1972 Lancia Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF #8
Pilots: S. Munari / M. Mannucci
Team: Marlboro Lancia
Race: DNF (A8 class) at the San Remo Rally 1972
Ixo - RAC322 (diecast)
Published 04/24/26
To replace the aging Lancia Appia (introduced in 1953), Lancia released the Fulvia at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show. Like the Appia, the name Fulvia comes from the ancient Roman Via Fulvia road, that connects Tortona to Turim. Initially, the Fulvia was only available as a berlina (4-door saloon). Later came a 2-door coupé, designed in-house by Piero Castagnero, followed shortly after by the Sport, a fastback coupé. Though it replaced the Appia, it was front-wheel drive. Interestingly, with the exception of the engine, the Fulvia was more similar to the Flavia. And yes, that’s the name of another ancient Roman road 🧐. The chassis was a lightweight steel monocoque (unibody construction), with the engine longitudinally mounted in front of the transaxle. However, what set the Fulvia apart was the engine. A DOHC V4, it had a very narrow angle, allowing a single cylinder head to cover all the cylinders.
When the Coupé came out in 1965, the engine displaced 1216 cm³, yet expanded to 1231 cm³ in 1967. In 1966 Lancia released the Fulvia Coupé HF, the competition version of the Fulvia, with the same 1216 cm³ engine. Lancia continued to evolve the Fulvia year after year, and in 1969 came the “big” Fulvia, the Fulvia Rallye 1.6 HF. Because of it’s big headlights, the 1.6 became known as Fanalone (“big lamps”). Though with the same architecture, the engine now displaced 1584 cm³, delivering up to 85 kW (113 hp). The rest of the car was essentially the same, with the same (very good) specs. It had independent suspension with wishbones in front and a beam axle with a panhard rod with leaf springs in the rear. Moreover, the Fulvia counted on Dunlop disk breaks on all wheels.
Lancia was quite active in motorsports, including F1, until 1955. That year’s tragedy at Le Mans was the final straw for their competition efforts, and they called it quits. Yet, with time, the interest in competition resurfaced, and in 1965 they absorbed the HF Squadra Corse. HF Squadra was a privateer rally racing team founded by Lancia enthusiasts that received limited factory support. So, under the direction of Cesare Fiorio, Lancia created a factory rally program, with the Fulvia Coupé as their workhorse. To be more competitive, Lancia enlarged the Fulvia’s original 1.2 l engine up to 1.6 l. And to receive homologation by FIA, these race versions went on sale for the general public. The homologation came in August of 1969, and from then on the Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF was Lancia’s official rally weapon.
Without a doubt, the apex of the Fulvia’s rally campaign was the 1972 season. The car was really good, and Lancia seriously invested in their rally program. Besides, they also had some SOLID pilots and navigators driving for them. One of these duos was Sandro Munari and Mario Mannucci. That year, the duo came in first at Monte Carlo, almost 11 minutes (!) ahead of the second place. And that second place was a much more powerful Porsche 911 S. Throughout 1972, the effort of Lancia’s three cars produced a total of 97 points. With FIAT only scoring 55, the Fulvia brought Lancia another manufacturer’s championship. This car, the Fulvia 1.6 Coupé HF #8, piloted by Munari and Mannucci, raced in the San Remo Rally. Unfortunately, a broken differential sidelined the car at the final stages.
For me, the Fulvia was one of the greatest rally cars ever. Yeah, not counting the Group B Monsters, in my eyes it’s up there with the Mini, Stratos and 131. It took me so long to get one because they are not easy to come by. This is an old mold from Ixo, so it’s been out of production for a long time. And even though it’s FAR from Spark-good (dead eyes, anyone? 😣), for the price it’s pretty nice. Take into account that Ixo even supplies the Marlboro decals! Yep, “lowly budget brand” Ixo supplies tobacco decals to make your model more authentic 😎. So yeah, it’s far from perfect, but I say it’s a VERY cool 143rd.
PS: Don’t know if my sample is a mistake, but mine came without the driver’s side window 🤨. Doesn’t detract nothing from the model, since it looks like the window is down. Even so, weird…