Please Vote Lancia Fulvia at important italian car magazine

[HFil]

Quattroruote (the most important car magazine from ever in Italy) has make a public opinion poll in their Web Site for declare what is the most loved car in 50 years: the only Lancia included on the list is the great Fulvia HF: please all to vote this car, not only because was a great car but because this can perhaps change some Fiat's manager opinions then thinking only at Alfaromeo and at Lancia like a died mark for future models... We want a new Fulvia, Delta, new Thema and investments for Lancia but now nothing is confirmed:
plese vote here


http://www.quattroruote.it/auto/speciali/4R_cinquanta/referendum.cfm

[A1.6HPE]

Been there, done that.
Fulvia currently second favourite to Cinquecento Nuova.

Leo

[rossocorsa]

ok done I don't undestand some of the cars in the list some dismal stuff to choose from!

[martinoneill]

How can the MX5 be leading???

[DJ]

How can the MX5 be leading???

Ever driven one? My son has a Mazdaspeed (turbo) and it's an incredible little car. I have to admit that for a Japanese car it has some soul.

[A1.6HPE]

As with all awards ceremonys it is of no consequence. By far and away the Porsche 959 is the best car. Or is it the Ro 80? Well actually maybe the Mini deserves something. But then the Nuova 500 is better respected than the Mini. On the other hand... but no, I'll stick with the 959... I think. Yeah definitely the Fulvia !

ps - DJ, in the UK the MX5 is a car for pensioners who can afford more than a Micra.

[Pete]

A1.6 HPE Wrote
ps - DJ, in the UK the MX5 is a car for pensioners who can afford more than a Micra.

And hairdressers, which in addition to pensioners makes a lot of people voting.

Oops, I'll get the "Quote" sequence right next time, maybe.

[DJ]

A1.6 HPE Wrote
ps - DJ, in the UK the MX5 is a car for pensioners who can afford more than a Micra.

And hairdressers, which in addition to pensioners makes a lot of people voting.

Unfortunately, none of this changes the facts of the car's abilities. And affordability is a key term here. How many of us can afford (or at least justify) a 959? I just have to give a certain amount of respect to them for building a car that actually is a LOT of fun to drive. And it's hard to argue with their success.

Believe me, I still prefer our Italian beauties. But the Miata/MX-5 is a fine little piece of work. Drive one and tell me it isn't enjoyable. Better yet, get your a@@ kicked by one in an autocross and tell me how awful they are. :roll:

[omicron]

These pensioners and hairdressers are onto a good thing. MX-5's drive extremely well, and whilst they don't have the soul of a Lancia, they have a touch of Lotus about them - not surprisingly they used the original Elan as inspiration.

Take one for a test drive...

[Otto-valvole-per-tutte]

On the subject of affordable cabrios, i was amazed how well Fiat's Barchetta went on Zandvoort racetrack overhere in the lowlands ....

[shaun pond]

I justed visited the site and voted for the HF, and the Volkswagen now shows to be in the lead...

I was the umpteenth owner of a early 1200cc VW bug in high school and still have fond memories of it, largely because it put up with all sorts of neglect and abuse without complaint. But, as a car to drive, it's not in the same league as Lancia (or the MX5, which is great fun, or the Guilia).

Reading the thread, it's funny how interesting cars get 'tagged' to particular segments (e.g. hairdressers and pensioners) regardless of their dynamic qualities. Must drive the manufacturers mad.

Where did Fulvias fit in the social pecking order, when they were new?

[Will]

I guess that depends on what you call an MX-5. I don't know what they got in the UK, but over here we got the Miata, and by some the MX-5 as I believe this is how it was marketed elsewhere. Now MX-5 is being the "official" name for the 3rd gen Miata.

I don't know whether the continental versions had a performance package of some sort, or whether they were the same as the North America versions.

The North America versions are not stellar in terms of handling or performance, however as is the case with many Jap cars,there are boatloads of aftermarket parts which will make one quite competitive by the time you double the cost of the initial vehicle.

If I were making up that list and were going to include desirable modern Japanese sportscars, I would probably have opted for the S2000 rather than the Miata. The Miata is OK, I actually like it better than the Rx-8, but to be fair I have not driven the S2000 (want to!) or the "new" MX-5.

I keep getting invites to drive the Mx-5 from the Mazda dealer, I think everybody who ran the Rev-it-up event(s) got bombarded by them, but the only car that was available at my local dealer was the Rx-8. That car has some body roll, feels almost "top heavy" and lacks the necessary visceral motor sounds. Very odd- the rotary is so smooth it's like driving a golf cart. I'm sure a lot of people find that a plus, but I found it disconcerting. I like to be able to tell the motor is running! Oh yteah, and let's not forget the goofy doors.

[A1.6HPE]

goofy doors.

