Do you want to get into the wonderful world of vintage rally car ownership? Well, prepare your wallet, because owning an iconic rally fighter from the 1970s will cost big bucks. If you’re strapped for cash, this 1975 Lancia Fulvia Coupe for sale on Bring a Trailer makes an excellent substitute.
Despite a current bid of a hair more than $10,000, this Fulvia Coupe is in excellent condition and has had most of its fail-happy parts replaced (carburetors, water pump, etc.) It was first registered in Switzerland, but put most of its 53,290 miles on the odometer during its 30 years spent in Italy before it was imported to the United States this year.
The silver exterior was repainted more than a decade ago in the original color, and the red interior has been refinished. The only modifications the owner has installed are [non-functioning] driving lamps, fender flares, and removal of the bumpers.
The Lancia Fulvia Coupe gets its 89 horsepower and 84 pound-feet of torque from a tiny 1.3-liter V-4, but its lightweight 2138-pound design more than makes up for its lack of power. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission that sends power to the Pirelli-wrapped front wheels.
If the Fulvia’s performance specs won’t convince you that it’s actually a fast car, its rally history might. The car had little success on the track, but Lancia’s rally career debuted with the Fulvia, boasting an entire portfolio of championship wins in the early ’70s. It annihilated the Italian Rally Championship nearly nine years in a row (with one loss in 1970) and conquered the prestigious International Championship for Manufacturers in 1972 with a historic win at the Monte Carlo Rally.
The Fulvia’s success was halted in 1974 when it was replaced by the Lancia Stratos HF, an iconic Group B rally monster that fetches a $466,000 price tag on average nowadays.