Of lamps and elephants
There is a distinction between Fanalone and Fanalino, large headlights and small headlights. The first series of the Lancia Fulvia Coupé had the large headlights on the inside, the second series consequently had the smaller ones. This makes a big difference in terms of price, with the first series being more sought-after, but visually the Fanalino is actually more attractive. However, the really rough stuff was only available in the first series, with aluminium bodies and powerful engines, because the early Fanalone was also used for serious motor racing. Later, Lancia had even hotter irons in the fire, yes, the Stratos!
But let’s start further back. In 1963, Lancia introduced the Fulvia. At first, you rub your eyes in disbelief. The Berlina took some getting used to, visually speaking. It was a true three-box car, full of edges, a shoebox on wheels, as it was described at the time. Technically, however, the Lancia was top-notch, with front-wheel drive, independent suspension (at least at the front) and disc brakes all round. The drive unit, including double wishbones and transverse leaf springs, rested on a subframe that could be dismantled as a single unit; at the rear, however, there was only a rigid axle. The engine was a V4 with a particularly narrow cylinder angle of 13 degrees, which made it possible to combine the two cylinder rows under a single cylinder head. Two overhead camshafts, one controlling only the intake valves and the other only the exhaust valves; however, 58 hp was a rather meagre output for a 1.1-litre displacement. From 1966 onwards, the Berlina was equipped with Solex twin carburettors for 71 hp, later 1.3 litres displacement and 87 hp.
In the spring of 1965, the coupé was added (and in the autumn, the Sport by Zagato). It’s hard to believe, but the two-door model was designed by the same person as the Berlina, Pietro Castagnero from the company’s own Centro Stile. The floor assembly was shortened by 15 centimetres to a wheelbase of 2.33 metres, aluminium was used for the doors and bonnets, and it initially had a 1.2-litre displacement and 80 hp, then a 1.3-litre displacement and 90 hp, which meant it could reach 170 km/h on the motorway. At the beginning of 1966, the first HF* arrived, with a 1216 cm3 displacement, 88 hp, and a weight of just 825 kilograms after a diet. A year later, the 1.3 HF arrived with a displacement of 1298 cm3 and 101 hp. This marked the beginning of the coupé’s rally career. This really took off with the 1.6 HF, which was introduced at the end of 1968. Its engine, designated ‘540’, now had a cylinder angle of 11 degrees, a displacement of 1584 cm3, a compression ratio of 10.5:1, 40-millimetre Solex carburettors and 114 hp. Even more? Sure, ‘1016’, a sharper camshaft, 45-millimetre Solex carburettors, a compression ratio of 11.3:1, delivering 132 hp at 6600 rpm. Five-speed gearbox, large headlights, i.e. Fanalone.
The Fulvia’s great rally career got off to a relatively slow start. Although a Fulvia had already finished eighth in the 1965 Tour de Corse and the small Lancias had won the Italian Rally Championship every year from 1965 to 1973 (with the exception of 1970), it was not until 1972 that the big international successes came with the victories of Munari/Mannucci (Monte Carlo), Lampinen/Andreasson (Morocco) and Ballestrieri/Bernacchini (San Remo), that the big international successes came; at the end of the season, Lancia won its first Constructors’ World Championship. However, this was already with the second generation of the coupé introduced in mid-1970, small lamps, i.e. Fanalino. Between 1963 and early 1976, 188,637 Berlina models were built (two series, until 1972), along with 139,797 Coupé models (three series, until 1976) and 7,102 Sport models (two series, until 1972).
* HF stands for High Fidelity, meaning high fidelity. The programme and logo were introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1960, and only customers who had already purchased at least six new Lancias could become members. In 1963, Cesare Fiorio and a group of racing drivers founded the ‘HF Squadra Corse’, which was then joined by the little elephants, symbolising ‘never give up’. However, legend also has it that the elephant first appeared in connection with Lancia in 1953. Gianni Lancia (1924-2014), son of company founder Vincenzo Lancia (1881-1937) and managing director of the company at the time, allegedly used an elephant as a lucky charm. The decisive factor in this choice is said to have been the idea that elephants are unstoppable once they are in motion. In Oriental mythology, the elephant is also considered a symbol of victory when depicted with its trunk extended. Lancia initially used this mascot in blue, later in red.
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