Lancia Motor Club

Hello all, I know that this is a car that's not to everyone's taste, but I thought it was worth making a thread about. This is my first Lancia, I've always liked the Fulvias but never managed to get hold of one. I'd missed out on a kit form Coupe around 15 years ago, and the prices since then were just out of my range at the time! I came across the listing for this when I was on holiday with some fellow weird car friends in rural france. I'd bought a very cheap Jaguar XJ for the trip, and the question of what I was going to get after that led to a few ebay searches. As soon as I saw this I knew I just needed to save this and get it back on the road, hopefully to take on our various european meetups. Viewing arrangements were made, and I did a deal to buy without the alloy bonnet or doors it was- would have been nice to have, but out of the budget I had at the time.

A couple of weeks later I collected it with a random selection of parts and started to take stock of what I'd got myself in for. As it turns out, it needs just about everything, but it's something I'm determined to do. So far 2023 has mostly been stripping it down and assessing what needs to be done. There's a lot of prior repairs to unpick- from the old photos of the car the door fitment has always been a bit off, and it still is. I think that was from the rear arch replacement as the profile doesn't quite follow. Possibly the worst area is the rear spring hanger on the passenger side which is totally gone. Not too complicated to get a replacement pressed, but time consuming. Sills all need doing as do most of the external panels below the swage line. Lots of patches on patches! The Citroen D pillars are the most rusted parts above this, but I have a complete cut of a GS to repair this with. A friend in Grenoble found a GS Break in his local scrapyard and I shot down there over a long weekend to cut the back of the car off. It didn't quite go entirely to plan but that's all part of the fun.

The car originally was a 1216, but I only got the crankcase of the engine with it. I picked up a complete 1298 engine and gearbox with a good subframe, and over the christmas break have been cleaning that up. That's the first part I need as then I can start replacing the subframe mounts (one of which is completely gone), and move on to the sills and floors. As the cross bracing that's behind the rear seats on a couple has been removed it probably would benefit from a bit of reinforcement.   I've also sourced a Fibreglass bonnet and a pair of alloy doors- one has a decent dent in, but should be repairable. As well as various assorted parts.

As a project it's a big one! The metro van next to it in one of the photos is the priority for this year, but I do want to make some progress - I will keep the thread updated as it goes along.

That’s a big project, good for you for taking it on another Fulvia saved.
Following with interest.

I saw this when I collected some wheels from the owner. Home made conversion with the back end from a Citroen GS. Could be quite a eye catcher if it is possible to restore. Sourcing an engine so early is rather optimistc maybe.

Well done. It's a historical oddity but so clever and fascinating. Good luck with the project.

Yes, it's been through a couple of people since the builder- I bought it from a young lad in Somerset and I think there was someone else in between that. It's been through various stages of dismantling and a very hopeful patch was made, but no major work. Last MOT was in 1992 with with original creator. I will say the engine purchase was slightly opportunistic- the price was right and it came with a good subframe, which I was lacking. The one that came with it would restore but needs the outriggers, this meant that I've got a known positioning for the mounts on the car.

I do hope you manage to get it back on the road. It's 40 years since I took this photo and it looked a bit shabby then!

Is that a MKII Ford Cortina in the background?

I'm tempted to say why would we care, but no, the styling is a couple of decades too late.  It looks more like a Rover 820 but the C pillar is wrong or a Honda Accord but the nose is wrong.

well done for taking on the project. It would be fantastic to save it. keep us posted

Great that it is going to be saved, whilst the design of this conversion is controversial I like it and generally like the idea of a Fulvia HPE.

Vauxhall Carlton Mk1  ;D

Are you sure. The MKI Carlton did not have the "vents" in the D-Pillar. Also, the width of the D pillar look looks larger compared to the Carlton.

@ the OP: Can you confirm the car?

No, but I'm 99.9% sure it matches the attached photo of said car.

Hi

I believe you are correct, it is a Carlton.

Peter

I can confirm the mystery car was a Cortina. Not really my kind of thing, but he'd put a lot of work in to it.

Maybe we are looking at a different car? The car I can see is a Carlton.

Peter

Red at the back of the workshop?

I think you'll find that that is the colour of the car behind, seen through the glass door quarter panel, and the rear window of the Carlton.
Brian
8227 8)

The original question was asked immediately after the post/photo of the Fulvia in a field, hence the Carlton answer. The MkII Cortina is in one of the photos right near the beginning of the thread when the car is in a barn. There are two red cars with the look of it in different photos, a red Cortina and a MR2.

Peter

Thank you for clarifying that, although I'm starting to regret answering the question as we appear to have gone somewhat off-topic as a consequence  ::)

Someone has to say it!

I wasn’t going to say anything as I don’t like knocking people’s dreams. But, lots of people are commenting (although mostly off topic) and I guess you must be expecting some brickbats!

It’s obviously a very personal decision to undertake this enormous restoration and I wonder what motivated you to do so. It was never a great car and it never can be. It will only ever be a quirky vehicle that someone many years ago with spare time and a welding torch once thought would be a good idea. I don’t think it ever was a good idea, but who knows the circumstances that gave rise to it.

The amount of time that will need to be spent on it is off the scale. I assume you must be a skilled welder or you wouldn’t have contemplated the project, but that’s only the start.

