All alloy Fulvia Zagato

[Chris]

Hi Guys,

Would really appreciate a bit of advice relating to the early all alloy Fulvia Zagato's versus the later steel models. I'm looking for a car to use for a bit of classic rallying/trials and track days, nothing too serious. Seen a couple of cars on the market, early and late models. Wondered what the pitfalls were for each. Not had a lot of Lancia experience as an Alfa owner.

Any advice appreciated

Many thanks

Chris

[Ed Levin]

Depends upon what kind of classic rallying/trials you're looking to do. If it's properly checked out, an all-alloy car should be OK for road or track day use. But unpaved roads will eventually kill it--probably sooner rather than later. They simply don't have the structural strength at this age; they barely did when they were new. In any case the Zagato-built Fulvia Sports are not as strong as the coupes.

[William]

I have to agree. The weight difference is just 30kg or so. Not enough to go for a car with poor crashrepair capabilities and less rigid bodywork. Furthermore the aloy Zagato is getting pretty rare nowadays so really should not be ral;lied but cherished. Allthough that is my opinion. late series 1s or series 2s are much easier to find, own and repair. Be carefull though! A lot of 1300 series ones are advertised as having an aluminium body while only the first 911 cars had them. Later steel series ones with aloy doors and bonnet are oftern advertised as aly bodied.

[Chris]

Thanks guys,

The car is a '66 so could be all alloy. I have the chasis number so will look up. Wasn't thinking off road rallies, more restoration for road use, classic car trials, track days. Nothing too strenuous. Just had this attraction to the alloy vehicle, but worried about repairablilty of the body (which seems good) and whether they had any well known issues that made the later steel cars a better bet?

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Chris

[tim]

I am just restoring my s2 1600 Zagato and am taking the effort to mate the inner wheel arches to the outers for much stronger shell/chassis. I would think this is impractical to do with alloy body. Also with alloy you could have electrolysis between alloy and steel over the years leading to sever corrosion and repair difficulty. Anyway must be work a good look as few alloys are around. you could try contacting Neale Sheppard neale.shepherd@airliquide.com who is a bit of a guru on ally zags.

Tim

[jogo]

my steel body Zagato rolled 18 inches into my garage back-wall at perhaps .001 mph. I didn't even know the floor wasn't level. It occured when no one was in the (locked) garage. The steering was turned oh so slightly to the left.
The damage was amazingly major; where the rite bumper pushed the body in. I have no idea about an aly body, but I can tell you that the steel is very very soft. The bumper suffered not a bit.
Maybe its just me, but the steering seems to be too indirect... I never drive my Fulvia the way a real 'driver' would... It is just too nice to do that ( & I'm afraid to break it !)...so I can't envision using it - without undertaking a lot of major mods - for any 'real' competition.

[Jay]

Hi Chris,

One thing to keep in mind with Fulvia Zagatos, is that typically, they are fitted with a taller final drive
ratio than either Berlinas or Coupes. So, if you intention is mild rallying, track days, etc., it might be a good
idea to locate a extra tranny with a shorter final drive. That said, the 1967 steel 1.3 Zagato we have does
cruise along interstates very well, better than the Coupes or GTE. That final drive and the better aerodynamics do add up at 80 mph (130 Km)

The car you mention, being a 1966 year car, might be the earlier 1200 cc Fulvia engine. It might be worthwhile to take the engine and gearbox numbers as well as VIN numbers, to ascertain what pieces are actually there.

Best of luck with your Zagato purchase.

Ciao, Jay

[Chris]

Hi Jay,

Loved the idea of the all alloy cars but maybe not as practical as I thought. Had read up on the competizione models (Zagato Fulvia Sport Competizione by Stella and Vettore - excellent book!) so thought the alloy cars were maybe a bit more robust than they seem to be. Not that the idea was to take it off road...
Have seen a later 1.6s for sale but I understand that, although they look very similar, they have a completely different panels. How does yours compare reliablity wise with the standard Fulvia? Is it easy to live with?

Appreciate the advice,

Chris

[Ed Levin]

Chris,

I really didn't mean to discourage you from going after an alloy Zagato. For road use or classic trials it shouldn't be a problem; maybe just a little more attention to bodywork, where you'll want to keep an eye on those areas that could be affected by galvanic reactions between steel and alloy. And of course there's the usual mild paranoia that afflicts some of us with coupes having alloy doors and lids. In any case, alloy bodywork is easier to beat out than steel...

There shouldn't be any real difference in reliability between a Zagato (alloy or otherwise) and a coupe. The Zagatos have some additional electrics (the rear deck operator and, on some cars, electric windows), but these shouldn't present a problem. As others have pointed out, the Zagatos have taller gearing and better aerodynamics, all of which makes them better at long distances than the coupes.

In the end, maybe it comes down to this: if you really fancy an alloy Zagato, go after a good one. Unless you plan on really thrashing it, it's likely to serve you perfectly well. Good luck.

[Jay]

Hi Chris,

Our 1967 S1 1.3 US spec Zagato is easy to live with. Being US spec, it has the four round 5 3/4 inch headlamps, but that may be a plus, as the Euro correct headlamps aren't readily available at AutoZone.

I am aware of quite a few differences from S1 Zagatos to S2 Zagatos, and much prefer the S1 body as well as true Lancia mechanicals. The S2 cars must have been produced with a accountant in the shop. Even so, there just are more parts available for a S1 1300 Fulvia in the US than any other combo.

Its going out on a limb, but I would suggest a major factor in which Zagato you take be linked to what Dell'Orto carbs may be available for it. Its tough finding either 32 or 35 mm Dell'Ortos nowadays, though somehow, 32 mm carbs seem to appear more frequently on eBay. But with a 1600, you would have to fit that Group 4 manifold to move either into Webers or Dell'Ortos. I have seen the Group 4 manifold on eBay.fr or eBay.it on occasion.

There is a big bonus to purchasing a Zagato that may not be obvious, but you can become a member of the Zagato car club of Italy. We attended three September meetings, in 1999 through 2001 and honestly,
the people and the routes they organized, meals, wines, places of interest, were just fantastic. Best car club people I have met.

Have fun,

Jay