Cars of Coolhaven

The name alone is worth it! What a nice little car. Obviously I can’t call it a sports car, but it looks like a lot of fun to drive anyway. I spotted it driving in Dordrecht, and since I had nothing better to do, I followed it a bit to see if it was about to park. And indeed it was… so here it is, the Lancia Fulvia Coupé Rallye!

The car is typical in its stylish Italian design. During the last years of the fifties the ownership of Lancia passed from Lancia family to Pesenti. The new ownership adopted a more commercial strategy and after the good results of Appia and Flavia decided to produce a new car of little cubic capacity. The engineering was directed by Antonio Fessia and the new model had to be submitted to his particular philosophy: front wheel drive and a compact narrow V four cylinders engine.
From the first 1.1 liters 58 HP Berlina the model evolved, with two other different bodies and more powerful engines up to 132 HP. In the end of the sixties Fiat acquired Lancia and in the middle of the seventies the production of the Fulvia and other original Lancia models were substituted by Fiat design ones. The Fulvia was one of the most important models in Lancia’s history because of its technical innovations and racing results, especially for the International Rally Championship won in 1972 by Munari/Mannucci with Fanalone. The Fulvia Coupé Rallye 1.6 HF was the forerunner of Stratòs HF.

There is a Zagato version of this car as well. Damn, would I love to spot that one