Tall folks in the Fulvia & a few questions

[Dave]

Randy,

Looking at your domain in your message, it looks like you're in the Bay Area. Since I'm in Oakland myself, would you be willing to meet up some time to show off your Fulvia? I'd be thrilled to take a look at it 'in the flesh' and to hear more about your experience(s) with it.

Best,
dave.

[ANT]

Hi Dave ,

From Down under < Melbourne Australia .

6'4" and 300 Ibs ummmmmmm I fit into my Fulvia coupe quite nicely , They are a nice car and definately more of a pretty car than the Alfa Gtvs .

Saying that though I have had about 8 of the 105 series GTV , Sprints etc and for driving pleasure the Fulvias can't compare . The rear wheel drive and engine gearbox combos especially on the 1750 first series are brilliant .

So why did I sell all my Alfas and keep one nice little Fulvia ,?
Sorry for the expletive but Alfas are like Arseholes , everyones got one !

All the best mate .

ANT.

[Randy Adams]

Hi Dave:

Sorry I forgot about this message. I don't live in the Bay Area; I'm in LA. Much worse, I no longer own Fulvias. I'm heavily immersed in Flaminias. I thought I would simplify life by specializing on one model range (ha! I still have a Beta coupe and I just bought a Biturbo--but it's the thought that counts, right?). But I always talk up the Fulvias because my approximately 15 years with them were very happy ones.

R

[Leonard]

Dave,

If you haven't made up your mind yet, the July 2000 issue of CLASSIC & SPORTS CAR magazine does head to head comparison of a GTV and a Fulvia HF. I think the article does a good job on dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of each car.

Leonard

[Geoffrey Goldberg]

Dave -
A bit late to this party, so forgive the comments if they are either off base or too late -

I have had a bunch of Lancias over the years, and owned a Fulvia coupe (1.3) and a 1.6 HF for a few years way back in the mid-1970's. I've also owned a bunch of Alfas, but not the GTV's.

Your question about size is a good one - only 6'0" but with a tall back, I have trouble in the smaller Italian cars, and for that reason, have gone to more fully sized Lancias, such as the Aurelia (owning two of those). But the smaller Lancias (Appia sedan currently owned) and Fulvias (still fondly recalled) have the particular Lancia charms in quantity. Those are:

- ease of driving, esp any distances
- joy in the mechanical sophistication
- long-life and durability, and a general liberty from cheap tired bits that plague other marques...
- a special sense of sophistication and understanding that portrays the marque.

The downsides have been noted before to you, but I have one other to add - I have trouble fitting happily in a coupe, finding the seats a bit short in thigh support. Somehow they just don't feel too easy for me to sit in - but I recall that a pair of sheepskin hides seemed to make things much more comfortable. They are a bit snug in overall height and width (cockpit) but within the car, there is good greenhouse visibility and lots of room for legs.

In comparison to the GTV, I think they have b etter ventilation (windows, not fan) and certainly a higher build quality. THe GTV has a bit more room in the cak (kids), a lousy foot position for the accelerator (just impossible!) and more readily found parts in the US.

THe GTV is a wonderful package, and the RWD is nice as well, as is the 5 spd box. I have lusted after one for years, and still fondly recall the Fulvias and still think about getting another one. I have even started to wonder if a Fulvia sport would do, with even less room. So much for rationality....

One more thing about size - people are very particular about what works and what doesn't. Each person has to make their own determination. I know people larger than me that fit happily into cars that I could never get into - Craig Morningstar (old Alfa PR rep) is about 6'6 and he loved his Guilia SS, and said he could fit in it. How, I never could figure out - so go look at each car and see how you feel.

The engineering in the Fulvia is just wonderful, tho, and if you get one, you will be very happy. Great cars and a treat in today's world.

Geoff

[dave]

Geoff,

Thanks for the message... It's definitely worthwhile hearing your comments. I've pretty much started a personal education campaign, learning as much as possible about both the Fulvias as well as the Giulias. I know all too well that the purchase of -either- car would be one governed more by emotional desire than pratical necessity, and therefore I'm aware that I'll make some compromises in certain areas (comfort, styling, leg support, etc.)

