1300cc V4 Italian classic is used every day and parked on the street
Giuseppe Minetti is looking forward to a Summer in London at the wheel of his 1973 Lancia Fulvia 1.3S.
“Winters here aren’t that bad, but when it gets super-slippery, I’ll definitely take it for a drive. Because these cars were designed for loose gravel and uneven surfaces, it will come into its own. The Fulvia is front-wheel drive but is designed so you can get the back end drifting out. Its very skinny tyres help,” he says.
If you hadn’t already guessed, Giuseppe is Italian to his boots and has owned more than 30 Italian cars. “Apart from two Alfa 156 GTAs that I owned, most have been high-revving models like the Fulvia,” he says.
“I’ve had GTVs, an Alfa Giulia 105, which was stunning, four Alfa Spiders, six X1/9s I’ve had only three non-Italian cars and they didn’t last long.”
He’s owned the Fulvia for just six weeks. “It’s the Monte Carlo special-edition version with flared wheel arches, which, when it left the factory, would have looked like the 1.6 HF rally car that won the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally,” he says.
“It’s finished all in red now, but when it was new it would have had the matt black bonnet and bootlid of the rally cars, intended to reduce reflections from headlights during night stages. Fortunately, my car still has the bucket seats that it was supplied with.
“It had a ground-up restoration in Rome 10 years ago. Fulvia Classics in Longwick then imported it and sold it to a chap who had the black painted over. I think it looks better this way. The only things I don’t like are the fake bonnet catches. I’d prefer they were real,” he says.
Giuseppe bought the car in a private sale for £20,000. “I’ve got all the documented history and the photos recording its restoration. I use it every day and have done more than 400 miles taking the kids to school, going shopping and just driving around aimlessly, enjoying it. I park it in the street. I’m not precious about it. It has to be used,” he says.
Remarkably, the Fulvia’s 1300cc engine is a V4. “The two cylinder banks are so close together that it has only one head,” says Giuseppe. “So that the car could have a low bonnet, the engine is canted over. It has twin carburettors and out of the factory it produced about 98hp. It’s since been tweaked to make a little more. It’s very rev-happy and redlines at 6500rpm.
“The previous owner fitted a custom-made exhaust that makes a great sound. You’re not sure if it’s a V4 or if it’s a motorbike engine. It has a lovely rasp.
“The car weighs less than one tonne. It’s quick enough off the mark but it’s the in-gear performance that is impressive. The five-speed gearbox has a dog-leg first so that second and third are straight down so you can make quick changes. Technically, it’s a very straightforward car, there aren’t a lot of electrics and basic servicing is simple.”
Simple enough for Giuseppe to fix a persistent petrol leak? “I often drive with the windows down because the cabin occasionally reeks of petrol,” he says. “The kids joke that they know when I’ve been for a drive because I smell of the stuff!”
