Motor History

Description

This Lancia Fulvia HF started its life in Northern Ireland, imported by Isaac Agnew Ltd to compete in the 1968 Circuit of Ireland International Rally. The car was driven by local rally ace Robert McBurney with Agnew’s sales manager Reggie McSpadden navigating. They finished fourth, having competed against the likes of Roger Clark in a Works Escort and Paddy Hopkirk in a Works Mini.

Later that year the car was sold to Lancia England, purportedly for the same price that it had been purchased from the factory in Italy. The car was then registered to P.Moss, possibly being used by Lancia works driver Pat Moss as a spare car or for recce.

The car then changed hands several times over the next decade, being campaigned by various dealerships and privateers in the Motoring News Rally Championship, the premier rally championship in the UK at the time.

In 1980, with the car in disrepair, it was purchased by an Australian, who brought the car to Australia to begin a complete restoration. Perhaps daunted by the enormity of the project, the car was then sold to automobile designer Michael Simcoe who completed the recommissioning of many of the components of the car, also sourcing rare performance parts to make it more track orientated. These included a Group 4 inlet manifold and extractors, 1.6 hf wishbones which give the front end more negative camber, bigger Girling front brake calipers, Group 4 wheel arches and roll cage.

Promotion to Vice President of Global Design at General Motors led a need for Michael to move to Detroit. The Lancia was sold part way through restoration. In 2015 the car was purchased by Coachbuilder Chris Perkins who completed the restoration.