In this issue:
Since January 28th 1972. again and more than
ever, everybody's interest is focusing on Lancia,
with the admiration for the exploit just accomplished,
which gives more impulse to the Company and
greater prestige to its products. This is proved by
the articles which have been published on news-
papers and magazines all over the world, by the
long programs devoted to Lancia's win by the Fo-
reign and Italian Television and Radio Systems and
by the urgent requests from Lancia Agents for new
cars in order to meet though with delay, the greatly
increased demands from old and new Customers
as well.
What does all this mean? We do not intend to turn
all that has been written and said into figures; this
would be too easy a job, because pages and tele-
vision pictures cannot be bought by money and
can be only obtained through the drivers' skill,
mechanicians' devotion to work, perfect organization
and reliability of the car, which is your car: the
Fulvia.
We are taking now some excerpts from the articles
which follow this foreword, but without co-ordinat-
ing them: they are opinions, memories, sensations
and digressions which take us back to that dawn
of January 28th 1972, we have been awaiting for
so many years.
Giovanni Arpiño
DIGRESSIONS ON THE RALLY THEME
The Turini Pass, on which during the Montecarlo
contest, the very prince of Rallies, we admire,
through photographs, dull flashes and television
pictures, a seemingly standard car running between
snow-drifts and in sleet squalls reminds the viewer
of his personal perilous crossing of the Alps through
the Tenda Pass in bad weather. As the child who
cycles frantically along the sidewalk mimicing the
exploits of Merckx or Gimondi he has heard of.
the man behind the wheel does not feel unfit for
the theoretical possibility to take part in a Rally,
does not deem it incomprehensible, difficult, a crazy
engagement, but judges and considers it according
to himself or to the performance of his banger, or
roadster.
For that reason the symbiosis and the charm appear
true though fanciful, feasible even if committed to
a hypothetical world.
There is true meaning to a Rally. There is no suspicion
of an impossible deed, but there is a personal reap-
proaching to the car's rights. The Turini Pass is like
the hump in front of your house garage: to know
it means to be able to master it without pretending
to be driving a racing car, but refusing, as a matter
of fact, the racing car as an anachronism. Is not this
a victory over being drifted apart and over fear?
Gino Rancati
TO THE MONTECARLO RALLY
WITH GREAT LOVE
...Then it was 1972 at last. Once more I came back
to you. But on tiptoes, subdued as the first time I
saw and met you. The other cars were showing off
their power, their full possibilities and self-con-
fidence. I was alone, keeping aloof, while the me-
chanics still lingered around me, fondling.
Now the start signal given, the misfortune seems far
at last, confidence is soon back again and great
expectations with it. Then we find the snow covering
the road; fresh, soft, dampening snow, that I grip
and I am very happy. I am sure this is the right time.
The atmosphere is filled with joy. Around me I see
people smiling, somebody is shouting. The Turini
Pass is a babel. Italian flags blaze in the night.
I am telling myself «Run. Fulvia. run. the time of
success has come at last». My drivers' skillful
hands and the directions uttered by the navigators
lead me softly but surely towards the end of this
strain. In the press-room meanwhile, the Italian news-
papermen have to confront with the temporary and
teasing supremacy displayed by the Alpine cars.
But I have no doubt they are endowed with iron
nerves. May be they foresee my success. The night
is nearing its end. We are in the lead and the others
are following up closely: our run is a vindicative
one. Let's keep on.
Then the arrival at the Condamine. The first hug
frightens me. Yet I have won many and many races,
the most difficult ones almost all over the world.
But this is the final hug which is worth a life. I am
sprinkled with Champagne. Munari and Mannucci
are standing on the bonnet, well it bears' their weight.
There are several minutes of sheer folly.
Look, a friend is approaching, perhaps he is the
Italian newspaperman, who more than anybody else
has followed this long suffering since I came here
for the first time. Therefore, he too is attending this
event. I was awaiting for him, maybe I had only
caught a glimpse of him earlier. But I was not sure.
Now he has a microphone in his hand. He is ap-
proaching me, Munari. all of us. I would like to hear
his voice. The uproar partly prevents me from. Then
I hear a somewhat hoarse voice, deeply moved.
It is a voice that tells me a lot about a happiness
uphoped for a win so much dreamt of.
You are asking me about future goals, I don't know.
I only know that now with the Montecarlo version
I bear your surname, like a bride. And that I am very,
very happy.
Your little, firm and everlasting Fulvia.
Cesare Fiorio
SYNTHESIS OF A WIN
It has been five years that the Montecarlo Rally
has passed through the Ardeche region. The Orga-
nizing Committee had regarded the Ardeche district
as one of the key sectors in the whole Rally Course,
but alas it had turned out to be. up to this year, a
stretch wholly unimportant and devoid of interest.
The Montecarlo Rally has been won this year in the
Ardeche region and in this area the accomplish-
ments of drivers and cars, and the care taken by
the Organizers, wholly aimed towards success, have
given the best results.