I’m sure all the parts (and you’ll need a heck of a lot of them) will be available from donor cars, eBay, Omicron, Tanc Barratt, Pieces Fulvia etc. but they won’t come cheap these days.

If you want a Fulvia (and why wouldn’t any classic car enthusiast, they are beautifully engineered) I think I would spend my time on one that will at least be worth something one day, thereby recouping a lot of what you are going to spend on time and components. It will also be guaranteed a great car to drive if done correctly. Some pretty rough ones are advertised from time to time, but they can make good long-term projects.

Sorry to be negative, but I’ve seen too many projects abandoned after spending an inordinate amount of time and money on them by the time the penny dropped.

Hi Richard

I cannot fault your comments apart from just one point which may have some bearing on the decision, that is if you want a one off which will be unique to you and hence a talking point. Certainly the value will be way less than the likely restoration cost.

I have been on the lookout for a kit car based on engine/running gear from a Beta for some time now and know it will cost way more than its value after restoration, but my reasoning is to save/have what is likely to be the only one and it is an interesting car.

Peter

Well said. A hobby is just that. If it is trying to justify on financial basis it is not a hobby but an investment.

Some of us are attracted to the quirky and unusual and without us many rarities would not get saved. The world is full of people who take on projects that don't make sense to more rationally minded individuals. The original Fulvia HPE was created by just such an individual and if someone is enthused by the prospect of saving it I for one applaud that.

In a field full of fabulous Fulvias this one will draw the crowds!

It'll be a long road for this restoration that won't make any financial sense (a bit like my Beta Coupe) but we do it because we love the cars. I hope there are lots mote pictures to see as the work progresses!

Guy

Chacun à son goût.

That car of yours looks vaguely familiar, did you buy it from Bob Cuppage?    He certainly made a Fulvia estate by grafting on a citroen back end in the 70s.

And attached is a picture of the finished article with a better blue paint job.

Okay, okay you got me; my little joke.

It comes from the site https://www.wir-leben-lancia.de/fulvia-projekt/ (https://www.wir-leben-lancia.de/fulvia-projekt/) where they have created a colour mock-up of a Fulvia estate but, and why I'm writing, actually seem to have embarked on a practical project if you haven't already seen this!

They have an image gallery but this seems a little clunky. You could always go to Google -> Images and put this in the search: https://www.wir-leben-lancia.de/fulvia-projekt/

I love it - absolutely must be saved.
Is it just me or are there head-rests in the back?

As a general point - this comment is a good one and does frequently occur to me:

'I would spend my time on one that will at least be worth something one day, thereby recouping a lot of what you are going to spend on time and components'.

Have considered it many times, from doing major work on the house to the amount I have spent on the Fulvias.
And would totally agree from the point that spending £30k on a Lancia that is worth £15k it is far 'better' to spend £30k on a £100 Ford Escort Rallye.

It is gradually dawning on me however that I do this and spend this simply because I want to.  And will enjoy the cars for the future.

My 2c is worth a lot less than I spent on restoring her, and what I've spent since, but to make money was never the intention.
And after 27 Years of ownership, I haven't changed my views.
You're very lucky if you can ever recover the cost of restoring a car, especially these days.
The only way is if you own something highly desirable, or buy a very good one very cheap.!
Brian
8227 8)

It all comes down to the basic question of whether you are doing it as an investment or spending money on something you enjoy. I could spend £45,000 on a world cruise. I'd enjoy it but I wouldn't expect to get £45,000 back afterwards.

I would to make it clear that I never bought my Fulvia expecting to make any money on it. It was never an investment.

I expected to spend money on it, and indeed have already spent a few thousand on what was a rust free example needing a bit of TLC and some new bits. There is no way I could recoup what I have spent so far, nor did I ever expect to. When I add in the number of hours I have spent on it, idea of it being investment is ridiculous. My payback is having a lovely looking, beautifully engineered car that looks and drives just as a Fulvia should. It’s also been a very satisfying process, although sometimes frustrating of course.

Nevertheless, everybody has their limits as to how much time and money they want to spend on something. I am happy to continue doing both, but my limits are nowhere near those required to successfully undertake the particular project in question.

Well said, and thank you for saving something of great interest to many,  a Fulvia Lancia failed to make.

Brian

8227 8)

The trouble with spending money on something that is then worth money is that - when you need money - it makes sense to sell it.  

I'm delighted the estate is being given another chance.  It might also be worthless enough to be actually used as intended, which is another issue with stuff that ends up with a big ticket on it.

Oh, I know that this makes very little sense for most people. But the strange nature of it is very appealing to me, obviously it's not for everyone! The parts certainly do add up though I would say pricing for most things is in line with what I would expect, and it's refreshing to be dealing with something where there is a plentiful supply of parts from many vendors. Not something I can say for my MR2s even though they are much newer.

Yes, it definitely will be. One if the first things I checked was would I be able to fit my bike in the back- it will with the front wheel off. The idea is to build something that is usable and be able to take it on long trips away.

It is. As far as I know it was on the road until the early 90s, that's when the last MOT I have expired. I know it went through a couple of owners in the past few years.

Was one of them Robert Cuppage?

On the subject of parts adding up on one project I kept a spreadsheet to learn from.  The biggest lesson was never to keep a spreadsheet.