Good morning, Autopians! This is it, the final Shitbox Showdown of 2023. And I don’t know about you, but I could use a break from the junk. I feel like writing about something I actually want for a change, so today we’re going to look at two all-time dream cars of mine. Weird choices, I know, but hey – I’m kind of a weird guy.
Yesterday, we checked out two low-mileage American heroes, and I guess I’m not surprised that the wagon took an easy win. It’s a good deal on a really appealing car, which makes me wonder why it has been for sale for so long; that car has popped up in my searches for at least a couple of months now. I guess enthusiasts don’t want an Oldsmobile wagon, and folks just looking for a car aren’t willing to gamble on something that old.
I think the Concorde would actually be a nicer car to drive, but that rebuilt title does give me pause. I’d want to take a closer look. And that’s always the problem with these challenges, isn’t it? There’s only so much you can glean from a few photos and a bit of text. To really know a car, you have to drive it. Sights, sounds, feelings, smells – these will all tell you within short order whether or not a car is worth your time, no matter how good it looked in the ad.
All right. Yesterday’s Autopian Asks question got me thinking, not about cars I’ve driven, but cars I really want to drive and haven’t had a chance to yet. Some of them are just because of their shifter types – I want to drive any Ferrari with a gated shifter, and any Citroën 2CV-based car with that weird umbrella-handle thing – and others, like these two, are just cars I want to experience, but wouldn’t want to own. We’ll leave that headache to someone else. But I sure would love to talk my way into a test-drive of either one of these. Let’s check them out.
1977 Lotus Esprit S1 – $25,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Elizabeth City, NC
Odometer reading: 47,000 miles
Operational status: “Runs strong, drives excellent”
It seems strange to me that after all these years surrounded by British car nerds, I have yet to drive any sort of Lotus. (Or any decent Jaguar, for that matter; just a couple of scruffy XJ6s here and there.) I got a ride in an Elan once when I was little, but that’s as close as I have come to Colin Chapman’s marvelous machines.
My first introduction to the Lotus Esprit was a yellow Corgi car when I was four or five years old. It was one of my favorites, and I carried it around everywhere. When my dad let me stay up to watch The Spy Who Loved Me a couple years later, and I saw a car just like my Corgi car turn into a submarine, I was in love. I knew nothing about Giorgietto Giugiaro’s “folded paper” school of design, or Colin Chapman’s insistence on performance through weight reduction; I just knew that the Lotus Esprit was one cool car.
This Series 1 Esprit is not a particularly fast car by modern standards; it could probably be outrun by a Toyota Yaris. It’s powered by Lotus’s own twin-cam “907” four cylinder, sitting just in front of a Citroën-supplied five-speed transaxle. This one underwent a complete mechanical overhaul several years ago, and it runs and drives beautifully.
What isn’t quite as beautiful is the condition of the interior and exterior. It’s completely original, and the current owner has made a conscious choice to keep it that way. The red paint is chalky and worn through in places, the unassailably cool plaid upholstery is sun-faded, and the whole thing just looks a little tired. But I kind of like it; it has character, and I wouldn’t be afraid to drive it.
This car still gives me the needy wants. I know the later turbocharged ones are faster, and I know it’s a fragile, high-maintenance nightmare, but I don’t care. The heart wants what it wants, and the Series 1 is the Lotus Esprit of my dreams.
Oh, and Jason would kill me if I didn’t point out that this car uses the taillights from another mid-engine sports car that I have wanted since I was a kid: the Fiat X1/9.
1974 Lancia Fulvia 1.3S – $27,750
Engine/drivetrain: 1.3 liter overhead cam narrow-angle V4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Miami, FL
Odometer reading: 31,000 kilometers
Operational status: Runs and drives beautifully, it sounds like
Poor Lancia. The fabled Italian marque barely exists today, selling only a sad little hatchback called the Ypsilon. But back in the day, Lancia was a force to be reckoned with. Italian cars and racing go hand-in-hand, and while Lancia didn’t only build road-legal cars so it could race them like Ferrari did, it wasn’t far off. Lancia’s biggest motorsport legacy was in rallying, with mid-engined monsters like the Stratos and 037, the ferocious and deadly Delta S4, and this lovely little coupe: the Fulvia.
Unlike Lancia’s more famous rally machines, the Fulvia is front-engined and front-wheel-drive. It’s powered by a tiny, weird engine, a 1.3 liter V4 with only 12 degrees of separation between the cylinder banks. This narrow angle allows both banks of cylinders to share one cylinder head, a design later used by Volkswagen’s VR6 engine. To allow for a low hood, the Fulvia’s V4 is canted over to one side at a 45 degree angle. It sits in front of a five-speed gearbox, with the radiator off to one side, similar to ’80s Audi designs.
I always assumed, from the looks of this car, that it was a Pininfarina design, like so many of Lancia’s other cars were at the time. And it bears a resemblance to Peugeot coupes that were designed by Pininfarina. But this was an in-house Lancia design, and it’s a beauty. There isn’t a bad line on this thing. If you’ve never seen one in person, you’d be surprised at how small it really is. And if you’ve never heard one in person, you’re missing out. I don’t know how the Italians make engines sound so good, but they’re just music to a car guy’s ears.
This Fulvia is all-original as well, according to the ad, and was imported to the US from Italy in 2021. It has only 31,000 kilometers on its odometer, and just had a “complete service,” whatever that entails. It sure looks like it’s in great shape, and I like the dark blue/tan color combo.
