Highlights
- Extensive rust repairs – new sills and subframe
- Rare 1.3 S version – only 600 built
- Lots of history – Thousands spent in the past 22 years
The Appeal
Italian cars are known for having beautiful styling and character in bucket loads. The original Lancia Fulvia was already a pretty car, but when Zagato got their hands on it they turned it into a piece of automotive art.
Over the past 50 years, the majority of the original 600 1.3 S’ that were built have somewhat returned to the earth as they are prone to severe rusting. This car, however, has been through extensive rust repairs with a new subframe and new sills making it better than new.
There are a lot of invoices from the famous Lancia specialists, Omicron, who have looked after this in recent years. With so few of these cars surviving today you seldom see them come up for sale so this is your chance to acquire a rare piece of automotive history.
The History and Paperwork
- The story of every Zagato starts the same as every other Fulvia, it would roll off the production line in 1972 as a standard Fulvia where it would then be sent to Zagato so they could work their magic on it.
- Zagato would remove certain body panels and graft their own panels on resulting in this very pretty car.
- As this is a Series II Fulvia (which launched at the Turin Motor show in 1970) it has a new five-speed dog-leg gearbox and an upgraded brake system.
- When this car went to its first owner in the UK we can only imagine that they were over the moon with what they had purchased
- Between 1972-2000 the history is a little patchy, but from 2000 onwards the history is very well documented.
- From a handily curated list of repair jobs, we can see that for the past 2 decades this Zagato has been in the best possible hands
- In 2000 it receives work on the cylinder head, a new water pump, timing chain, starting motors, ignition switch, and some other works. In total £5,800 is spent during the year
- The work continues into 2001 with ‘various engine, brakes, steering, suspension and body work’ totalling £3,922
- In 2004 it receives its first documented rust repairs; some welding is completed on the subframe and sills. Some paint and other associated works are also carried out
- Between 2004-2011 there are a few assorted works completed, but in September of 2010, it goes in to have a full body respray the colour is changed to the white we see today. All in this job cost nearly £6,000!
- Moving into 2011 there are some electric works and more welding done to the subframe. This time the subframe is removed and then painted. An oil service and some wing repairs are also carried out
- In 2013 as the car crept over 72,000 miles the gearbox oil was changed
- As we approach 2014 it goes back in to get more work completed the description of this work is very detailed and is as follows; Cut out rust on rear wings and B posts, remake complete lower inner and outer section of tailgate, strip bumper, paint, flat and polish all repairs, replace fuel pump, bleed system and get running plus various associated works. This work totals £4,679
- Over the next 7 years, it appears to be nice motoring with only some minor repairs to the front brakes.
- The most recent entry into this table is for 15/05/2021 again we have a detailed description which is as follows; Cut out corrosion to NSF floor, lower bulkhead, front inner sill box sections, fabricate new front floor pan, lower bulkhead inner and outer panels, lower inner A post to floor section new inner sill box section, outer sill front lower section, weld in new sections, black under body floor and dynitrol plus NSF brake hoses, repair handbrake lever and various minor repairs for MOT.
- As you can probably work out by now, this car has been owned by enthusiasts who understand the importance of keeping her on the road for future owners
- If we total up all of the bills on this table, we get to a figure of £33,434 spent in the past two decades. An amazing figure that now means it is presented in amazing running and visual conditions.
- The majority of these invoices are presented in the history folder, with most of them coming from Omicron Classico who are THE people to go to
- There are a few modern tax discs in the bundle of paperwork
- The V5 is present so a change of ownership will be nice and swift on the day of collection
- Along with all the invoices, MOT certificates, and V5, there are also some lovely Lancia instruction books.
- The current owner acquired this car and took it on one or two historic car rallies.
- It is now your turn to take this car out on the road and explore the world in a beautiful little Italian sports car.
The Interior
- Seats retrimmed in leather
- Beautiful thin-rimmed steering wheel
- Presented in good condition
Much like the exterior, the interior of the Fulvia Sport Zagato is lovely to look at, adorned with wood, leather, and green carpets the interior of this example is presented in good condition. It is just waiting for you to jump in and take her by the reigns on a long journey.
As the seats are probably the most interactive part of any interior it is vital that are both in great condition and comfortable. Well luckily for you these seats are both. The current owner mentioned that the original black leatherette has been replaced in favour of real leather, as such the black seats are presented in great condition.
The front seats are very figure hugging making sure that you will not fall out on a spirited drive. This Zagato does have a rear seat section should you wish to take more than one passenger, but it is more of a 2+2 setup. There are some red marks towards the base of the side bolsters of the rear, but these should not put you off.
