Lancia Fulvia: which version to buy and why
The Lancia Fulvia catalogue lists one generation and two versions, both Coupe, both sold in the same window, both Manual with 5 gears and FWD. The buying question is not “which generation” — there is only 1 generation (1963–1976). It is which of the two engines to take: 1.2 MT or 1.3 MT. Every comparison below uses only those two names and the numbers attached to them.
The Lancia Fulvia catalogue lists one generation and two versions, both Coupe, both sold in the same window, both Manual with 5 gears and FWD. The buying question is not “which generation” — there is only 1 generation (1963–1976). It is which of the two engines to take: 1.2 MT or 1.3 MT. Every comparison below uses only those two names and the numbers attached to them.
Specs that actually differ between 1.2 MT and 1.3 MT
Both versions start 1968-01-01 and stop 1975-12-31. Both are Gasoline, 4 cylinders, Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, Carburetor, compression 9, bore and stroke 77 × 69.7, tank 38, ground clearance 191, front suspension Independent, spring, front brakes Disc, rear brakes Disc. Rear suspension is not measured on both. Wheel size is not measured on both. Fuel type (grade) is not measured on both. City, highway, and combined consumption are not measured on both. CO2 and eco class are not measured on both. Gross weight is not measured on both. Engine placement is not measured on both.
What you are paying extra for, in numbers, is therefore a short list:
| Version | hp | kW | Nm | rpm (Nm) | Displacement | 0–100 | Top speed | Kerb weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 MT | 80 | 58 | not measured | not measured | 1216 | not measured | not measured | not measured |
| 1.3 MT | 88 | 65 | 114 | 4500 | 1298 | 13 | 175 | 1060 |
1.3 MT has 8 hp more than 1.2 MT (88 − 80) and 7 kW more (65 − 58). Displacement is 82 larger (1298 − 1216). Peak torque is measured only on 1.3 MT: 114 at 4500. Acceleration and top speed are measured only on 1.3 MT: 13 to 100 and 175. Kerb weight is measured only on 1.3 MT: 1060. If a number is missing on 1.2 MT, it is not measured, not “the same as 1.3 MT”.
Power per litre: the extra displacement is not wasted
Specific output from the given figures:
- 1.2 MT: 80 hp on 1216 displacement → 65.8 hp per litre (80 ÷ 1.216).
- 1.3 MT: 88 hp on 1298 displacement → 67.8 hp per litre (88 ÷ 1.298).
1.3 MT is 2.0 hp per litre higher, not only larger. The extra 82 of displacement comes with a slightly denser power rating, not a lazier one. Compression is 9 on both, valves per cylinder 2 on both, boost No on both, feed Carburetor on both, layout Inline 4 on both, and the bore/stroke string is the same 77 × 69.7 on both. The catalogue does not give a second bore/stroke pair, so the displacement gap of 82 is a fact of the two rows, not a story about a different crank or a different block.
Torque per litre can be written only for 1.3 MT: 114 Nm on 1298 → 87.8 Nm per litre (114 ÷ 1.298). For 1.2 MT torque is not measured, so torque per litre is not measured.
Weight per horsepower: only 1.3 MT can be scored
Kerb weight is not measured on 1.2 MT, so kg per hp for 1.2 MT is not measured. On 1.3 MT it is 1060 / 88 = 12.0 kg per hp.
That figure is the only mass-to-power ratio in this model’s data. It cannot be used to claim that 1.2 MT is lighter or heavier. Gross weight is not measured on both, so payload is not measured on both. Ground clearance is 191 on both, tank 38 on both: neither version buys more clearance or a larger tank.
If the choice is “I need a measured kerb weight,” only 1.3 MT has one (1060). If the choice is “I need a measured 0–100 and a measured top speed,” only 1.3 MT has them (13 and 175). 1.2 MT does not hide those figures; they are not measured.
Generations: there is nothing to trade across generations
1 generation ran from 1963-01-01 to 1976-12-31, body Coupe, 2 versions. Both versions sit inside that generation and share the same start and stop dates (1968-01-01 to 1975-12-31). There is no second generation, no restyling row, and no later gearbox or drive layout in the data. Manual 5 and FWD are the entire transmission and drive set.
What did not change between the two versions: gears (5), gearbox type (Manual), drive (FWD), fuel system type (Carburetor), boost (No), cylinder count (4), cylinder layout (Inline), valves per cylinder (2), compression (9), tank (38), clearance (191), front suspension (Independent, spring), front and rear brakes (Disc / Disc). The generation did not swap FWD for something else, did not add an automatic, and did not add a second body type in this catalogue.
