A Pleasant Surprise from Frankfurt's IAA
A few decades ago Italian performance automaker Lancia sold cars in North America. Models like the Aurelia, Flaminia, Flavia, Stratos and Beta are collectable favorites among classic auto enthusiasts, as is a pretty little coupe that dawned in 1965 as the Fulvia. It featured a fully independent suspension and disk brakes all round, sophisticated options for a car in its low to mid price range.
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| Originally offered as a pretty little coupe in 1965, Lancia has revived the Fulvia name for its latest concept car. (Photo: Fiat) |
Tugging on heartstrings that might still fondly remember the nearly 40-year old car, Lancia revived the Fulvia name for a new grand touring concept that made its debut at this year's Frankfurt IAA.
While the introduction of sporty concepts is nothing new for Lancia, the Fulvia is significant as it points the beleaguered marque towards its roots; glory days it hasn't seen since before its models merely became upgraded, rebadged Fiat and Alfa Romeos. The Fulvia concept, its styling pulling cues from the original coupe and name conjuring reflection on the brand's history of independent innovation, has caused expectations to soar for a marque that earlier this year seemed near to extinction.
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| The new Fulvia concept shares the a few exterior design cues with the original, and 4-cylinder power, but the similarities stop there. (Photo: Fiat) |
First off, other than the name and some general design cues the new Fulvia has little in common with the old car. The concept retains the classic model's 3-box two-door sedan profile, narrow pillars and creased beltline, but like all modern cars the Fulvia prototype is wider, lower and larger than its namesake. Where the old car presented a lean but boxy shape complimented by the era's requisite round headlamps, the new Fulvia mixes angles with curves, with headlamp clusters that integrate into the front fenders. A chiseled front end protrudes forward much like the hull of a boat, while the rest of the car takes on an angular shape. Perhaps the closest references to the original can be seen looking downward from the front quarter view, where the beltline curves into the rear decklid meeting the C-pillar. Also, the shape and pattern of the taillights are somewhat similar to the original.