A lovely bit of Italian design flair are the green carpets that have been fitted to the cabin of this Zagato. They are both stunning yet subdued when contrasted against the black seats and wooden dash. In places, they do show some signs of wear, but this shows that this car has been used properly over its life and that it is no garage queen.
Looking up from the green carpets we are met with the black plastic lower half of the centre console. These plastics are in good condition and don’t appear to show any obvious cracks. Moving further up we are presented with the wooden dash. There is some slight cracking to the passenger side, but the rest of the wood is in very good condition. Set into the wood you find a classic Motorola radio, toggle switches for the heater controls and electric boot, and of course, the all-important cigarette lighter is placed slap bang in the middle because what more would you expect from a classic Italian car.
Behind the glorious Lancia stamped thin-rimmed steering wheel you are presented with a bank of classic analogue Jaeger dials. Displaying your speed, rpm, water and temperature, and obviously fuel level. These all work as should provide you with clear information wherever you are travelling.
Looking towards the rear of the cabin, into the boot section, we can see that this too is in lovely condition. The green carpets show very little signs of use over the past 50 years and the spare wheel is housed nicely under a colour matching cover. One thing you may not believe is that the boot lid is open/closed electrically with a toggle on the dash. Although it worked fine on the day of the photographs the current owner did state that it can be sticky at times.
Overall, the interior condition of this Zagato is in very good condition, with only a few age related marks here and there. This is a wonderful interior that will hold many happy memories for you in the future.
The Exterior
- Zagato styling is always a bonus
- Extensive rust repairs
- Will always turn heads
The Series II Fulvia was already a very pretty and well-designed car, but somehow Zagato made it even prettier. With swooping lines, pronounced creases, and a flair that only Italians seem to master it is one of those cars that will always garner many appreciative glances when out and about.
This Fulvia Sport Zagato is presented in the very good exterior condition the brilliant white paintwork looks amazing. It was resprayed over 12 years ago now, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. One great feature of a white exterior for a prospective buyer is that it shows up potential issues better than other colours, especially rust. However, looking around this Zagato there were no obviously worrying patches of rust on the exterior body panels.
Speaking of rust, you will also be happy to hear the sills, subframe, and even floor pans have all been replaced with new metal meaning that they are nice and solid for you.
Looking at more of the external features such as the wheels, we can see that they are presented well considering their age, there is also the matching spare in the boot. The car also sits on four new Blockley tyres, they look like vintage tyres, but their construction is very much modern.
The smaller parts of the exterior are also presented very well. With the Zagato badges present on both wings, rally ready Carello spotlights on the front bumper, and all of the correct badges displayed proudly at both the front and rear.
As you would expect for a car that has just celebrated its 50th anniversary of being on the UK roads there are a few minor places that are not Concours condition. One of the more visible is a small ding on one of the doors, probably caused by another motorist, it is actually not that bad.
Overall, the exterior of this rare Zagato is presented in rather lovely exterior condition. Whether you wish to display or use this car on historic rallies there is no doubt that this car will look great wherever you take it.
The Mechanics
- This is the rarer 1.3 S version
- Runs, drives, and stops as it should
- One of the best sounding engines
Lancia were industry known for producing some of the most over engineered solutions to problems that didn’t need solving. For example, this Fulvia is fitted with a small 1.3l V4 engine that goes through a beautiful 5-speed gearbox a wonderful combination that provides an engaging drive.
If you study the invoices that come with the car you will notice that the majority are for corrosion or external repairs, very few invoices are for mechanical/reliability issues with only necessary servicing work taking place.
Out on the road this Fulvia Sport Zagato comes alive, she starts with a bit of choke first time, and slipping her into first gear you ease away pretty easily (but remember that it has a dog-leg first gear). From the inside, the cabin is filled with the raspy notes of the little V4, but from outside it sounds even better. The front and rear brakes both received a bit of work within the past decade, with the current owner also rectifying an issue with the handbrake recently. Meaning that she pulls up nicely when you step on the brakes.
The current owner took this car out on a classic car rally not so long ago, throughout the trip she performed well. Providing many smiles per gallon along the way. Now it is your chance to experience the pure joy of owning an Italian classic car that is just filled with mechanical character.
Summary
This is an extremely rare opportunity for you, what we have here is a vehicle that has beautiful styling, is very rare, and is ready for you to drive it away. As so much money has been spent on this example some sections are like new and probably better than when it left the factory in 1972.
Usually, this type of car would come with a large price tag, but you are able to buy a Fulvia Sport Zagato for an extremely reasonable price but watch this space. As these get even rarer and more sort after the price will only go one way, don’t miss out on this brilliant example.
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