mini-reply
I bought a Z w/out any Fulvia knowledge; based on usual parameters:
1) I knew my budget & why; I was not planning to invest additional big-monies afterwards
(exit - long term 'projects')
2) I knew I wanted "va va voom"; at least visually
(exit - Berlina of any Brand)
3) it had to be: Italian
(exit Glas GT by Frua), streetable
(exit- race car / loud car) & not bought only for
"trade-fair exhibit-purposes"
(exit - hi-tune 500 / 600 Abarth, Gianni etc) i.e....
it had to be a car that could be driven (theoretically) on a daily-basis...from a to b & also as a
rolling-promotion vehicle & certainly a
barrel of fun
4) it had to be in a category "old enough to be interesting
(exit - Lancia Mc & Beta Cpe) / new enough that parts / service wouldn't be a nightmare
(exit - cute lil' Appia or older) nor be big nor expensive
(exit - Aprilia)
4) it had to
not be: a "run-of-mill" looking common every-mans car
(exit Innocenti Mini, 124 Spider), a bland-look taxi-like car
(exit Lada)[;)/i] & a not tiny-tiny / flimsy-flimsy tin-mobile (exit - a # of interesting 'fun-cars' incl. Bertone 850 Spider; Vignale 850 Beach Car etc
6) it had to be "relatively compact";( exit - Flaminia, Flavia, Alfa 1900 atc...)
7) & not so rarely exotic that owning it would become a nightmare (exit a # of uninteresting possibles)
The Car being sought, by a Team of Informed Seekers, was determined to best be:
Fulvia Cpe
or
50's or early 60's Alfa Spyder
or
50's or early 60's Fiat Spider
Top condition Alpha were too expensive by 2004 & almost un-insurable ...but so gorgeouso.... aaaahhhh
A decision was (almost) made on a Fiat O.S.C.A. - exactly what was required. Wheels were to be set in motion by 'Seekers' who had located 1 very-right-Fiat in right colors; a hardtop, with a great history, known to them, as was the aging fanatical-owner.
They couldn't get Senor Owner to budge on price...but kept trying; the asking.price wasn't too-high, but I was told by the 'Senior-Seeker' (of same age as owner; an 'old-car-drivers & member of the same Old-Car Car-Clubs) that there was [i]still some room to maneuver. So, wheels were not yet rolling north (I would have trailered it anyway) .
Thus, the list was boiled-down to:
find a Fiat Soft Top, even if only a go-slow 1200
or
find an any-age Lancia Fulvia Cpe, regardless of motor-size/power
No one not never thinking "oh, maybe we can find a Zagato".
I think that I remember that I had forgotten that there even was a Ful Zagato ever built.
Strange, actually, since as an ex-Beta Cpe & Mc driver; I had a fleeting knowledge of earlier Lancia & I knew of Fulvia Rallye success .... I even remember remembering that I had seen a Ful. Zagato - in the mid 70's - 1x in my life; at an Ital Restaurant in Heidelberg; parked next to Ful Coupe..in winter ...icey -time of year ...both white & me wondering "why are they both red-rusting through white paint; why doesn't the owner do something, quickly ?"
Off-Track for 1 min: there were 2 lovely & priced-right Lancia inspected, they just didn't quite really fit the bill ....no matter how hard we tried to bend the bill.... I
still miss not buying 'both-of-them'; as do certain female persons in my family ... who are not thrilled with a rock-hard tiny-loud Fulvia Z, but then I'd have even more parking-problems; where would I put 2 new Lancia 2000 Berlina ?
8) there was (for various reasons) a very tight "time-deadline" (an 'only-before-date') to be met; registration included. Buying a car outside of my country of residence & rushing through all procedures to qualify for registration, even if only a 1 day (phony) eye-wash registration in another country, isn't done (honestly & legally) o'er night. .
While looking at a yellow-tiny-car far to my south that didn't 'strike-my-fancy'... it was also possible to look at another car a few km away; in fact I had an appointment ... to see a car that was also found by a Seeker...
thus my Z was soon to be & is still is in my little hands. That Seeker met the deadline for registration; no one asked "how" !
Back to an earlier day in 2010:
As I began to set little-wheels in-motion to market my Z, I knew it was high-time for me to know what I haven't known up until now ... in order to be able to tell any potential buyer what it actually is, as accurately as possible ... and also for my own 'peace of whatever'..........
and so I am reviewing Fulvia Z
in-general herein (or so it has developed) & reviewing mine
in-specific here, for there are a # of
Viva-Lancia English Fulvia readers who have requested detailed info about my Z.
This forum is the best avenue to reply ... to all inquirers at 1x & not sending a PM to each individually.
& to reply to anyone else who just might care; for whatever reasons, even if they didn't inquire
Yes, those who are 'still interested' can certainly PM (or email) me.
90 days ago I knew a lot less than I now know...which is 1 of the great things about this forum.
Also, in setting-off down the dusty sales-trail, I want to be honest & not report to anyone that my Z is something that it isn't.
It is, for schua:
A multi-winner at Daytona, Targa & Sebring (not to forget Mon. Carl), driven by Me. Moss, Fangio & friends, built & tested by E. Zagato himself, the rare lite-wait alu, built specificially for Aga Kahn, parked in Onassis garage ha ha; I've read vehicle-descriptions similar to the above...too many times:)
