From Sicily to Stardom: The 1970 Lancia Fulvia
Explore the fully restored 1970 Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF, a rare Italian classic loaded with vintage details and undeniable charm.
An Italian Race Car Full of Charm
If your definition of a cool car includes charm, look no further than today’s find – a 1970 Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF Fanalone. Radiating vintage Italian charm, this little red-finished coupe is currently for sale and is hard to beat for the enthusiast in seek of something very different. It’s also fairly rare, as estimates peg production of these Series 1 models at around 1,250 units. That’s partly because the HF Fanalone was highly upgraded from the factory.
A homologation special, these Fulvias featured the 1,600-cc version of Lancia’s unconventional narrow-angle V4 engine. Mounted as far forward as possible, it was canted at 45 degrees to allow for a low hoodline and, unusual for the time, sent power to the front wheels. Horsepower was in the 115 to 132 range, but considering these HF models only weighed around 2,000 pounds, thanks to weight reduction measures like aluminum body panels, they were relatively quick.
The Unique Design of the Lanica Fulvia
An evolution of the 1.3 HF Rallye model, the 1600 HF stood out for the “big headlights” (Fanalone) mounted between the standard front lamps and aimed at night rally stage word. In 1.6 HF guise – short for Hi Fi and identified by Lancia’s charging elephant – these Lancias saw major rally success, including wins at Sebring and the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally. Little wonder, considering Lancia’s long history of epic race cars with all-time livery designs. Loaded with unusual details like a transverse leaf front suspension and buttress-style seat bolsters, the Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF Fanalone is the embodiment of a cool car find, especially today’s example.
Direct from Italy, Fully Restored
According to the seller, this 1970 HF Fanalone spent the majority of its life in the dry, sunny climate of Sicily, Italy before being put through a comprehensive restoration starting in 2018, to the tune of some $90,000. Finished in red, this Fulvia sports a yellow and blue racing stripe and a color-coordinated engine valve cover in a nod to Lancia’s racing division. Period-correct Pirelli Cinturato tires wrap the original 13” Cromodora alloy wheels and the windows are decorated with decals showing where this Fanalone saw racing, including the Targa Florio Rally in 1980 and 1981.
It was just a few years later that Lancia would unleash one of the greatest rally cars of all time with the Delta Integrale. Inside, the vintage charm offensive continues with a Ferrero two-spoke steering wheel, woodgrain trim, and analog Veglia gauges in Italian. The 220-km/h speedometer shows an inset odometer reading 34,617 km and the tachometer runs all the way to 10,000 rpm. A 5-speed dogleg manual transmission keeps the analog theme alive and the Automotoclub Storico Italiano registration placard in the rear window speaks to this 1600 HF Fanalone’s provenance.
Said to be a documented, numbers-matching example, it comes with a full registration file. Cars like this Fulvia are few and far between in our current environment of enormous, lumbering SUVs and pickup trucks here in America. At nearly $100,000, there’s no denying today’s cool car find is not cheap. However, in the words of Ferris Bueller, “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend you picking one up.”
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