Lancia exported its extravagantly engineered cars to the U.S. on and off until 1967. In 1969, Fiat swallowed the insolvent company and began updating and cost-cutting Lancia’s original designs. Pre-Fiat-era Lancias were famous for their innovation, with unibodies, V-6s, independent suspensions, hemispherical combustion chambers, transaxles, and inboard brakes years before competitors. The brand caught the attention of Pennsylvanian Mike Kristick, now 77, who first fell in love with Aurelias and Flaminias in 1960. “It was the design of the cars more than anything,” recalls Kristick. In 1980, he bought his first Lancia, a 1967 Fulvia Coupe Rallye 1.3—a front-driver with an 87-hp, 12.8-degree V-4—which he still owns. What began as a search for parts for the Fulvia has become, three decades later, what may be the largest inventory of salvaged and new-old-stock (NOS) Lancia parts on the continent. The obsession is contagious: Kristick’s son Michael, son-in-law Heath, and brother Walt all drive and race pre-Fiat-era Lancias.
Keep Reading: Ancient Grease: Lancia Life Support – Feature
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