1968 Lancia Fulvia

This is a truly incredible survivor car, in totally original condition having never been crashed or restored, and kept in dry conditions its entire life.

It was bought new in November 1968 by a gentleman from Turin, who we understand worked at the Fiat factory and was born during the first world war. It stayed in Italy until being sold and imported this year, ending up in Bari on the south east coast of Italy, parked in a dry underground carpark and belonging to an older gentleman, who even after giving up driving still started the car every few weeks to keep it running, although it hasn’t seen the road in some years.

The exterior condition of the car is remarkable. Aside from a couple of small dings on the nearside front wing the car is undamged and the bodywork, to outward appearance just has a couple of spots of surface rust around the body. The paint is original and has gone very flat over the years, but being the older type may well respond well to a deep polish.

It has a large stainless grill and trim, and metal bumpers, all in good order and the glass is all good and most of the lights too, a couple of lenses have broken but some spares are with the car as well as the original Italian number plate.

The wheels look like they are enamel coated, which has crazed over the years and the hubcaps have a few knocks. The tires should be be replaced due to age.

Having been shut away from the elements the interior has survived incredibly well with very little patina. The orange tan of the vinyl cabin is incredible, such a strong and fun colour for a saloon, unlike the drab cabins today.

The seats have almost no wear, the fronts show very little signs of being used and we are told the rear bench seat “was only used for prostitutes”. We dont know how tongue in cheek that was.

It has original rubber floor mats with a remarkable white pattern. There is some wear under the drivers heel but otherwise very good. The dashboard, instruments and door cards all look good, with amazing transparent door pulls, although they have yellowed slightly over the years and the rear passenger armrest has split over time.

The only bad part of the interior is the head lining which is sagging, it looks like the stitching holding it up has failed over the years.

The engine fires surprisingly easily for a car that hasn’t been driven in decades and it moves under its own power. However it should be considered non drivable until the fuel system and brakes have been given a full overhaul, as all rubber parts will have perished and the new petrol will not be safe with the old hoses.

The four on the tree column shift works but could do with a little adjustment.

Under the car, the floor pan looks rot be incredibly solid, still with its original underseal in place. A dry climate and lack of use have been kind to the car.

We don’t know a great deal about the Lancia, the only paperwork which came over from Italy is the original logbook with its Targa stamps and changes of owner ship one the years, but the other stories are just work of mouth.

This is an incredible opportunity to get hold of a totally original Fulvia with low miles and as it would have been when it was just a couple of years old.

We would give it a mechanical overhaul to make sure its safe and reliable and then just polish the bodywork to bring a shine back to that 1960s factory paint.