By that time the competition has taken a character
of its own. with Munari unexpectedly leading in
front of them all. followed up by a pack of opponents
resolute to take the lead in this contest which is
considered the one affording most prestige to the
winner. Most probably it was in this stage of the
contest that Munari mastered the threat to his
leadership in an effective way and compelled his
closer pursuers to maintain a rate which not only
required hig speed, but endurance, reliability and
constant performance from their cars.
The effort required by the first common race-course
had been much greater than the most severe expec-
tations had envisaged and it was just the last night
that this great strain affected almost all competitors,
so deeply, that the group of the almost sixty entrants,
who had qualified at the end of the first common
stretch, was reduced to only 18 who succeeded in
reaching the finishing post at Montecarlo. It is just
in this picture that the results attained by the Lancia
Racing Team take on greater significance, because
besides gaining the overall win, the other two Lancia
cars, driven by Lampinen and Barbasio, were clas-
sified at the 4th and 6th places respectively, deserving
in this way the famous Manufacturers' Challeng Cup
offered as a price by the Equipe newspaper since
1938 and to be awarded to tho winner of three
yearly contests.
In 1972 at last. Lancia have attained this great
achievement, everybody was expecting for a long
time and that the Racing Team has extensively
proved to be worthy of.
FROM AN HF DIARY
THE EVE
We were confident, but. because of supe'stition
perhaps, everybody else was sceptical. We still re-
membered Cesare Fiorio saying: «We have reduced
training, service facilities and budget... surely the
team is ready for competition, with the usual care,
but snow is lacking (that snow so much wished-
for!)...».
Moreover on the prize-giving day, Mr. Gobbato. it
seemed a foreboding, had told us.
«The Fulvia will be remembered forever, no other
car has ever gained such a notable and remarkable
set of achievements!»
January 28th, at dawn, the sky is still dark. We go
out into the fresh morning air. together with Dede
Barbasio. Flavia, Munari's sweetheart. Mannucci's
wife and Ann, the Racing Team Secretary. We keep
silent and walk quickly. Down at the port there is
a huge crowd. We are all looking in one direction,
from where the competitors will arrive! We are now
contended by two feelings; while we are almost
sure that Sandro will win, we are worried on the
other hand thinking that unexpected events may
turn up the last minute.
I have no time to think about it, i am stormed as
well «Mrs. Fiorio please tell us: what does it mean
for your husband to win a Montecarlo Rally?»
«1 cannot reply. I am too deeply moved, I am almost
crying; I turn my head and manage to answer «...a
lot». But the floodlights are again aiming at me
«where is your husband now? Will he arrive before
Munari, or after him?»
«With him I think...»
There he is. The floodlights which just dazzled me
are now aimed at Cesare. I more back in the dark,
among the crowd, while the newspapermen storm
at him. After a few minutes the crowd is moving
to the finishing post. Sandro is arriving.
1.3 S FULVIA COUPE
«MONTECARLO» VERSION
The achievement attained at the Montecarlo Rally
by the 1600 HF Fulvia driven by Munari and Man-
nucci has seen the winning by Lancia, the sole
Make in the world, of the Manufacturers' Cup of-
fered as a price by the daily newspaper Equipe since
1938 and to be awarded to the Manufacturer who
in three yearly contests would have obtained the
best classification of a three-car team.
To celebrate and recall such performance, Lancia
have prepared a special version of the 1.3 S Fulvia
Coupé called «Montecarlo».
This model has been specially designed to afford
more brilliant performance on winding courses, like
those experienced at the rallies, it features therefore
spanking acceleration, increased safety and visibility,
as safety belts and fog lamps are standard fitting
and other very important improvements.
ELECTRONIC INJECTION ENGINED
LANCIA 2000 SALOON
Great performance and perfect operation of the elec-
tronic injection engine which has greatly proved
itself on the 2000 HF Coupe have recommended
its installation to the Saloon too. which has acquired
in this way greater flexibility, more power and span-
king acceleration. Moreover the five-speed gearbox
allows better use of the power afforded by the
engine, which can be now more rationally exploited
in the bands nearest to the maximun torque r.p.m.
The bodywork has not undergone any modification
and this model is identified by a nameplate bearing
the letters «IE» fitted to the right-hand side of the
radiator grille and by another one reading «Inie-
zione» located on the right-hand side of the tail
panel. The carburetted engine Lancia 2000 Saloon
is not only still included in the Lancia range but is
also supplied featuring a five-speed gearbox.
DEVELOPING
THE STRATOS PROGRAMME
The first stage of the Stratos tuning up has been
going on for some weeks. Testers and drivers of
the Racing Team sat at the wheel of the prototype
mode on the Chivasso plant testing track, and day
by day one would say, this car, which has aroused
so much interest during and after the Turin Motor
Show, is seen «growing» and improving ever since.