If you had to place a bet in the 1960s on which car manufacturer, BMW or Lancia, would be a multi-million unit selling colossus in 2018, it wouldn’t have been on the firm from Bavaria.

Lancia weren’t just a manufacturer of exceptional drivers saloon cars in the golden years, they were a pioneer. The first company to use monocoque construction, independent suspension, and even complete electrics, Lancia are one of the automotive innovators of the 30’s-’80s. BMW meanwhile, were making this…

Sadly though, under FIAT’s ownership today they’re not even a shadow of a shadow of their former self. Fortunately Senator Chinchilla of Flickr is here to remind us of what Lancia used to be, thanks to his glorious ’60s Fulvia Rallye with opening doors, hood and trunk, and a detailed recreation of Lancia’s ingenious narrow-angle double overhead cam V4 engine.

There’s a whole lot more of the Senator’s brilliant Lancia Fulvia to see at his photostream – click the link above to make the jump to Lancia’s golden years.