In Praise of Innovation- Lancia Style

"SBA Thanks You For All The Fish" (santabarbarianlsx) 04/08/2020 at 12:40 • Filed to: None

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Say what you want about the currently-moribund Lancia... but they were never afraid “to try some stuff”.

(Pictured Above) Fulvia-specific narrow-angle, canted-mounting, front-drive V4 that sings like Pavarotti-on-meth.

RallyWrench > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 04/08/2020 at 13:06

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A deeply innovative company, their history is chock full of bonkers stuff. First unibody, first V6. At the same time as this V4, they also offered a watercooled two- cam flat 4, also front mounted, in the Flavia. I’m glad they sent it hard into the 80's with the 037 and Delta S4, but man they deserve to die a dignified death now, with all history since about 1995 expunged from the record. 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > RallyWrench 04/08/2020 at 14:15

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Yeah. It’s sad. With FCA’s problems— and the current global situation— I can’t expect them to breathe life back into it now.

Keep hoping the “merger” might free up some tech and some resource to do a bit of low-volume Lancia-badged product, product that isn’t a re-emblem’d 300C Chrysler.

MultiplaOrgasms > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 04/08/2020 at 15:07

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Pictured: 1962 Ford P4, also a front drive V4, but 60° with balance shafts and a unique front suspension design that make the engine a partially stressed member of the body. These were not sporty whatsoever but they were much cheaper to manufacture and quite durable.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > MultiplaOrgasms 04/08/2020 at 15:12

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Wasn’t there a version of this Ford V4 sold to Saab at one point in the long, tortured Saab history?

I always think there are parallels in the Saab and Lancia histories— innovative to the core, a little iconoclastic, always on the edge, serious rally heritage...

and run by nutters.  It’s awesome!

MultiplaOrgasms > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 04/08/2020 at 15:26

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Not just Saab. Everywhere where compact size was needed, the C ologne V4 was there to help. Really just Ford and Saab, but there was also the Matra 530. And, ironically, they were a popular replacement engine for NSU Ro80s when their rotaries inevitably wore out.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > MultiplaOrgasms 04/08/2020 at 15:28

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Heh. Yeah, might as well throw Mazda on the “innovation so powerful it hurts” pile... With the news this week of YET_ANOTHER whack at the Wankel pinata.

Those NSU’s were pretty amazing for the time.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 04/08/2020 at 17:36

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Fulvias are gorgeous and amazing cars for many reasons! :D