Buying “a later Fulvia” in this dataset only means staying inside the same 1 generation Coupe window. The model-level production span is longer (1963–1976) than the two listed versions (1968–1975); the catalogue does not attach other named versions to the years outside 1968–1975. Those years are not measured as extra modifications here.
What the extra 8 hp buys — and what it does not
Arithmetic on the given power and performance:
- Power step: +8 hp, +7 kW, +82 displacement.
- Relative power: 88 / 80 = 1.10, so 1.3 MT is 10% more horsepower than 1.2 MT.
- Relative displacement: 1298 / 1216 = 1.067, so 1.3 MT is 6.7% larger in displacement.
- Power grew faster than displacement (10% vs 6.7%), which is the same fact as the +2.0 hp per litre gap above.
What the extra power does not buy in this data: a larger tank (both 38), more clearance (both 191), a different gearbox (both Manual 5), a different drive (both FWD), a different brake type (both Disc front and Disc rear), or a measured economy number (city, highway, mixed all not measured on both). There is no price field; “what the extra money buys” can only mean what the extra 8 hp, 82 displacement, 114 Nm, 13 0–100, 175 top speed, and 1060 kerb weight buy in the spec sheet.
Top speed 175 and 0–100 13 cannot be compared to 1.2 MT because those two cells on 1.2 MT are not measured. Do not treat 1.2 MT as slower or faster; treat it as unmeasured on those axes.
Fuel, mpg, and running cost: not measured on either version
People search mpg. The catalogue has no city, highway, or mixed figure on 1.2 MT and none on 1.3 MT. Consumption is not measured. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. Fuel grade is not measured. Both are Gasoline with Carburetor. A buyer who needs a measured mpg number will not find it on either version.
Tank is 38 on both, so range cannot be computed: consumption is not measured. The larger 1.3 MT engine is not assigned a higher or lower fuel figure in the data.
Dimensions, weight, wheels: what is shared and what is missing
Ground clearance 191 is the same. Tank 38 is the same. Wheel sizes are not measured on 1.2 MT and not measured on 1.3 MT. Rear suspension is not measured on both. Kerb weight is 1060 only on 1.3 MT; 1.2 MT kerb is not measured. Gross weight is not measured on both.
There is no length, width, height, wheelbase, or boot figure in the data, so those are not measured for the model as listed. A dimensions search for this catalogue page is answered by clearance 191, tank 38, and kerb 1060 on 1.3 MT only.
Reliability and problems: not in the data
There is no reliability score, no problem list, and no service interval in the source. Those topics are not measured. The mechanical facts that are measured and shared — Carburetor, Manual 5, FWD, Gasoline Inline 4, boost No, Disc brakes both ends — describe the layout, not failure rates. Do not read “simple” or “fragile” into missing problem data.
Which version to choose
Choose 1.3 MT if you want the only version with a complete performance row: 88 hp, 65 kW, 114 Nm at 4500, 1298 displacement, 0–100 13, top speed 175, kerb 1060. You also get the higher specific output (67.8 hp per litre vs 65.8) and the only kg-per-hp figure (12.0). The gearbox, drive, tank, clearance, brakes, compression, and cylinder layout are the same as 1.2 MT, so you are not trading away 5 gears, FWD, 38 litres, or 191 clearance to get the extra 8 hp.
Choose 1.2 MT if you want the lower output row on the same Coupe, same years, same Manual 5, same FWD: 80 hp, 58 kW, 1216 displacement. Accept that torque, 0–100, top speed, and kerb weight are not measured on this version. It is not a different generation and not a different body. It is the same 1 generation Coupe with 8 hp and 82 displacement less, and with more empty cells.
Do not choose by generation. There is 1 generation. Do not choose by gearbox or drive. Both are Manual 5 and FWD. Do not choose by mpg, tank, or clearance. Consumption is not measured; tank 38 and clearance 191 are identical. Do not invent a third version. The catalogue names are exactly 1.2 MT and 1.3 MT.
For a one-line answer: on this data, 1.3 MT is the version with measured speed, measured torque, measured weight, and 10% more horsepower; 1.2 MT is the lower-power twin with the same years, body, gears, drive, tank, and clearance, and with performance and kerb not measured.