The design, a brilliant example of disarming simplicity, immediately drew in a diverse clientele: for most of the 60s and 70s, men and women of all ages fell in love with this 2+2 Lancia. In a short time, also thanks to the marque’s felicitous marketing strategy, Fulvia achieved huge commercial success and became a cultural phenomenon in Italy.
The compact passenger area, the sloping windscreen and rear window, the shorter platform and wheelbase compared to its big sister already betrayed this car’s aptitude for racing—a few years later, the project indeed lead to the victory at the 1972 International Championship for Manufacturers (the then equivalent of the World Rally Championship).

It all started with a boat.
Piero Castagnero stated several times that the inspiration for his Lancia Fulvia Spider came from a boat—more specifically, a Riva motorboat.
This is one of the aspects that sparks the most curiosity. Considering the nautical origin of this design with taut, clean lines, one might say there is a missing link in this car’s successful production: a spider.
Probably—surely—someone at Lancia thought about it. But either due to insufficient funds or, as it often happens, to a hesitant Centro Stile executive who did not approve the project, the Fulvia Spider never came to life. Or so I thought…
(I am obviously talking about street-legal cars, therefore excluding the three vehicles in the racing team, exclusively meant for competitive usage.)