Eh? Lots of very nice Lancias have the "pillarless" door arrangement. Mazda just seem to be continuing the old Japanes practice of copying from European designs - including the rear fog light on the RX8 !

The Miata badge was never used in the UK, only MX5. Regular Mazdas used to have numbers 3XX and 6XX but these days they are simply Mazda2, Mazda3, >> Mazda6.

Anway - who cares ?

Leo

[Will]

Yeah, but most manufacturers figured out how awkward that door arrangement is years ago, apparently Mazda didn't get the memo.

I usually refer to the MX-5's (or Miatas, etc.) as "Clown Shoes", a term owing to their obvious shape- or lack thereof.
I think the new one adds a few body ridges and flared wheel arches in an attempt to look less clownshoeish.

Lancia had a brand new Fulvia concept about three or four years back, what's the current status on that? Shelved indefinitely? It looked rather nice.

[A1.6HPE]

Hello Will,
The Fulvia 4 has been dropped. The new FIAT/Lancia management decided too late that it was a good idea. The chassis/platform (Punto) had been superceded and so a complete redesign was neccessary but as yet no takers.
Hello all,
PM me for information on how to vote again and again and again...

Leo

[ncundy]

Interesting comments on the RX 8 !. I have an RX8. The UK RX8 has a different suspension set up to the US one - body roll is not an issue. It is as fast around the Prodrive test track as a Boxter and an M3. The rear doors are no problem - I have two childern and it is fine. Engine has a different sound and charachteristics but is good fun - I would have thought Lancisti would be able to appreciate something a little different ! Overall excellent value for money, different and technically interesting.

As for the Japs just copying the europeans - the two things they have thankfully not copied is reliability and being able to run a company at a profit ! I suspect they will soon be well in the lead with hybrid cars as well.

[Will]

With a sizable forum, I suppose it's inevitable someone would own any popular car one chose to malign!
If the UK RX-8 has a different suspension design, we may well be comparing apples to oranges in terms of handling. And, there is a degree of subjectivity there as well, as there CERTAINLY is in the interpretation of aesthetics.

I will admit to being very narrow-minded concerning the recent proliferation of what I refer to as "blister-pack" styling, and at the other extreme, I know a lot of kids love those Scoins but you could not give me one for free if a requirement were that I had to keep it.

I sincerely didn't mean to offend anyone's taste, judgment, or character by my comments. The last Mazda I liked was the RX-7 that looked like the Conquest, so I may well be just old-fashioned. I'm not implying that I'm better than anyone else.

[ncundy]

No offence taken at all ! Just sticking up for my side :). As ever choice of car is subjective - you should see what the TT owners think of it !!

[omicron]

MX-5 - Miata in the US, Eunos Roadster in Japan, basically the same car but with slight differences in trim and power levels. I've only driven my brothers car a handful of times but have been impressed primarily by its steering feel and balance. Each time I've driven it I've arrived back at base with a grin on my face.

Power isn't huge - must be about 110bhp (1600cc) as a guess, but there are plenty of aftermarket solutions including both supercharger and turbocharger kits.

I've never tried an RX-8, the pillarless doors hark back to the Lancia Aprilia of the 1930's. I like aspects of the styling, but find some details to be fussy.

[A1.6HPE]

not copied is reliability -Oo,oooooh! Last Sunday my Delta towed my neighbour's daughter's Nissan Micra home after it died ! (fuel pump). I always thought Micras were infallible.
Yeah the RX8 and the RX7 before it are good cars, but (without wanting to prolong this off topic discussion) the first Wankel engined Mazdas were unreliable and it took Mazda several years to re-establish the technology (and all credit to Mazda for sticking with it). Mazda copied that un-reliability from NSU. I believe that the SONY company does well financially!
Now that I have pointed out the poorer aspects of rotary engined cars, I would be perfectly happy to do a straight swap with my 8V integrale for any almost any RX8 - only this week though cause I'm having an off Lancia moment!

Leo

[SubGothius]

How can the MX5 be leading???ps - DJ, in the UK the MX5 is a car for pensioners who can afford more than a Micra.And hairdressers, which in addition to pensioners makes a lot of people voting.I'm suspecting by now that the "MX-5" appellation in the UK refers to an entirely different car than the Lotus Elan-inspired, two-seater sporting roadster sold as the "MX-5 Miata" in the States... :?:

[A1.6HPE]

Hello Tye,
No, its the same car ! Early ones had pop-up headlamps as gimmicky attraction, later have embedded headlamps. Rear wheel drive as per the Lotus Elan inspiration. They quickly built up a following in the UK due to high reliability, relatively low costs and that they had a hardtop available for the winter (!)

Leo

[omicron]

If you haven't tried one, then at least try and test drive one. The public perception may be of a somewhat 'girly' car, but they're really good fun to drive and practicality aside (something that will affect all 2 seat convertibles) is a very easy car to live with.