ROUND-UP PRACTICAL ITALIAN CLASSICS

Hidden among the blue-chip exotics you can find a surprisingly interesting selection of practical classic Italian machinery that’s cheap to buy and fun to own.

- IAIN WAKEFIELD

First off, let’s discount anything wearing a Lamborghini, Maserati or Ferrari badge, as any of these will be well outside an average enthusiast’s budget. Instead, we’re concentrating on a selection of more practical machinery produced by the big three Italian volume manufacturers: Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia. Of these, Fiat is recognized as the largest producer of vehicles in Italy and this long-established company can trace its roots back to 1899 and its first factory in Turin.

Alfa Romeo wasn’t far behind and started to produce automobiles in Milan in 1911. A strong sporting heritage helped boost the marque’s image, especially in the UK, and Alfa has been part of the Fiat group since 1986. Lancia was formed in 1906 and the company became part of the Fiat empire in 1969. Despite dominating the world rally scene for many years, the marque was unfortunately tarnished with issues relating to build quality and Lancia-badged cars are sadly no longer officially imported into the UK.

In 2014 Fiat joined up with Chrysler to form the Fiat Chrysler Automobile Group and over the last 50 years Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia have produced an impressive range of cars catering for all tastes and budgets. Obviously there are far too many to cover in detail here, but the following line up covers what we think is an eclectic mix of what’s available today when it comes to practical Italian classics.

FIAT

500 (1957-75)