There was another thread, sadly lost, covering how it came to light just down the road from here, and how I went to look at it convinced it would be much worse than others thought, found it to be much worse than I thought, and brought it home anyway...
What was I thinking? They're so much nicer in the metal than pictures!!! It was also a "rescue puppy" thing. It answers the "what will I do when the others are done?" question definitively as it will clearly take a very long time to get anywhere with.
When (if...) its done its a car I can imagine using: they're geared for motorways and have power in reserve for hills, lots of luggage space, the back is ok for adults as long as those in front and the back aren't too tall (I'm not). Lots of headroom and of course those rear windows, and rearvsunvisors. Its a car where sitting in the BACK has a sense of occasion. Nicely shaped seats in the back as well. I like sitting in the back. Low wind noise, refined mechanically.
Of course they raced and rallied in period, for all I can't imagine ever having the money to do much more than local 12 car rallies or "demo runs" at Brands Italia or up Prescot, but never say never. Its more likely to be de-tuned than tuned. An attraction of Flavias in general is that mechanical "big lump" spares are still about. This car came with another engine Practical Classics stripped for a feature. I had an Aurelia (in a previous life) and just the wheels were becoming problematic, let alone pot joints in the rear drive shafts, cylinder heads with meat on them etc etc etc, and prices of the spares might even have gone up more than the cars. If the engine needs a lot of expensive work I'll source another...
Flavias and the early Fulvias combine an almost vintage build and feel with modern sure footedness and brakes. Belts fitted from new. Good ventilation.
This one rolls and steers sweetly, gears snick in, someone had changed the oil recently for all the engine doesn't turn. It hasn't fought me from the start: everything had undone nicely, the bonnet dent popped back out, I was able to get the dash back to shape by hand etc. Others with Flavia Sports have been a pleasure to meet. Its a treat every time the cover comes off for a "show and tell". Its an intriguing thing working out where "Lancia" meets "Zagato" and what's going to have to be done differently if its going to last. They have a reputation for the front end pulling off and sagging to the extent screens crack. Ali over a steel frame doesn't last. Pillars not really up to the task. I'm not a purist so am willing to beef stuff up and where panel return edges have rotted off I'll be content to remove them and use adhesive, at least to use modern sealants. I like gas welding but haven't yet mastered aluminium let alone whatever particular grade they're made of so I'm not expecting to be welding new edges on, but by the time I come to it I might have picked that skill up. I'd like to be able to gas weld aluminium in the same way others want to climb Mount McKinley or get under 3 hours for a marathon.
The reason for the lack of progress is that "life got in the way": I've had zero time for any car stuff for a couple of years now. However I've still the desire should the "window of opportunity reopen" to spend any and every spare moment in the garage on such projects.
Plans? For all each time I look its better than I remembered I expect building a chassis from scratch will probably be quicker and easier than trying to repair what's there. The back is terrible so that's the end to start. I've yet to poke about at the front all that much so maybe the dash forwards will be repaired rather than replaced. Sills are not just bad but missing. The floor is either very thin or missing. I'd not trust the rear cross member. Rear rails over the springs to be replaced. Rear cross member/valance has enough to see what it should be but not really repairable. The other "sensible way forwards" would be to source a Berlina with "beyond economic repair" interior and cosmetics and use bits of its structure wholesale. The third option that gets discussed is to build a rollcage that links the front subframe to the rear spring mounts and work from there. Richard Fridd suggested an Alfa TZ type structure and play the "how light can you get it" game.
For the pressed sections I can make wooden hammer forms in my sleep so the ambition is to get it looking "factory" rather than flat sheets, but I might get impatient. I've a bead roller and my brother inlaw is keen to have a chance to use his fly press, he's a machine tool collector and restorer having given up the pretence he was ever going to make something with them.
Anyway - what a ramble - in brief if "its the doing not the done" then there's plenty to keep me busy, and if by some fluke of nature it ever is "done" then its a car I'd love to have and use.