Some people, when they say they have a thing for Italian exotics, are referring to Ferraris or Lamborghinis or something even more boutique and exclusive. Not me. Give me slender roof pillars, sleek and simple lines, and a weird snarly four-cylinder engine.
Well, that’s it for this year! I hope you all have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve, and I’ll see you back here in 2024. In the meantime, which one of these two dream machines are you going to sweet-talk your way into driving?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Lots
Of
Trouble
Usually
Serious
I’m taking the Lancia. Which may also be lots of trouble. But damn…
The Lancia
Because I’ve always wanted to learn Italian.
If the Lancia didn’t send the power to the wrong end…
The Fulvia is my ultimate slow car fast weekend car! The only concerning weak link on it is the Italian steel. I worry that my midwest weather would undo 50 years of preservation in no time.
At 5’7″, I’d fit just fine in THE LANCIA, THE LANCIA, A THOUSAND TIMES THE LANCIA.
Whilst I love the idea of a ratty Lotus with plaid seats that works (for relative values of works), that Lancia is just too beautiful.
Out of two, I’d take Lancia and toss Lotus to the people of short height. Being 205 cm tall, I could fit in the Lotus fairly well.
However, the quirky location of the ignition lock and extreme close proximity of the steering wheel to the tall centre console—that acted as Berlin Wall between the driver and passenger—led to the embarrassing predicament for me. As I moved my right knee upward to move my right foot to the throttle pedal, I accidentally squeezed my right thigh into the tight space between steering wheel and centre console. The steering wheel locked into the position and refused to budge, trapping my right thigh there. Unable to move my thigh anywhere, my foot was trapped in the footwell. The only way to free me was to unlock the steering wheel: that’s where the problem came. My right leg obscured the ignition lock and denied us the access.
The mechanic came in to unbolt the steering wheel from the column. The sales representatives told me UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES NOT TO SIT IN THE LOTUS EVER AGAIN! Okey-dokey…duly noted.
Ouch. I love both those cars, but the Lotus steals my heart, just as it is.
That Lotus could be a good canvas for an art car, if you know a good artist.
Could do the art as a wrap, too. Then do the paint when you find the right shop to do it.
The price might be a little high, though.
IMO the Esprit is one of the coolest cars of all time, but my God that Lancia is MINT. What a beautiful car….I’ll take it.
Man, what a tough choice to end the year.
A few months ago at a Cars and Coffee thing on the North Shore, I was checking out a tomato-red Fulvia with the whole rally treatment (fogs, alloys, matte black hood) when the owner came up and started talking about how awesome it was. On his enthusiasm alone, we’ll take the Lancia. Plus, as cool as the Esprit would be, it’s a little too scruffy for the money, and I always preferred the S4 anyway.
Lancia hands down!
This one is a no-brainer, since I bought a Fulvia much like this guy two years ago. For this price you get a nice sorted car vs something that is half way to a project, and as a bonus the car is beautiful inside and out. Size-wise, they are almost the same as a NA Miata, but 5″ narrower – essentially there’s no tunnel/console between the seats so you had better be on friendly terms with your passenger.
I’m really intrigued by how much discomfort this decision is causing me; it’s like I’m making some decision at the proverbial crossroads about my love for scruffy uncomfortable but desirable cars of my youth, vs realizing a comfortable and finished car might be a nice thing at this point in my life. I can imagine driving (but can’t afford) either of these cars, but I think in the end I’m forced to admit the Lancia would better suit me at this point. It’s like in this decision I’m being forced to conceded my age. When did this site begin to cause me existential dilemmas?
From the moment it was started…
These are both intriguing machines. I went with the Lancia on the sole reason that I may actually fit in it and therefore be able to drive it. I love that 907 especially with a decent 5 speed but a Jensen Healey is the only car with that motor that I know I can fit in
Couldn’t agree more, tiny exotics look great, but I pay no attention to them since I couldn’t fit in it with a human sized shoehorn.
That Esprit is a really cool car, and when I read the description, I thought, “That’s it – I’m going with the Lotus”. And then I read the description of the Fulvia and the choice became very difficult. I ended up going with the Lancia. You still see the occasional Esprit around here, but there would be no such thing as another Fulvia. If I’m going to have a car that’s a nightmare to keep running, I’ll take the one that’s more rare.
That Lancia is gorgeous. Easy win for me
What a choice. I own a Lotus and love the S1 Esprit but that is a gorgeous Fulvia for what seems like a great price. Sorry Lotus, I’ve got a date with the Italian gal.
Now you’re really screwing with us!
I’ve always loved the Esprit, especially the cleaner pre-facelift model like this one. I know someone who had one back in the 80’s. I never got to drive it, but did ride in it many times. Your comment about it being fragile might be off base, though. He was always amazed at how reliable it was, especially for the day.
But that Fulvia, so achingly beautiful…
Lotus. Why? Because, when you’re in the gas station, and you point to your car at the pump, if you’re in the Lotus, everyone goes “OOOOOO!”
If you’re in the Lancia, unless they really know, they’ll probably say “What? The old Corolla?”
The Lancia is the logical choice here, but an Esprit or Pantera are on my hypothetical short list of wedge shaped cars I’d like to see in my stable some day.
Lotus for me. It’s just a paint job or paint restoration away from being fantastic. And I love the tartan interior it has.
In the Lotus Ad they claim “Original paint & interior. They’re both faded, but intentionally left that way, because as they say, it’s only original once.”
Well the interior looks fine to me. But the paint, yeah it’s ‘original’, but it looks like shit. To me it sounds like an excuse not to bother getting the paint taken care of.
The Lancia probably is the better deal, but I’m also an Esprit fan.