In the end, it may just be best to get one of each... I've heard from many angles that "buying italian" can become quite an addiction!

Best,
dave.

[Thane]

Hi Dave

Sorry for the late reply.

I have owned both (Fulvia and GTV) and have only one thing to say - I sold the GTV because I could not achieve a comfortable seating position. In order to get head-room I had to recline the back-rest, but that necessitated lifting my left shoulder off the seat-back in order to engage 1st gear (I live in South Africa where we have right-hand drive versions). I am 6'3" and 220 lbs.

The two are not really comprable as the GTV's have oodles more power, but the Fulvia gets my vote every time - not just for comfort, but for sheer engineering excellence. Don't get me wrong, I love Alfas, but there is something about a Lancia (especially the Fulvias) that is special - like closing the bootlid with a finger or having (just about) everything work reliably.

You also get a tremendous sensation of speed in the Fulvia even when not driving fast - I guess because it is so low on the ground and although the performance is nowhere near what a modern 1300cc will deliver (I had a 5-speed 1.3 s) it was really something when these were first produced.

So you have to keep telling yourself that because you won't be dragging anyone special down the local main street in a Fulvia.

But they are a joy to drive and the build quality and character are worth every spares search. If you choose the Alfa instead ... you'll fall in love with it in no time too - so you can't lose here.

I hope this helps (if not already too late).

Thane

[Dave]

Thane,

Thanks for the insights, they're definitely not too late. I haven't bought a car yet, although I did manage to locate a free 2-liter Alfa engine which I'm building up. Who knows, maybe I'll find a car to fit it in, maybe not. If I don't, at least I'll have had some experience with the Alfa twincams

I'm about your height, so I'm sure we'd face similar issues in the GTV... I've definitely thought about getting a low-mounted Sparco or Recaro to create some headroom... I've had good luck with that in the past, and they're usually infinitely more comfortable than stock seats..

Best,
Dave.

[Brian Hilton]

Very tongue in cheek,

go for the fulvia Berlina! plenty of headroom,leg room,4 doors and you will be suprised how well they handle, don't move to bad when breathed on, I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I love my 2c, some would say I'm mad as I sold my 1968 1.3 Rallye Coupe to finance the 2c!

[Johnny Keppelman]

Dave, it sounds like you have thrown your hat in for Alfa, but if yoiu are still considering the Fulvia option, here's my two bits worth. Firstly, I'm 6'2" and I race a 1.6HF Zagato. I had to pull out the adjustor mechanism and drop the stock seat to the floor,bolting it down to my leg length to get a helmet on my head. Even so my helmet touches the roof. You would have to go for the coupe and I believe you would fit there. I've built roll bars for both cars and I recall that the coupe version was maybe four inches higher than mine for the Zagato. The other issue is that if you are tall you need to build a full roll cage for a Fulvia or at least build a central tubular support which runs from the roll bar down onto the sill on the passenger side. You wont understand the necessity of this unless you've seen a Fulvia roll. The forward weight bias (2/3 of the weight is on the front tires) means that the car rolls on the radiator/engine top and the top of the roll bar. If you are very tall (me too) and you roll, the roof is crushed where your head would be if there is no support in front of you. In a coupe a cage is best, but there is no room for one in the Zagato, either visually in front of you or along side the steering wheel. If you get a chance to look at the cars that were raced, the facory cars, they had full cages. In terms of competitiveness, the Lancia is slower than the best prepared GTAs and GTVs but keeps up withmost of them . The Fulvia is heavyish, mine is 1850 lbs. But there are many Alfas I beat and I generally run in the middle of a 2 liter grid racing in vintage. I race on the US west coast and live in WA state. There is absolutely no chortage of parts in the US. Kristick has almost everything on the shelf and often has things you can't get in europe.
Johnny Keppelman
Lanciana editor (ALC)