 0-100 km/h sprint was slow at 12.9 seconds.
Despite it's sporting flavour the Fulvia did not have an independent rear suspension, yet reports from this era give high praise to the cars handling. This model Fulvia is fitted with a four speed transmission with a floor shifter. This Fulvia is typical of the products that Lancia produced, a solid car lacking the rust problems that dogged other Italian marques of this era. Lancia was founded in 1906 and continued as an independent company until the year our featured car was produced, 1969, when Fiat took over the ailing company for the princely sum of $1. For all of Lancia's innovations - V6 and V4 engines, monocoque car bodies, pioneering car electrical systems, five speed transmission in 1948 and suspension inventions - the company was unable to capitalise on its strengths. It simply built cars too well-engineered and even selling at a premium price was not sufficient to save the company from takeover.
SPECIFICATIONS
1969 LANCIA FULVIA COUPE RALLYE S
Engine: 1.3 litre DOHC In line four
Bore/stroke: 77.0 mm X 69.7 mm
Dual carburettors.
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Transmission:
Four speed manual
Dimensions
Length: 3975 mm
Width: 1562 mm
Height: 1295 mm
Wheelbase: 2330 mm
Fuel Tank: 38.6 litres
Performance:
0-100 km/h: 12.9 seconds
Tope Speed: 170 km/h
Seating
2+2
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