New Fulvia Price !

[jogo48]

Santa Claws came today, on a yello-bicycle, in the guise of a normal post-lady.

Someone I don't know sent me a neatly-removed, 4 page (29 & 30 / 167 & 168) section of a Nov 1971 Auto Motor and Sport ( very popular car magazine, even in 2007), packed in 2 cardboard-sheets &
plastic cover, to keep it from being bent, folded, mutilated. I have the plastic, cardboard & the 4 pages.
I glanced at the name/address before opening & didn't know who it was.

I think the envelope landed the shredder, so I will never know. Whoever you are, thank you !

Page 29 - "News" page, pg 167 & 8 - Alfa 'for-sale' pages. GTV, Guilia, Spider ads. As if I didn't
already know, I saw that Alfa's depreciated-quik in early 70's. Some things never change.

Oct 67 Alfa 2600 Zagato, 1 Hand, perfekt kondition etc; 37,ooo km, was - perhaps - fairly priced at
DM 9,500 - considering new price DM 37,ooo. First I though the text, with same new-price & km, was a misprint,, but it isn't. or wasn't ! I assume ! ...I didn't phone in 1971 to ask, nor will I today.

What has this to do with Lancia Fulvia. That ? is answered on pg 30. 1971 b&w ad, showing a lhd, sport-wheeled (not light- weight wheels) Fulvia 1.3 Coupe. 4.5 lines of text isn't too boasty; text specs
are listed as is the price.

I won't say that I've laid awake at night wondering what Fulvias cost in Germany in 71, but now I know.
DM into 1971 US $ at 1971 exchange rate, which I am fairly accurate in stating DM 4,oo (+-) = $ 1,oo.

A guess, but I can't be too far off in saying that 1 Fulvia = 2 VW Beetles. Taking inflation, currency devaluation, adjustments, the advent of Euro, wars, sand, wind, weather into account, it means that a new Fulvia, should one ever come), will not be the price of 2 VW Beetles. New-Beetles are very expensive these days. The 71 price in the ad = DM 11,900 incl 11% VAT (DM 10,720 export price) .
Approx 1/2 the price (as I read in Road & Track in 1969) in California. I read a road test earlier this year.
Had I not, I'd have no idea what the price was in Calif in 1969.

I know that then young, dashing & financable US Soldier stationed in N. Euro bought Mustangs, Camaro's (etc) or Spitfire GT's (that never ran) or TR 4's (that never ran).
Fulvia's ? Perhaps in Ital, but I was up-north in 72 & didn't know the situation down-south.

What was I driving ? Hey, I can't remember everything ! It wasn't a Fulvia !